MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — University’s 2014 football season came to an end on a heartbreaking, final-minute touchdown drive as South Charleston’s Kentre Grier connected with receiver Fred Crozier from five yards out and just 33 second left on the clock.
The 24-20 playoff quarterfinal loss ended a 10-2 season for the Hawks, who were loaded with veteran talent.
University does return 6-foot-1, 260 pound junior running back Isaiah Utt, but must replace a multitude of skill-position players surrounding him. Utt saw limited action last year after fracturing his ankle in just the second game. He returned late in the year and in time for the playoffs, overall totaling 308 yards and seven touchdowns on 84 carries in four games.
“We have Utt and a couple of guys (back),” said University coach John Kelley. “I said this the other day, jokingly, but, we have a really good looking JV team out there – by age. They’re just all young kids and would be undefeated as JVs. But they have to grow up and we will have to be patient. They’re 15 year olds playing against 18 year olds.
“They’ll have good days and they’ll have bad days,” he continued. “During 7-on-7s, we looked like a million bucks a couple of times and we looked like freshmen and sophomores a couple of times. They’re learning how to compete and I really like their effort. How they compete is what we’re looking for.”
Some of the notables offensively that are gone from that 2014 team include quarterback Jeremy Eckels, receiver Tristan Lucas (36 catches, 611 yards, 8 touchdowns), WR/RB Michael Ramsey (29 catches for 459 yards, 59 carries for 357 yards and 7 total touchdowns) and running back Jace Neville (98 carries, 540 yards, 7 total touchdowns).
Eckels threw for 1,359 yards and 12 touchdowns last year, while rushing for another 806 yards and 11 more scores. In all, University lost 89 percent of its offensive production from a year ago.
Sophomore Clay Bailey is expected to take over the reins at quarterback this season. Some of the other young guys in the mix offensively could include Tanner Burnette, Robert Sanders, Amir Richardson and Desmond Cunningham.
“These are kids who are going to be big-time football players when they mature a little bit more,” Kelley said. “We have a lot more returning on the defensive side of the ball. Offensively, we only have about two guys returning. We’re trying to find an offensive line, which everyone is trying to do that.”
The Hawks return Kaleb Jennings and Colin Molnar at receiver — Molnar finished with seven catches last year for 43 yards. With all of the inexperience offensively, it’ll be a wait-and-see approach for how good this year’s University team will end up being.
“Sure, I’d like to go 10-0, 8-2 or 7-3,” Kelley said. “But I have to be realistic with these young kids and the schedule that we play — they’re not going to feel sorry for us or take prisoners. We’re going to take some lumps. I’m looking at a three-year plan to be right back to where we were. And at a typical high school, that’s normal.”
The Hawks this summer put in the triple-option to help utilize Utt even more.
“It’s very difficult for a defense to prepare for, that’s why Navy, which is kind of undersized like we are, runs it and Georgia Tech runs it,” Kelley said. “But it comes down to those five guys up front. We’ll look bad with (the triple option) I think at the beginning, but we will get better with it.”
University’s schedule is filled with the usual Two Rivers Athletic Conference opponents and a couple of other intriguing matchups that include a home date against Musselman and road trip to Greenbrier East.
“John Marshall is loaded with seniors and they’ll be very good,” Kelley said of University’s season opener. “No disrespect to Morgantown, us, or anyone else, but I think Parkersburg South is the team to beat in the conference as far as returning players.
“We open with those two and then go to the (northern) panhandle,” he continued. “If we have any bodies left, we’ll see how we do the rest of the way. That’s what we want – we want it to be challenging. We don’t want it to be easy.”
2015 UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| WEEK | TEAM | DATE | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
vs. JOHN MARSHALL |
August 28 | |
| 2 |  |
vs. PARKERSBURG SOUTH |
September 4 | |
| 3 |  |
at BROOKE | September 11 | |
| 4 |  |
at WHEELING PARK |
September 18 | |
| 5 |  |
vs. MUSSELMAN | September 25 | |
| 6 |  |
at GREENBRIER EAST |
October 2 | |
| 7 |  |
vs. FAIRMONT SENIOR |
October 9 | |
| 8 |  |
at LEWIS COUNTY |
October 16 | |
| 9 |  |
at PRESTON | October 23 | |
| 10 |  |
vs. MORGANTOWN | October 30 | |
| 11 |  |
BYE WEEK |
November 6 | |
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