Colonials Corner

I announced it earlier on twitter (twitter.com/achiappazzi), but in case you missed it, senior Camdin Crouse will be reportedly be starting against Virginia Military Institute on Saturday in Lexington, Virginia.

It will be Crouse’s second start in four years. His previous start came against Central Connecticut State two years ago and he played the first quarter of that game, throwing a touchdown and interception. Crouse’s start against the Blue Devils was an attempt by head coach Joe Walton to jump start the struggling Erik Cwalinski. Crouse also appeared in relief of Cwalinski last year against Dayton, completing 5 of 6 passes with a touchdown.

This time it appears to be Crouse’s job for longer than a quarter, although the coaching staff apparently did not reveal the decision to the players today. It’s a bit of an unusual move, but it could make some sense. Walton said on Saturday that with some positions – specifically mentioning defensive line – he wants a couple players to step up and stake claim to starting spots. Therefore, with some positions potentially still a bit fluid, the staff may have held off making an announcement about starters at any position, even though they came to a conclusion on the quarterback. That’s merely speculation, of course, but it’s a potential explanation.

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Robert Morris head coach Joe Walton would not commit to naming a starting quarterback for the 2009 campaign Saturday, saying that he would be reviewing the position over the next day or so.

It was not a wholly unexpected move, especially considering none of the quarterbacks did anything to truly distinguish themselves in Saturday’s scrimmage. The day was a microcosm of training camp, with each quarterback showcasing some ability but also displaying some setbacks. Walton did profess his intrigue in his freshmen quarterbacks – Jeff Sinclair and Kyle McNeil – but admitted they weren’t quite ready to take the reigns just yet.

We’ll let you know who the starting quarterback will be as soon as we know.

So what did happen during Saturday’s scrimmage? Mostly, a pretty convincing performance by the defense.

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Just a quick reminder for those of you heading out to the Blue-White scrimmage on Saturday. The team will be going through a brief practice earlier in the afternoon, with the actual 7 on 7 and 11 on 11 scrimmaging beginning around 2pm.

They should scrimmage for a good hour or so, and I expect we’ll have an idea of who the quarterback is going to be. If it’s not readily obvious from the amount of first team snaps, then I hope to get an answer directly from Coach Walton following the scrimmage.

Early guess? Camdin Crouse. The last two days of practice have been heavy on Crouse, and while he had a miserable day Thursday, he was right back up there with the first team on Friday. Desmond Brently and Jeff Sinclair also received snaps with the first team units, although Sinclair worked mostly with some spare receivers/backs and the first team offensive line.

Aaron Smetanka was relegated to working with all second and third team players in Thursday and Friday’s practice. Who knows if that actually means anything for Saturday’s scrimmage, but it should provide some context for what we see.

Also, injury notes: Shadrae King is back healthy again, although he’s still a little sore from a hamstring injury. That makes the entire first team offense healthy for the scrimmage. Adam Lawrence left today’s practice a little shaken up, but he should be fine. Mark Syzmanski was in uniform, as was anyone else that will be on the first team defense. Injuries are at a minimum, so it should be a good glimpse at where the team is tomorrow.

Might be a little moist. Bring the rain gear!

Saturday marks the end of camp and the beginning of the true season. While the coaching staff at Robert Morris has already begun instituting various forms of preparation for the season opener against the Virginia Military Institute, next week will be exclusively focused on that element. Position battles will be done, the depth chart will be set, and the mood changes from survival to beating VMI.

That brings us to Saturday, the last chance for those in position battles to stake their claim. The true scrimmage portion of the practice should begin around 2 or 2:30, but there will be some drills and other things going on prior to the actual scrimmage, so I’d recommend getting there around 1. Here are the things we’ll be watching for:

• Is Shadrae King fully healthy? While coaches, players, and fans likely have full confidence in King’s abilities, having King completely ready and working with the first team alongside Chris Molnar would be a nice start to the season.
• How will the coaching staff rotate the running backs? Sure, Myles Russ is going to get his carries. But what about Raphael Johnson, Kent State transfer Jamar Cromwell, and fullback Jeff Link? Is Link the guy inside the five yard line? Will it be a rotation, much like the Dallas Cowboys should use this year with Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice? The one difference is that Russ is so explosive and durable, you’d almost hate to take him off the field. But Johnson and Cromwell have shown their abilities in camp as well, including some nice moves and speed from Cromwell.
• Who will be the front three on defense? Mark Syzmanski is a lock, but is he good to go following some injuries last year? Will it be some combination of Gavin Marshall, Chris Roberts, and Farren Mason in the middle? Can Roberts play end, or will Mike Lovely or someone else be there? That’s a major key to figure out, as each day I’ve attended camp this summer has brought a slightly different look on the defensive line.
• Who will return kicks? Dion Wiegand, Anthony Coleman, and multiple others have all been back there at various points in camp. The Colonials struggled with returns last year until James O’Quinn and Coleman stepped forward, but now O’Quinn is gone. So who steps up?
• Finally…the quarterback. The only thing we can be relatively sure of is that it’s down to Camdin Crouse and Aaron Smetanka. Desmond Brently, Jeff Sinclair, Kyle McNeil, and Kevin Quinn will have to wait. So which out of Crouse and Smetanka is the right choice? Some days it looks like Crouse. Other days it looks like Smetanka. I have a feeling that Walton is close to making a decision but wants to let the two quarterbacks make the decision for him in simulated game action on Saturday. Besides watching out for completions and touchdowns, we’ll be looking at how the two quarterbacks command their squads (are they organized, calm, in sync?); decision making process (was someone else open, was the throw forced?); who gets the running plays, who gets the pass plays; which defense is on the field against them; finally, player reaction.

Failing all of that, we’re in position to ask Walton following the scrimmage. So you’ll know right away if there’s a final decision. The bulk of our journalistic work on Saturday will be for the Beaver County Times preview special coming out Friday, September 4th. But you’ll get plenty of nuggets here, too. In the meantime (shameless plug alert), pick up the gigantic 80-page BCT High School Preview special this Friday at your local convenience store in North/West Allegheny County and Beaver County.

In the midst of doing a pile of high school previews for the Times, I stopped by camp again Friday evening to see how preparations for the first scrimmage on Saturday (at noon, I believe) are coming along.

Not much has changed on the depth chart, and the quarterback race seems to be tightening, if that’s at all possible. Several players continue to sit out and nurse injuries, opening the door for a few others to step in. Mostly, though, it’s a group of set units working together on a relatively consistent basis.

Some coaches would argue that a level of consistency like that is almost unheard of and extremely valuable, especially for a quarterback and his receivers or his offensive line. Others would say that, especially at the college level, they’d rather see some more movement up and down the depth chart, especially from younger players.

Here then are one man’s thoughts and observations as we turn the corner and head down the stretch towards the start of a brand new collegiate season.

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Albany received eight of the nine coaches votes and is picked to finish first in the NEC this season in the official poll released by the Northeast Conference.

Monmouth received the other first place vote and ended up 2nd, followed by Central Connecticut State, Sacred Heart, and Robert Morris.

Duquesne, Bryant, Wagner, and St. Francis Pa. bring up the bottom tier. The league also had a teleconference involving all of the coaches and released their preseason All-Conference teams. In the news conference, Robert Morris head coach Joe Walton talked about his team’s outlook on the season, and when he expects the quarterback competition to end.

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Raphael Johnson carries the ball during training camp. Johnson has looked impressive as he bids for more carries behind star Myles Russ. Photo by Andrew Chiappazzi

Week one of training camp is done, the team photographer is getting ready for a parade of Colonials to smile for the camera tomorrow, and perhaps a few freshmen are rethinking what they want out of college and whether football is going to be part of it.

So, in honor of week one being complete, we’re doing things the old fashioned way: News, notes, and a good old starting 22.

NOTES

• Shadrae King, the starter at tight end following a fine freshman year, has not practiced significantly since the middle of the week. It’s not a serious injury, but there’s no timetable for his return.
• The defense, as expected, is a few steps ahead of the offense right now. Both the first and second units were getting quite a bit of pressure on all of the quarterbacks throughout the drills.
• There’s a nice bit of competition with the kickers going on right now. Garrett Clawson hit a 52-yard field goal to end practice (and relieve the team of the final sprints). Freshman Greg Langer and junior Matt Catanzarite also had their opportunities, but none matched Clawson’s distance.
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Four new coaches are going through their first camp as members of the Robert Morris University football team, joining the freshmen in trying to absorb as much as possible as quickly as possible.

Two returning coaches are going through their first camp with their new, expanded roles on the staff.

In all, six positions on the 11-man staff are filled with either new faces or old faces with expanded responsibilities. It’s one of the sidebars to the overall training camp story being written by the Colonials this season. Colonials Corner takes a look at the new and the old faces in camp, the credentials they carry with them, and the tasks being laid at their feet for the 2009 football season.

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Over the next three weeks, Colonials Corner will post a variety of observations, notes, news, and analysis from training camp as the football team gears up for its 16th season under Joe Walton. We will also post several feature stories highlighting various topics, players, and coaches under the spotlight for this season. This is the first of those features.

Ian Milanak, left, and Alex DiMichele, right, will be two of the leaders of a veteran defense for Robert Morris. Photo by Andrew Chiappazzi

Within minutes of beginning a post-practice chat on the team’s defensive leadership, Alex DiMichele and Adam Lawrence – fully capable of carrying a conversation about football on their own – roped fellow defensive stalwarts Michael Landers and Ian Milanak into the conversation. With DiMichele and Lawrence already showcasing an uncanny ability to understand exactly what the other was saying, Landers and Milanak jumped in and created an even more impressive display of cohesiveness.

Four minds, four personalities, one set of answers. In a sport that loves cohesion, especially on defense, it should come as no surprise that four of the leaders on a defense that returns ten starters are on the same page. The foursome is an example of the overall team construction that Robert Morris coaches are hoping will create a championship caliber team in Moon Township, something the school hasn’t seen since 2000.
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Sophomore James O'Quinn ruled academically ineligible, may not return to Colonials. Photo courtesy of rmucolonials.com

After months of speculation and a wide variety of rumors, James O’Quinn is officially off the Robert Morris football team for the 2009 season, and he may not be returning.

The Kiski Area graduate was ruled academically ineligible at the end of the spring semester and will not be available for this season. There remains some question whether he will return to the program once he adjusts his academic record.

Recruited by multiple Division I teams, O’Quinn was suspended twice by his high school and saw his recruiting stock drop to the point where the Colonials became a viable option. Robert Morris recognized O’Quinn’s past but the coaching staff expressed hope in being able to help O’Quinn learn from his mistakes.

Inquiries earlier this summer into his status as a student were denied by Dean of Students John Michalenko, and O’Quinn is not listed in the student directory, although it should be noted that any student has the capability to remove his/her name from the directory if they wish. O’Quinn is not listed in the official media guide released yesterday by the sports information department, although his name will remain on the roster on the website for now.

With O’Quinn unavailable, the pressure increases for junior TJ Green and sophomore Anthony Coleman to become viable receiving targets alongside Sherrod Evers for whoever ends up taking the snaps under center. Green improved steadily at the end of last year, while Coleman is still in the process of transitioning from defensive back. Diminuitive wide receivers Michael Blanchard, DJ Zalewski, and Troy Besterci will also likely be given shots at taking O’Quinn’s snaps, while 6’4 sophomore Paul Evans would seem to have a distinct size advantage if he can show some consistency. As far as freshman go, 6’2 Paul Sanchez is likely the most polished receiver coming into the program.

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