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| Travis Jones got a 100-yard
game in his collegiate debut. Averett athletics photo |
As Ryan Tipps pointed out in his Snap Judgments, every team wants to start the season on the right foot. For a few programs, the opening week of the 2014 season meant far more than just starting off this season on a positive note. Some programs saw seismic changes in the offseason. Every team wants to begin the season 1-0. Some teams were desperate for a win to end a long losing streak. One program endured an overhaul in the offseason and started the 2014 season with what it hopes is a program-defining victory.
The Averett Cougars defeated Washington and Lee to earn their first home win since Oct. 29, 2011. Cleive Adams, a former W&L assistant and Ferrum defensive coordinator, is undefeated after his first game as head coach. A large home crowd was on hand to see the Cougars don their new uniforms and step onto the new synthetic turf at Daly Field. The on-field product was also unfamiliar to anyone who has watched Averett struggle to five wins over the previous three seasons, including back-to-back 1-9 campaigns. The Cougars used a complete team effort to hang on for a 20-17 victory, snapping a seven-game losing streak and an 11-game home losing streak.
“We have new coaches, new jerseys, a new field, new everything,” said senior safety and captain Brian Fuquay. “It’s a new start for us.”
Fifth-year senior quarterback Kirkland Brown, also a captain, candidly admitted that the losses started to take a toll. The new coaching staff was a breath of fresh air for the upperclassmen, especially Brown, who was part of a .500 team as a freshman before the program declined. There were close games here and there, but most of the 25 losses over the past three seasons were blowouts
“You start not to love football as much when you go through those seasons we had,” said Brown. “I was so ready to play and get that monkey off my back.”
Adams seems to be the right man to bring a culture change to Danville. Just the third head coach in the program’s young history, the respected coordinator was selective when choosing a head coaching opportunity. He applied for the vacant Guilford position four years ago, and bided his time until the Averett job was open. The Radford, Va., native wanted to stay close to his family area. After coaching against the Cougars for so many years, he was familiar with the program’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as the athletic program’s current trajectory.
“I always felt we had the talent here. It’s about changing the culture,” said Adams. “I knew we had the right pieces in our upperclassmen. Our student-athletes are so fired up about the direction we’re headed.”
Athletic director Meg Stevens has played a major role in jumpstarting that change of direction. In addition to the new turf, the Cougars have a new contract with Nike and will be building up a new stadium around Daly Field in the near future. Stevens and Jill Adams, Cleive’s wife, were instrumental in drumming up support around Danville leading up to the season opener. Every Cougars player invited his family and the university welcomed more than 450 family members and a total of more than 1,400 fans to Daly Field for the game.
“We know the community has our back,” said Fuquay. “Starting the season off with a win is huge. We’re going to keep them coming back. I’m definitely excited about the future of this program.”
Following the thrilling victory over the Generals, an exhausted Brown reveled in the moment. It was a long time coming. With the maturity of a fifth-year senior, Brown enjoyed the reactions of his teammates and their families.
“I was very excited, but reserved at the same time. I was trying to take everything in and soak it all up,” said Brown. “I was happy for the guys around me. Seeing their joy and happiness made me so ecstatic. The freshmen don’t know what it’s like [to endure losing seasons]. For us upperclassmen, it was something special.”
In their nearly eight months under Adams, the Cougars have focused on improving off the field as much as on the field. Adams is focused on building men. That comes through in little ways, such as picking up trash, helping clean up in the dining hall, and paying attention to what his players are doing outside of practices and the weight room. Upperclassmen are partnered with underclassmen and serve as their mentors. In spring practices, the Cougars spent less time discussing the playbook and more time talking about what kind of men they want to become.
“We are constantly coaching our players to know how to lead. We hold our young men accountable as a team, not just as individuals,” said Adams. “We want to be great teammates. We know we’re doing things the right way in this fieldhouse.”
Brown was still weighing whether or not to come back for a fifth year when Adams was hired. His close relationship with his teammates and assistant coach Patrick Henry led Brown to return for one more season. He also approached this year with a deeper perspective.
“Every day is a brand new day to get better and build relationships. I need to cherish every moment I have,” said Brown. “I took that for granted my first few years. I care about the whole success of this program as much as I care about playing quarterback.
The seniors are excited about the buzz around town, but are also remorseful that they couldn’t bring it to campus sooner. All they can do is make the most of their senior season, and they are already looking forward to coming back and supporting the program as alumni.
“The future of this place is bright,” said Fuquay. “I hate that it’s my senior year.”
Saturday was the culmination of an exciting offseason, but the Cougars hope that it is just the next step in what will be a sustained turnaround. When the players walked through a crowd of tailgating fans on their way to the field – another new tradition under Adams – the could sense that the tide had turned. This is only the 15th season of Averett football, and the Cougars have five winning seasons in their history. Still, this feels like a rebirth thanks to the combination of new leadership (Stevens took over the athletic department in 2013) and new facilities. The Cougars expect to share more post-game victory celebrations with their home crowd this season and beyond.
“Things are coming around for us,” said Adams. “It’s like a perfect storm.”
(*Full disclosure--Adams was the defensive line coach during my senior season at W&L*)
Head-to-Head
In addition to Averett vs. Washington and Lee, there were a handful of games featuring Mid-Atlantic teams squaring off in non-conference meetings to kick off the season. There were three blowouts, but also two of the most exciting games of the weekend. Three victorious teams took a huge first step in their efforts to bounce back after a losing season. One perennial power and one team on the rise made big opening day statements.
McDaniel rallied from a 21-0 halftime deficit to defeat Catholic 34-31 on Friday night in Washington, D.C. Seth McFall’s touchdown plunge with 26 seconds remaining capped the game-winning drive for the Green Terror. T.J. Tutone led the Cardinals into the red zone with three big pass completions, but Peter Rosa’s 29-yard field goal attempt as time expired sailed wide.
Johns Hopkins rolled Randolph-Macon, 42-3. Both of these teams entered the season with questions marks. The Yellow Jackets have plenty of questions that will need to be answered this week. The Blue Jays defense held Randolph-Macon quarterback Zac Naccarato to 7-for-20 passing and picked him off twice. He did not play in the fourth quarter.
Bridgewater and Gettysburg put on an offensive show on Saturday, piling up a combined 860 yards of offense. Cliff Woodard starred for the Eagles in a 33-32 victory, catching five passes for 135 yards and two scores. Matthew Pisarcik connected with Jayme Perry for a scoring strike with 80 seconds to play. Zach Miller drove the Bullets into Eagles territory, but the Bridgewater defense held on for the one-point win. As one of 2013’s most disappointing teams, the Eagles surely needed this kind of win to build momentum in 2014.
Matt Pawlowski carved up the Greensboro defense to the tune of 21-29 passing for 233 yards and four touchdowns as Guilford routed their neighboring rival 52-0. The Quakers defense rattled Ryan Throndset, holding him to 7-22 passing for just 70 yards, with an interception and a fumble. Both teams and their supporters combined to donate thousands of canned goods to the Greensboro Urban Ministry. Guilford now holds a 10-8 lead in the annual series.
Curt Newsome joined Adams among the ranks of undefeated head coaches. The first-year man at Emory and Henry led his alma mater to a 41-12 win over Ferrum, which is adjusting to life without their former defensive coordinator Adams. The Wasps new up-tempo offense piled up 552 yards in Newsome’s debut. Kevin Saxton passed for 329 yards and five touchdowns in his first start. The Emory and Henry defense held Ferrum to five field goal attempts despite the Panthers’ offense reaching the red zone four times.
Looking ahead
The non-conference portion of the schedule is over for Centennial Conference teams. Franklin and Marshall at Muhlenberg and Gettysburg at Ursinus highlight the opening week of conference play in the Centennial.
Christopher Newport travels to Hampden-Sydney with both teams looking to get their first win after losing to quality opponents in Week One. The Captains defense will need to bounce back and prepare for the balanced Tigers attack after struggling against Salisbury’s run-heavy offense. The Tigers will need their young offensive line to perform better and protect the offense’s veteran playmakers.
Methodist travels to Guilford in a battle of two of the biggest program turnarounds in recent years. Quarterbacks Max Reber and Matt Pawlowski put up big numbers in Week One victories. The Quakers defense shut down one prolific quarterback so far this season. Can Satiir Stevenson and company make it two in a row?
In Memoriam
Around the Mid-Atlantic mourns the loss and celebrates the life of Ursinus president Bobby Fong, who passed away unexpectedly on Monday, Sept. 8. He came to Collegeville, Pa., in 2011 from Butler. My sister attended Butler when Fong was president there and I have never heard of or seen a university president more beloved by the student body than the man they called “BoFo.”
