‘\ugust 29,2008 \ The Clarion
sports
Football team to balance offense in 2008
Preseeason
A IIS AC
second
team
running
back John
Taylor
scores in
a 2007
contest
by Joseph Chilton
Editor-in-Chief
In their inaugral game two
years ago after over a half
century ovf gridiron dormancy
the Brevard College football
team played in front of over
5,500 fans.
Last season, however, the
team averaged 2,459 fans each
Saturday.
The numbers suggest that the
novelty of simply having a
football team is begiiming to
wear off, and that it will now
take wins, more than the two
per season that the last two
autumns have seen at Brevard
Memorial Stadium, to retain the
interest of the Brevard College
community.
Due to the return of the
majority of last year’s impact
players coupled with the
addition of a slew of talented
transfers. Coach Paul Hamilton
feels that the Tornados are
headed in the direction of
success.
“When you’re starting a
program a program you have
got to get your kids believing
that they can win each and
every Saturday. We made
strides towards that in the off
season,” Hamilton said at
South Atlantic Conference
Media Day earlier this month.
According to Hamilton, the
biggest change put into place
for the 2008 campaign is that
this year’s Tornados will utihze
the air attack much more than
last year’s smash mouth
oriented squad.
“Last year we couldn’t throw
it into the ocean,” said
Hamilton, referring to the fact
that the Brevard passed for less
than 70 yards per game last
season. “We are going to try
to be more balanced this
season.”
A change at quarterback has
been made in hopes of
facilitating the addition of an
aerial assault. Sophomore Trey
Wilborn, last year’s starting
quarterback, has moved to the
slot in order to make room for
Coach Hamilton’s son, Kye, to
take the reigns under center
Hamilton started 21 games in
two seasons at Division I Elon
before transferring to Brevard
and sitting out last season.
“Of course this is a dad
talking, but I think Ky e ’ s ability
to throw the football makes us
a different team,” Hamilton told
the SAC media.
Although BC will pass more
this season, the foundation of
their offense will still be senior
running back John Taylor, a
pre-season all-SAC second
team selection who ran for a
team high 766 yards and 11
touchdowns last season.
According to Hamilton,
Taylor’s productivity was
hampered last season by an
inexperienced line. With the
entire offensive line from last
season returning with an extra
year of seasoning, the setting
could be set for Taylor to return
to the form that allowed him to
be the top rusher in the
Southern Conference while
suiting up for Elon in 2005.
“John ran behind a lot of
young pups last year, but this
year I’m looking forward to
seeing him mn it about 25 times
a game,” Hamilton said.
An improved offense should
alleviate the pressure placed
on the Tornado defense, a unit
that saw the field a great deal
last season.
The biggest obstacle that the
defense had to overcome last
season was a lack of size, a
problem that caused many
smaller players to play down,
away from their natural
positions.
The Brevard College
coaching staff brought in four
transfers on the defensive line
over the off season, additions
who should allow several of
last year’s linemen to return to
their natural positions.
Nobody will benefit more from
the super-sizing of the
defensive line than 6-foot-2,
235-pound junior Brandon
Rawls, who will now get to
move back from defensive end
to his natural position of
outside linebacker, a spot
where Hamilton is expecting big
things from Rawls.
“Brandon is big and he runs
very well. He along with three
transfers that we are bringing
in should give us some very
good outside linebackers.”
At the inside linebacker
position, the Tornados return
their two leading tacklers from
last season, junior Stanley
Jones and senior Elliott Collins.
In the secondary, senior Josh
Durm, who recorded 57 tackles
at the safety position, returns
and will bring toughness to the
defensive backfield. The
Tornado coaching staff is also
excited about the return of
sophomore Shorick Johnson,
who suffered a fractured hip
and missed the latter portion
of last season. According to
Hamilton has recovered well
and had a great off-season.
The strongest point of this
year’s Tornados will be special
teams. Senior punter Luke
Lovelace boomed punts for an
average of 36.2 yards per kick
last year, and according to
Hamilton, sophomore place
kicker Chase Henry has had a
very impressive pre-season.
“With our kicking game, we
have a chance,” Hamilton said.
The Brevard College football
team has experienced the
expected growing pains over
the last two years, but this
season’s ten game slate should
be an opportunity to prove that
the program is nearing arrival
as a well-respected college
football program.
“Persoimel wise,we’ve still
got to get better, there’s no
question about it,” Hamilton
said.
“But we had people say they
would play us at the begiiming
of last season who said they
wouldn’t play us after the
season ended. I think that says
something.”