With the return of Nick Hartigan, last year's NCAA leader in rushing yards per game, alongside a stacked offensive line, the Brown Bears look to improve on a 5-5 record from last season.
This overall record is deceiving, however, as the Bears won four out of their last five games to finish with a 4-3 mark in the Ivy League. Seventh-year head coach Phil Estes will rally his squad in an attempt to continue the season-ending momentum.
Hartigan set a Brown single-season rushing record with 1,498 yards on the ground (149.8 ypg). The All-American also broke the Ivy League rushing record of 1409 yards for a sophomore set by Cornell's Ed Marinaro in 1969.
A staple of the Bears' offense has long been the passing game, and it will continue this year as well. New starting quarterback sophomore Joe DiGiacomo will have big shoes to fill with the graduation of Kyle Slager last year.
DiGiacomo won the starting nod over junior Matt Hostetler, senior Nick Marietti and sophomore Anthony Vita. However, not much has changed with the rest of the offense, with eight returning starters.
Senior co-captain Will Burroughs, a 2003 Ivy League honorable mention, will anchor the offensive line. He will be joined by senior co-captain Lawrence Rubida, who returns to the Bears' lineup after sitting out the 2003 season with an injury. Rubida was rated as one of Brown's top linemen in 2002.
Sophomore Evan Barbosa, junior Michael Cooper, junior Eugene Hamlin and senior Tyler Johnson, among others, round out the front wall. Last year's line paved the way for an offensive total output of 408.5 yards per game.
However, Estes acknowledges there is a little uncertainty as to how the passing offense will fare in the early going.
"It all depends on how the quarterback handles the situation," Estes said. "If he can handle these things well we'll be very good."
"We have some good receivers returning this year," Estes said.
The Bears return junior wide receiver Jordan Pryor, a native of Villanova, Pa.
Pryor "is a Philadelphia player, had some key catches against Dartmouth. Jarrett Schreck also made some big plays. We have a few guys who don't get noticed much, but are big time players," Estes said.
One receiver who figured to play a big role in this year's offense was junior Lonnie Hill, last year's Ivy leader in receptions. However, Hill is taking the year off from school.
Defensive concerns also loom large. Several defensive starters from last year have graduated, and a new wave of players will have to pick up the slack. Brown's defense allowed 369.2 yards per game, which ranked second to last in the Ivy League.
Outside linebacker and senior co-captain Anjel Gutierrez will look to continue his success from last season, during which he earned All-Ivy League honorable mention.
Estes will miss linebacker Drew Gallagher along with defensive end Jesse Hawkins, who tied for second in the league in tackles last year. Christian Garnett and Jason Ching round out a group of four very good defensive players who will have to be replaced this season.
Brown, however, will have some comfort in its strong recruiting class. The Bears have the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year, running back/linebacker Frank Nuzzo III.
A strong recruiting wave has also been seen throughout the Ancient Eight.
"In the league, I think the team to beat is Yale," Estes said. "They're going to be stacked, when you get that number of returning starters, along with running back and line, I think they'll be a tough team to stop.
"Harvard, if they hold together defensively, will have an opportunity to put a lot of points on the board with [quarterback Ryan] Fitzpatrick returning."
He also noted Penn as a contender, even though he acknowledged the Quakers have lost some "decent players." Some predictions for surprise teams include Dartmouth and Princeton, each of which had a "fluke season last year."
Brown will open the season for the second straight year against Albany at home on Sept. 18. The Bears will face off with Penn Oct. 30 at Franklin Field.
"We'll have a great season this year," Estes said. "We'll need some defensive stops, but our offense should carry us through the season in order to vie for an Ivy League title."
