Football: 2014 Preview

DEFIANCE, OHIO - The Defiance College football team welcomes back multiple players with starting experience in 2014, including 28 lettermen. The Yellow Jackets will rely on their upperclassmen and returning players to build upon last season and help advance the program to contend for a possible Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship.

Last fall, Defiance ended the year with a 3-7 overall mark will four loses by a touchdown or less.  The Yellow Jackets ended last season as one of the top offenses in the league finishing third in the HCAC in total offense averaging 347.5 yards per game.  The Yellow Jackets also had one of the better ground attacks with 152.4 yards per game placing them third in the conference.  DC will also be strong defensively following a season that saw the Jackets ranked nationally in several categories including: total defense (seventh) allowing an average of just 257.4 total yards of offense per game, rushing defense (sixth) giving up just 74.1 yards per game, tackles for loss (14th) with 89 and interceptions (T-15th) with 18.

QUARTERBACK

At the quarterback position,  sophomore Alex Larson (Highland, Mich./Milford) returns to lead the Jacket offense.  Last season as a freshman, Larson completed a team-high 105-of-204 passes (51.5 percent) for 1,303 yards and nine TD.  He also carried the ball 106 times for 220 yards (2.1 yards per carry) and a pair of TD. 

RUNNING BACKS

Coming into the 2014 season, the Defiance backfield will be led by senior Trevon Burrell (Auburn Hills, Mich./Avondale).  Burrell ende the 2013 season with 275 yards in 65 attempts to go along with two TD.  In two seasons as a varsity player, Burrell has rushed for 791 career yards and will need 209 yards to top 1,000.  Also joining the rushing attack will be junior Daniel Collins (West Springfield, Va./West Springfield) and sophomore Cody Wilson (McComb).  Collins rushed for 175 yards last sesaon in 68 attempts and had a team-best four TD.  He also provided a threat as a receiver catching 15 passes for 221 yards (14.7 yards per catch) and two TD.  Wilson added 90 yards (3.2 ypc.) in 28 attempts and finished the season as the team's third-leading receiver with 19 catches for 276 yards (14.5 ypc.) and one TD.  

TIGHT ENDS

The tight end position will have one lone returning player from last year going into the fall in sophomore Tom Woehnker (Kendallville, Ind./East Noble).  Also lining up this season at the tight end position will be senior Garrett Teague (Webberville, Mich./Webberville).  Teague missed all of the 2013 campaign due to injury and will be moving to TE from the quarterback spot.  

WIDE RECEIVERS

The wide receiver corps will look to replace graduated senior Brian Mircovich who earned second-team All-HCAC honors last season along with Defiance Co-Offensive Most Valuable Player Bryan Weaver, but will have to do so with a host of new faces.  In addition to Burrell, Collins and Wilson providing targets for Larson out of the backfield, the only other true wideout making a return this season who saw playing time on the varsity squad a year ago will be sophomore Darius Harper (Jacksonville, Fla./Robert E. Lee).  

OFFENSIVE LINE

The "O-Line" will be one of the areas with the most experience returning.  As a group, the Yellow Jacket offensive line led the way for an offense that had 3,475 yards of total offense and averaged 347.5 yards per game.  Headlining the list of returning players will be the duo of senior Tanner Engle (Harrod/Allen East) and junior Joe Niehaus (Grass Lake, Mich./Grass Lake).  Engle started all nine games he played in last season, while Niehaus started all eight games played.  Also look for sophomore Joey Rebottaro (Tecumseh, Mich./Tecumseh), seniors Ryne Rogers (Richland, Mich./Gull Lake) and Caleb Wagner (LaGrange/Keystone) to see consistent playing time.   In addition, sophomores Clayton Fox (Berlin Heights/Edison), Kenny Miller (Royal Oak, Mich./Shrine Catholic) and junior Zane Hayes (Wellington/Firelands) could all compete for playing time after spending all of last season developing on the junior varsity team.

DEFENSIVE LINE

The defensive line for the Yellow Jackets helped anchor a defensive squad that gave up the fewest yards per game in the HCAC at 247.9 and recorded the most interceptions with 18.  The Yellow Jackets will have to replace graduated senior and first-team All-Ohio and All-HCAC player Andrew Leverenz, but Defiance will return fellow All-Conference honoree in current senior Jamario Belton (Tampa, Fla./Spoto).  Last year, Belton posted 40 total tackles (10 solo and 30 assisted) to go along with six tackles for loss and 1.5 quarterback sacks.  Following the season, he was tabbed honorable mention All-HCAC. 

In addition to Belton, look for juniors Kyle Wilson (Wauseon) and Cody Lee (Tampa, Fla./Jefferson) to see significant playing time.  Wilson is coming off of a season in which he played in all 10 games and had 42 tackles (22 solo and 20 assisted) in addition to 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a pass breakup and two forced fumbles.  Lee also played in 10 games last season and record 22 tackles (12 solo and 10 assists) with 1.5 tackles for loss and a half sack.  The Jackets also bring back sophomores Dallas Hale (Dowagiac, Mich./Dowagiac Union) and Kevin Keefe (Arcadia) who both started on the JV team.

LINEBACKERS

The linebackers will have a lot of new players, but will return All-HCAC senior Eric Strickland (West Palm Beach, Fla./Seminole Ridge).  Strickland was tabbed honorable mention following a season where he played in all 10 games and had 48 tackles (26 solo and 22 assists) to go along with 9.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery.  His 9.5 tackles for loss were tied for second most on the team.

Also back are sophomores Matt DeVore (Van Buren) and Keandre Gilmer (Toledo/Rogers).  DeVore played in six games as freshman and posted four tackles (two solo and two assists) while Gilmer played in five games and recorded two solo tackles.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Defiance will look to replace a significant void in the defensive backs with the graduation of All-American Tony Sierra.  However, the Jackets will bring back first-team All-HCAC award winner junior Andrew Feldhaus (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner).  Last season, Feldhaus led the team, and finished in the top-10 in the conference, in tackles with 83 (57 solo and 26 assists).  He was also fifth on the squad in tackles for loss with 8.5 to go along with a sack, a team-tying high five interceptions, five pass breakups and team-bests of six forced fumbles and four recoveries.  His six forced fumbles were the most in the NCAC and he averaged .60 forced fumbles per game which was tops in the nation amongst Division III schools.  In addition to being tabbed first-team All-Conference at the end of the year, he also garnered second-team All-Region accolades and All-Ohio honors.

Fellow senior Josh Slayton (Fort Wayne, Ind./North Side) will be another returning impact player in the secondary this season.  Last fall, Slayton was an Academic All-HCAC selection and was named to the conference All-Sportsmanship Team after making 50 total tackles (28 solo and 22 assists) in 10 games with 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, a pair of interceptions, six pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. 

Junior Sean Washington (Daytona Beach, Fla./New Smyrna Beach) will also see playing time at defensive back .  Last year, Washington saw playing time at a number of positions last season, including the QB slot and completed 50-of-97 passes (51.5 percent) for 497 yards.  He was also the team's top rusher with 355 yards on 81 carries and found the endzone on three occasions.

Other players to watch for this season are senior Todd Roberts (Miami, Fla./Palmetto Senior) and sophomores Cody Wiggins (Howell, Mich./Howell), Jerald Helm (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence) and Kenny Jones (Toledo/Bowsher).  Roberts and Wiggins both played in eight games last year with Roberts posting seven tackles (two solo and five assists) while Wiggins tallied two solo stops.  Jones and Brown both added depth in the secondary spots with Jones recording four tackles (three solo and one assist) and an interception.  

SPECIAL TEAMS

Defiance returns two players on special teams in 2014 with varsity experience in senior Spencer Saunders (Springfield/Southeastern Local) and sophomore Justin Homerick (Bellville/Clear Fork).  Saunders was the team's placekicker last year and made seven-of-11 field goal attempts and was 24-of-27 in extra point tries.  He scored a total of 45 points which led the team and ranked fourth-best in the HCAC.  Homerick saw time in four games as a freshman on kickoffs and averaged 49.4 yards per kick in five attempts.  

Defiance opens the 2014 season on Saturday, Sept. 6 when the Yellow Jackets host Adrian (Mich.) College at Justin F. Coressel Stadium.  Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.