Lehigh football to kick off spring practice segment Friday
3/26/2015 3:08:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – As the Lehigh football program gets set to open its spring practice segment on Friday the Mountain Hawks are eager to put last year's 3-8 season behind them and re-establish the winning culture that produced a 39-9 record and two Patriot League Championships in the previous four seasons.
Andy Coen enters his tenth season as Lehigh's head coach four seasons removed from the Mountain Hawks' last Patriot League Championship. The Mountain Hawks return 14 starters and three of their All-Patriot League selections from a season ago and Coen has been pleased with both the attitude and performance of his players throughout the offseason program.
"We've had a great offseason," Coen said. "We have a lot of re-energized kids and they've done a much better job of holding each other accountable. We've done a better job as a coaching staff of holding them accountable. In the weeks we've had here since we've come back from winter break, everything has been positive. We've really engaged fully in our leadership training and our players have really taken to that. That's been a big positive for us.
"The change in leadership in the weight room with Eric Markovcy running that has been a real positive," Coen continued. "He's brought a lot of life and new energy into the weight room our players are really thriving on it. We had our best spring testing numbers in the ten years that I've been here."
Coen addressed the evaluations that took place in the offseason surrounding the program.
"In some ways, we had lost the culture we had here," Coen said. "That's something we talked about in 2010. We had the right culture. We had kids who loved to play football and were passionate about it and were good kids on and off the field. The first thing we undertook was where our culture was now and what to do we need to do to change it. Everyone was kind of comfortable and when you're comfortable you get complacent and there was too much of that going on.
"We've worked very hard and well in this offseason to get back to where want to be," he added. "We want to get our culture back to being a championship culture. We'll still be able to continue to work on that. As long as the guys are learning and working hard and holding each other accountable we're going to be able to continue to move in the right direction in getting the culture back where it really needs to be."
Lehigh will take to the John C. Whitehead practice fields Friday afternoon for the first of 15 spring practices with the second practice set for Saturday morning. While the Mountain Hawks are excited to get back to work, a large number of student-athletes working their way back from injuries plus the departure of a large senior class leaves Lehigh with smaller-than-normal numbers for its spring segment and could impact how the Mountain Hawks get their work in.
"Our challenge now is the number of guys injured from last season and graduating a class of 28 guys so we don't have the numbers we've had in the past," Coen said. "Those numbers will really dictate how aggressive we can be in spring practice. The spring is usually a really aggressive time where kids can earn their spots. I don't know if we'll necessarily have that opportunity this year. We know what we have in some spots but there are a lot of other guys out there who really need the spring. We need to put those guys in situations so we can evaluate them. But I think at the end of it all we're going to have to evaluate a lot of guys in August."
Offensively, Coen likes what Lehigh returns at the quarterback and wide receiver positions. Rising junior Nick Shafnisky had some ups and downs in his first full season as Lehigh's starter but is still the top returning passer in the Patriot League, with 215.5 passing yards and 263.3 yards of total offense a season ago.
"We have Nick returning as the starter," Coen said. "Statistically, in the Patriot League, he's the most prolific returning starter. I hope he continues to grow and develop from there. Some things looked really bad at times (last year) but he was only a sophomore but if you go back and look at Chris Lum as sophomore, he didn't look very good at times either. I'm excited about having a veteran quarterback in there."
Sophomores Matt Timochenko and Brendan Craven will give the Mountain Hawks three quarterbacks for the spring.
"Matt was really was our backup for half the season until Matt McHale got healthy," Coen said. "Matt did some good things early in camp for us. That's why he was the backup. There'll be some competition there. We had six guys last year, now we're just going to have three guys so Brendan is also going to have the opportunity to show what he can do. Nick needs to continue to improve upon last year but it will be good that there will be some competition."
On the receiving end, Troy Pelletier caught 49 passes for 815 yards and seven touchdowns, and was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the FCS.
"Troy really showed up and he's back and going to be better; bigger, faster and stronger than he was so that's exciting," Coen noted.
Coen is high on all three rising sophomore wideouts: Pelletier, Gatlin Casey and Sasha Kelsey. Stefan Sansone is the senior member of the wide receiver group, while fellow rising senior Derek Knott recovers from a knee injury that prematurely ended his season.
"I'm also excited about our wide receiver group," Coen explained. "We graduate Josh (Parris) and Derek Gaul and Alex Buford but had Troy not been on the scene last year, Gatlin Casey would have been on the field. I'm excited to see him and Sasha Kelsey and Stef Sansone is back. We have a solid group of guys back. That should be an area of strength."
The two areas that will be smaller than normal numbers-wise are running back and the offensive line. Three departures will leave Lehigh with four backs, while three freshmen will join the program this summer. Rising senior DJ Kee and sophomore Nana Amankwah-Ayeh will get plenty of reps and fullbacks Kenny Crawford and Evan Kauffman will see more time as ball carriers in a one-back set.
The offensive line will be limited with a number of players recovering from injuries, including center Brandon Short who was lost for the last eight games in 2014 in the Yale game. Lehigh will also need to replace three-time All-Patriot League left tackle Ned Daryoush.
Defensively, the Mountain Hawks return eight starters who gained valuable experience but the unit must improve on a performance that ranked at the bottom of the league in most categories in 2014.
"What really hurt us last year on defense was we didn't put pressure on the quarterback with our front guys," Coen explained. "We also need to see improvement in the secondary. We just gave up too many big plays. There were a lot of times when we got ourselves back into games and then gave up a big play. The emphasis will be on creating turnovers and cutting back on the big plays."
The strength of the defense is in its linebackers, led by rising juniors Colton Caslow and Pierce Ripanti, Lehigh's top two tacklers a season ago. Rising senior Noah Robb should also see an expanded role, while Cody Kondas has made strides in the offseason.
The defensive line loses All-League performer Tim Newton and nose guard Arturo Gyles but there is depth waiting in the wings. Rising sophomore Tyler Cavenas came on at the end of the year and could have the first crack at the nose guard position, while seniors D.J. Bourgeois and Greg Palma and junior T.J. Stubbs are all experienced. Senior Matt Laub will miss the spring due to injury and while splitting time between the defensive line and outside linebacker last season will likely figure in the defensive line mix in 2015.
In the secondary, Lehigh will have to deal with some of the spring numbers issues that will also affect the offensive line. Cornerback Brandon Leaks will miss the spring segment due to injury, leaving Lehigh with just three healthy corners: senior Olivier Rigaud and sophomores Quentin Jones and Marc Raye-Redmond. At safety, the Mountain Hawks return seniors LaQuan Lambert and Randall Lawson and junior Brian Githens.
"There was improvement from the first week until the tenth week," Coen said. "I was disappointed in the 11th week. We'll see guys continue to improve. We need to be more aggressive as a defense in terms of play calling. When we put pressure on the quarterback it was because we were blitzing. We need to be able to get a four man rush to the quarterback and create more of a mechanism to get after that guy. We have to get back to being more aggressive in that respect."
On special teams, Lehigh returns All-League punter Austin Devine while an incoming freshman will handle the kicking duties.
Lehigh is expected to use Goodman Stadium for its 12th practice on Saturday April 18 as the Mountain Hawks will have an opportunity to compete in the stadium setting, although the presence of a true Brown and White Spring Game will depend on how Lehigh stands from a health standpoint at that time. Lehigh's final three spring practices will take place the following week, with the final workout before camp begins in August set for Friday April 24.
"I just want to see guys continue to develop," Coen said. "When you have veteran guys injured one benefit is you get a lot or reps for guys who haven't played a lot and you really get a chance to develop those guys. When the spring is finished you really have a sense for what your football team looks like but given where we're at the most important thing is to develop guys as individuals.
"To the point where we can continue to practice and function against one another I want to see us improve in red zone situations and I want to see our defense improve on third downs and creating turnovers. Those are the biggest things. We also have to tackle better. We'll be spending a lot of time on tackling and technique. We didn't do enough of that last year."
Lehigh's tentative spring practice schedule is listed below.
2015 Lehigh Football Spring Practice Schedule
Friday, March 27 – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 28 – 10:30 a.m.
Thursday, April 2 – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 4 – 10:30 a.m.
Monday, April 6 – 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 8 – 4:30 p.m.
Friday, April 10 – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 11 – 10:30 a.m.
Tuesday, April 14 – 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 16 – 4:30 p.m.
Friday, April 17 – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 18 – Spring Game^ - 10 a.m.
Monday, April 20 – 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 22 – 4:30 p.m.
Friday, April 24 – 4:30 p.m.
^inside Goodman Stadium
Please note that all practice dates, times and locations are subject to change due to adverse weather conditions and other factors.
Andy Coen enters his tenth season as Lehigh's head coach four seasons removed from the Mountain Hawks' last Patriot League Championship. The Mountain Hawks return 14 starters and three of their All-Patriot League selections from a season ago and Coen has been pleased with both the attitude and performance of his players throughout the offseason program.
"We've had a great offseason," Coen said. "We have a lot of re-energized kids and they've done a much better job of holding each other accountable. We've done a better job as a coaching staff of holding them accountable. In the weeks we've had here since we've come back from winter break, everything has been positive. We've really engaged fully in our leadership training and our players have really taken to that. That's been a big positive for us.
"The change in leadership in the weight room with Eric Markovcy running that has been a real positive," Coen continued. "He's brought a lot of life and new energy into the weight room our players are really thriving on it. We had our best spring testing numbers in the ten years that I've been here."
Coen addressed the evaluations that took place in the offseason surrounding the program.
"In some ways, we had lost the culture we had here," Coen said. "That's something we talked about in 2010. We had the right culture. We had kids who loved to play football and were passionate about it and were good kids on and off the field. The first thing we undertook was where our culture was now and what to do we need to do to change it. Everyone was kind of comfortable and when you're comfortable you get complacent and there was too much of that going on.
"We've worked very hard and well in this offseason to get back to where want to be," he added. "We want to get our culture back to being a championship culture. We'll still be able to continue to work on that. As long as the guys are learning and working hard and holding each other accountable we're going to be able to continue to move in the right direction in getting the culture back where it really needs to be."
Lehigh will take to the John C. Whitehead practice fields Friday afternoon for the first of 15 spring practices with the second practice set for Saturday morning. While the Mountain Hawks are excited to get back to work, a large number of student-athletes working their way back from injuries plus the departure of a large senior class leaves Lehigh with smaller-than-normal numbers for its spring segment and could impact how the Mountain Hawks get their work in.
"Our challenge now is the number of guys injured from last season and graduating a class of 28 guys so we don't have the numbers we've had in the past," Coen said. "Those numbers will really dictate how aggressive we can be in spring practice. The spring is usually a really aggressive time where kids can earn their spots. I don't know if we'll necessarily have that opportunity this year. We know what we have in some spots but there are a lot of other guys out there who really need the spring. We need to put those guys in situations so we can evaluate them. But I think at the end of it all we're going to have to evaluate a lot of guys in August."
Offensively, Coen likes what Lehigh returns at the quarterback and wide receiver positions. Rising junior Nick Shafnisky had some ups and downs in his first full season as Lehigh's starter but is still the top returning passer in the Patriot League, with 215.5 passing yards and 263.3 yards of total offense a season ago.
"We have Nick returning as the starter," Coen said. "Statistically, in the Patriot League, he's the most prolific returning starter. I hope he continues to grow and develop from there. Some things looked really bad at times (last year) but he was only a sophomore but if you go back and look at Chris Lum as sophomore, he didn't look very good at times either. I'm excited about having a veteran quarterback in there."
Sophomores Matt Timochenko and Brendan Craven will give the Mountain Hawks three quarterbacks for the spring.
"Matt was really was our backup for half the season until Matt McHale got healthy," Coen said. "Matt did some good things early in camp for us. That's why he was the backup. There'll be some competition there. We had six guys last year, now we're just going to have three guys so Brendan is also going to have the opportunity to show what he can do. Nick needs to continue to improve upon last year but it will be good that there will be some competition."
On the receiving end, Troy Pelletier caught 49 passes for 815 yards and seven touchdowns, and was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the FCS.
"Troy really showed up and he's back and going to be better; bigger, faster and stronger than he was so that's exciting," Coen noted.
Coen is high on all three rising sophomore wideouts: Pelletier, Gatlin Casey and Sasha Kelsey. Stefan Sansone is the senior member of the wide receiver group, while fellow rising senior Derek Knott recovers from a knee injury that prematurely ended his season.
"I'm also excited about our wide receiver group," Coen explained. "We graduate Josh (Parris) and Derek Gaul and Alex Buford but had Troy not been on the scene last year, Gatlin Casey would have been on the field. I'm excited to see him and Sasha Kelsey and Stef Sansone is back. We have a solid group of guys back. That should be an area of strength."
The two areas that will be smaller than normal numbers-wise are running back and the offensive line. Three departures will leave Lehigh with four backs, while three freshmen will join the program this summer. Rising senior DJ Kee and sophomore Nana Amankwah-Ayeh will get plenty of reps and fullbacks Kenny Crawford and Evan Kauffman will see more time as ball carriers in a one-back set.
The offensive line will be limited with a number of players recovering from injuries, including center Brandon Short who was lost for the last eight games in 2014 in the Yale game. Lehigh will also need to replace three-time All-Patriot League left tackle Ned Daryoush.
Defensively, the Mountain Hawks return eight starters who gained valuable experience but the unit must improve on a performance that ranked at the bottom of the league in most categories in 2014.
"What really hurt us last year on defense was we didn't put pressure on the quarterback with our front guys," Coen explained. "We also need to see improvement in the secondary. We just gave up too many big plays. There were a lot of times when we got ourselves back into games and then gave up a big play. The emphasis will be on creating turnovers and cutting back on the big plays."
The strength of the defense is in its linebackers, led by rising juniors Colton Caslow and Pierce Ripanti, Lehigh's top two tacklers a season ago. Rising senior Noah Robb should also see an expanded role, while Cody Kondas has made strides in the offseason.
The defensive line loses All-League performer Tim Newton and nose guard Arturo Gyles but there is depth waiting in the wings. Rising sophomore Tyler Cavenas came on at the end of the year and could have the first crack at the nose guard position, while seniors D.J. Bourgeois and Greg Palma and junior T.J. Stubbs are all experienced. Senior Matt Laub will miss the spring due to injury and while splitting time between the defensive line and outside linebacker last season will likely figure in the defensive line mix in 2015.
In the secondary, Lehigh will have to deal with some of the spring numbers issues that will also affect the offensive line. Cornerback Brandon Leaks will miss the spring segment due to injury, leaving Lehigh with just three healthy corners: senior Olivier Rigaud and sophomores Quentin Jones and Marc Raye-Redmond. At safety, the Mountain Hawks return seniors LaQuan Lambert and Randall Lawson and junior Brian Githens.
"There was improvement from the first week until the tenth week," Coen said. "I was disappointed in the 11th week. We'll see guys continue to improve. We need to be more aggressive as a defense in terms of play calling. When we put pressure on the quarterback it was because we were blitzing. We need to be able to get a four man rush to the quarterback and create more of a mechanism to get after that guy. We have to get back to being more aggressive in that respect."
On special teams, Lehigh returns All-League punter Austin Devine while an incoming freshman will handle the kicking duties.
Lehigh is expected to use Goodman Stadium for its 12th practice on Saturday April 18 as the Mountain Hawks will have an opportunity to compete in the stadium setting, although the presence of a true Brown and White Spring Game will depend on how Lehigh stands from a health standpoint at that time. Lehigh's final three spring practices will take place the following week, with the final workout before camp begins in August set for Friday April 24.
"I just want to see guys continue to develop," Coen said. "When you have veteran guys injured one benefit is you get a lot or reps for guys who haven't played a lot and you really get a chance to develop those guys. When the spring is finished you really have a sense for what your football team looks like but given where we're at the most important thing is to develop guys as individuals.
"To the point where we can continue to practice and function against one another I want to see us improve in red zone situations and I want to see our defense improve on third downs and creating turnovers. Those are the biggest things. We also have to tackle better. We'll be spending a lot of time on tackling and technique. We didn't do enough of that last year."
Lehigh's tentative spring practice schedule is listed below.
2015 Lehigh Football Spring Practice Schedule
Friday, March 27 – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 28 – 10:30 a.m.
Thursday, April 2 – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 4 – 10:30 a.m.
Monday, April 6 – 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 8 – 4:30 p.m.
Friday, April 10 – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 11 – 10:30 a.m.
Tuesday, April 14 – 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 16 – 4:30 p.m.
Friday, April 17 – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 18 – Spring Game^ - 10 a.m.
Monday, April 20 – 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 22 – 4:30 p.m.
Friday, April 24 – 4:30 p.m.
^inside Goodman Stadium
Please note that all practice dates, times and locations are subject to change due to adverse weather conditions and other factors.
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
QB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
P
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
DB
/ Football
FB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
DL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
DL
/ Football
QB
/ FootballLehigh Sports Central: Football
Tuesday, December 02
MHT EP6 - Football
Thursday, November 20
Brown & Flight - Episode 4
Friday, November 14
Football Blitz
Friday, October 31
