Rams bolstered by numbers in 2012

MOUNT VERNON - There's a heightened level of energy and anticipation surrounding Cornell College's football program as the Rams kick off a new season in a new conference under third-year head coach Vince Brautigam.

With Brautigam's second full recruiting class in the books, the roster has climbed into the mid-70s for the first time in many years. A young team that made a three-win improvement last year returns 14 starters and another 20 lettermen.

"We made strides in 2011 and now our numbers allow us to have added depth, which is a necessity through the course of a college football season," said Brautigam. "Every team is different. We will treat 2012 as a new season with new goals."

And the Rams will have new scenery that is the Midwest Conference.

The Rams return to the storied league in which they helped form in 1921 and remained a member before departing for the Iowa Conference in 1997. Cornell brings along a proud history of 12 conference football championships and a .579 winning percentage - third-best among the 11 active MWC institutions - during its initial run in the league.

In its final MWC season in 1996, Cornell finished 8-2 and was crowned South Division champions with a 5-0 mark.

"We have a large alumni base from the Midwest Conference era that are engaged and excited to go back," Brautigam said. "This is not the conference it was when we left, which is a sign of the great leadership in the MWC. Facility upgrades and athletic success has obviously been noticed. They had two teams make the playoffs last year.

"It's going to be just as competitive as the Iowa Conference. We're still a work in progress and will have to work extremely hard to beat anybody."

Brautigam has 38 first-year players in preseason camp. A deep sophomore class brings the total of underclassmen to 57.

"Our coaching staff did a tremendous job identifying the right student-athletes that will succeed at Cornell academically and athletically," Brautigam said. "We still have an inexperienced team, but it's a positive challenge in our minds. The freshman class will be asked to contribute in every facet of the game and will be given opportunities for significant playing time. We'll see the biggest growth from our young kids as they develop throughout the season."

DEFENSE

Third-year defensive coordinator Jay Davis fields a seasoned unit that returns eight starters, along with six of the team's top seven tacklers from a year ago. The group features three all-conference performers in junior safety Nick Brautigam (second team, 2010), junior linebacker Geoffrey Miller (honorable mention, 2010) and sophomore cornerback Myron Seabrook(second team, 2011).

Nick Brautigam gives the secondary a boost, returning to the field after missing the final eight games in 2011 due to injury. Sophomore Alex Latow stepped up in Brautigam's absence and led all defensive backs with 75 tackles in his rookie season. Latow averaged 11 tackles over his last five games, including a 16-tackle effort in the home finale.

Seabrook is coming off an impressive freshman campaign in which he collected six interceptions, ranking 15th in Division III with 0.60 picks per game. Junior Jeffery Bollnow is a two-year starter at the other cornerback spot. He recorded a team-high eight pass breakups and totaled 54 tackles. Senior Marnel Desir, a three-year letterwinner, will also be in the mix having played multiple positions in the secondary.

Miller heads the linebacking corps as the team's top returning tackler with 89 stops and 6.0 tackles for loss. He tallied a career-high 19 tackles with a school-record tying 14 solo stops against Luther Nov. 5. Senior Drew Campbell and junior Jeremy Demlow also started at linebacker a year ago. Campbell was fourth on the team with 60 tackles, and Demlow finished with 47. Senior John Podmeyer and sophomore Austin Brown add experience.

The Rams are young up front with senior Vincent Osborne, junior Nathan Norris and sophomores TJ Gray and Jacob Courtright. All four were first-timers on the defensive line in 2011. Newcomers will have a chance to make early contributions here.

"The interior positions (defensive and offensive lines) are where we're looking for the biggest gains this season," Brautigam said. "Everything has to start with those guys up front."

OFFENSE

Don Dicus, in his fourth year as offensive coordinator, returns a talented cast of skill players that includes six starters. The offense revolves around junior quarterback Juan Flores, who set school marks for completions (187) and total offense (2,663 yards) in 2011.

Flores' 2,100 passing yards ranked second on Cornell's single-season list. He threw 10 touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 563 yards and six scores. Flores is Cornell's career leader in completion percentage at 60.4.

"We need leadership from the quarterback position," Brautigam said. "I feel with Juan's experience, we are able to expand our offense and check in and out of defenses more so than in the past."

Flores has several key targets back, led by junior James Scully's team-best 45 receptions and 675 receiving yards from last season. Scully hauled in at least three receptions in every game and averaged 15.0 yards per grab. Junior Chris Lopez and sophomores Justin Cox, Brit Connor and Brennan Stine add depth and starting experience to the wideout position. Cox was third on the team with 38 receptions and 380 yards. Connor caught 24 balls for 282 yards.

"We have five receivers back that have started," Brautigam said. "The improvements these guys made last year lead us feeling confident about this group."

The Rams look for a running back to emerge this fall, with sophomores Preston Ritchie and Cal Huber as the key returnees. Ritchie rushed 25 times for 53 yards during an injury-riddled freshman season. Huber came on late in the year. Junior Hayden Howard led all returning running backs with 66 yards on 20 carries. Dicus will give a long look to some talented freshmen in the backfield as well.

The offensive line is anchored by a pair of sophomores, left tackle Sam Cluck and center Troy Bedard. Both locked down starting spots a few games into last season. Junior guard Derek Therrien is back after battling injuries in 2011. Sophomore tackle Parker Kenyon makes the transition from the defensive line. First-year offensive line coach Joe Morgan expects a few newcomers to push for playing time.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Junior Anthony Bridges gives the Rams a leg up on special teams, having handled kicking and punting duties the past two seasons. He connected on 14-of-17 PATS and 5-of-8 field goals, while averaging 33.6 yards per punt with a long of 66 yards. Bridges will focus more on the kicking game this season, with sophomore Kincade Kiger entering camp as the punter.

Bollnow (18.7 yards per return) and Ritchie (18.9 ypr) combined for 24 kickoff returns a year ago. Seabrook returned eight punts for 29 yards.

SCHEDULE

The transition to the MWC has the Rams playing nine new opponents this season. Cornell's nonconference game is against Coe, continuing the oldest football rivalry west of the Mississippi.

The Rams open the season Sept. 1 against Lawrence in Appleton, Wis. Cornell plays the first of its six home games Sept. 8 against Coe. Other games at Ash Park Stadium are Monmouth (Sept. 22), St. Norbert (Oct. 6, homecoming), Knox (Oct. 13), Carroll (Oct. 27) and Grinnell (Nov. 10).

Cornell has conference road dates against Beloit (Sept. 29), Lake Forest (Oct. 20) and Illinois College (Nov. 3).

MWC PRESEASON POLL

The Rams were picked to finish ninth in the MWC Preseason Coaches' Poll released Wednesday. Cornell received 33 votes, placing ahead of Lawrence (16 votes) and Knox (15). The Rams were four votes behind Beloit in eighth.

Defending MWC champion Monmouth and Illinois College are co-favorites to claim the 2012 crown, both earning 93 votes. St. Norbert (93) came in third, followed by Carroll (72), Ripon (64), Lake Forest (50) and Grinnell (47).

Monmouth and Illinois College both qualified for the Division III playoffs last season, with Monmouth advancing to the second round. The MWC has seen St. Norbert or Monmouth grab at least a share of the league title every year since 1999. Cornell's last MWC championship was in 1995.