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RICHMOND, Ky. - The 2010 Eastern Kentucky University football team has many important pieces in place for another run at the Ohio Valley Conference title. In each of his previous two years as head coach, Dean Hood and the Colonels have had the opportunity to play for the conference crown in the regular-season finale.

EKU successfully won the 2008 OVC title with a thrilling 33-31 decision at UT Martin. However, the Colonels came up just short last fall at Jacksonville State as the Gamecocks pulled out a 34-26 win.

“We’d like to get back to where we are winning championships every year, or every other year, or two out of every three years, and be successful in the playoffs,” Hood said. “[The players] came up with their own team goals for this year and one of the things they said we need to do is play passionate, hard-nosed football. I think we need to be a tougher group than we were a year ago and I think the players realize that.”

Eastern is particularly loaded on defense with eight of the 11 starters from 2009 back on the roster, including All-OVC performers Andrew Soucy (defensive tackle), Jordan Dalrymple (linebacker) and Jeremy Caldwell (defensive back). Under Hood, the Colonel defense has been known for forcing turnovers, but was held without a turnover in the final three games of 2009.

“We weren’t lucky,” Hood said. “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity. We need to prepare better so when those opportunities do present themselves, we make the play.”

On offense, the EKU passing game has the chance to be as explosive as it has ever been. The 2009 OVC Freshman of the Year, quarterback #T.J. Pryor#, has plenty of targets to work with on the perimeter including senior Shannon Davis, sophomore Orlandus Harris and senior Evan Cromer. A new addition, 6-7 tight end transfer Matt Lengel, will give the Colonels something they were missing last year – a safety valve receiver in the middle of the field.

Heading into preseason camp, Coach Hood is most excited about having both the offensive and defensive signal callers returning.

“This is the first time since I’ve been here that we’ve had both [our quarterback and safeties] back,” Hood said. “You can do all the preparing you want, but when the ball is kicked off, it’s on those players to get the rest of the team lined up and doing the right things.”

Quarterbacks
One year ago, the biggest story line heading into preseason camp was the battle at the quarterback position. There is no such debate this fall as sophomore T.J. Pryor is the clear cut quarterback for the foreseeable future.

“The best thing about freshmen is that they turn into sophomores,” Hood said. “It wasn’t our intent to play him as much as we did last year, but he was the right guy for the job. We’re excited to see what he’s going to do as a sophomore.”

Pryor was utilized in a back-up role to start the 2009 campaign, but was thrust into the starter’s spot in game four at nationally-ranked Eastern Illinois. The Louisville, Ky., native responded by completing 19-of-30 passes for 293 yards and two scores in the 36-31 win. Pryor went on to become just the sixth Colonel to throw for 2,000 yards in a season (2,153) on the way to finishing third in the OVC in passing yards per game (195.7) and total offense (220.2). Not only can Pryor pass the ball, but he is a threat to run. In nine of the 11 games last season, Pryor tallied at least one rush of 10 yards or more.

Backing up Pryor will be redshirt freshman Brendon Gregory. The native of Erlanger, Ky., proved this spring that he could lead the team if need be. Gregory threw for more than 1,300 yards as a junior at Lloyd Memorial High School before injuring his knee as a senior. Two incoming freshmen – Jacob Russell and Alex Conley – will redshirt this year, but are excellent prospects for the future.

Running Backs
There is a big hole to fill at running back this year. The team’s leading rusher in 2009, C.J. Walker, graduated last December leaving the starting position up for grabs among three or even four players.

Junior #H.B. Banjoman# came out of the spring as the most likely candidate to take over the starting position. Banjoman played in all 11 games as a sophomore while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Against Kentucky on Nov. 7, Banjoman totaled nine carries for 35 yards and a touchdown. In the spring game, Banjoman led all running backs with 65 yards on eight carries.

“Banjoman is a big, physical back who can get tough yards for the offense,” Hood said.

Senior Aaron Bradley could also be in the mix for playing time. However, Bradley is a question mark as he is still dealing with a knee injury that he suffered in the 2009 spring game. Another player to keep an eye on is junior Kyle Lumpkin, a transfer from the Air Force Academy. Lumpkin ran for 452 yards for Air Force in 2008.

Newcomers Patryk Bielawski and Chaz Hope will most likely fill the fullback role in short-yardage situations.

Wide Receivers
Eastern Kentucky’s wide receiver position is filled with plenty of big-play potential. Seniors Shannon Davis and Evan Cromer along with sophomore Orlandus Harris are all capable of piling up 100-plus yards receiving in a game.

Davis is the deep-play threat and averaged 19.1 yards per reception as a junior. Harris, the team’s top returning wide out, has a world of potential. The sophomore finished with 432 receiving yards last year including 97 yards against Kentucky on Nov. 7. Cromer is a dependable, possession receiver who knows the position and runs excellent routes.

Meanwhile, senior Ronnie Letcher, a Western Kentucky transfer, and junior Chris Moore, a converted linebacker, give the receivers a few new faces.

“Ronnie [and Chris] give us some physicality at the position,” Hood said. “It seemed like we were missing that last year which hurt our screen game.”

Redshirt freshman Justin Williams and sophomore Trey Fairchild should also see playing time at the position. Williams impressed the coaching staff with his play-making abilities on the practice field throughout his redshirt season. Fairchild has battled injuries since his arrival to EKU last year, but when healthy can give the Colonels another solid possession receiver.

Offensive Linemen
There will be a whole new look to the offensive line in 2010 as senior guard Chris Krack is the only starter returning to the unit. The coaching staff was able to address this issue during the recruiting period by adding two former Hofstra linemen and two junior college transfers.

“I actually think this could be an area of strength for us and we might even be better than last year on the offensive line,” Hood said.

One of the Hofstra transfers, junior Derek Moore, started 23 games in his career for the Pride while earning 2009 All-CAA third team honors. Moore is expected to start at one of the tackle positions. Sophomore Patrick Ford, a hometown product from Richmond and son of former Colonel Gary Ford, is slated to start at the other tackle spot. Ford saw time on the offensive line in 2009.

Besides Krack, the other guard position looks to be filled by the other Hofstra transfer, Kevin Brown.
The center position will be contested between two returnees – sophomore #O.J. Enabosi and junior Josh Miller#. Miller started eight games at center one year ago before injuring his knee against Kentucky. Enabosi replaced Miller in the line-up, but at the guard spot. However, Enabosi’s natural position is center and he is the frontrunner to earn the spot heading into preseason camp.

The two Eastern Arizona junior college transfers – Joe Arnason and Bo Faauaa – will provide quality depth at the guard and tackle positions.

Another addition to the line in 2010 will be 6-7 tight end Matt Lengel. The transfer from Northeastern gives the offense a dimension it was lacking following the departure of Stephen Sizemore, who recorded a team-high 48 receptions in 2008.

Defensive Linemen
Senior all-conference performer Andrew Soucy heads up the Colonel defensive line. Fellow senior #Yameen Thomas and junior Emory Attig# are two other starters returning in 2010.

“Soucy and Attig are going to be the work-horse guys inside,” Hood said. “We’ve got three young guys – Robert Knowles, David Carter and Devin Gainer – that we also feel good about. One of those guys will have to step up to be the guy in the rotation with Soucy and Attig to give those guys a break.”

Soucy led the team and ranked fifth in the OVC with 9.5 tackles for loss as a junior. He had a career game against UT Martin on Oct. 17 with eight tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a blocked PAT. Attig chipped in with 3.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss in 2009.

Thomas will be in his second season as a starting defensive end. Joining Thomas on the outside should be sophomore Jasper Williams. Two redshirt freshmen – Anthony Brown and Shawn Shupperd – impressed the coaching staff during the spring and could be valuable contributors this season. Shupperd had an impressive spring game as he posted two sacks.

One other addition to the defensive line unit is sophomore Patrick Henry who is transitioning from the offensive line. Henry is set to compete at defensive end.

Linebackers
Seniors Jordan Dalrymple and Antonio Fredrick return to their familiar places of inside linebackers in 2010.

“We’ll be better at linebacker than we have been since I’ve been here,” Hood said.

Dalrymple, a 2009 All-OVC pick, led the squad and ranked seventh in the OVC with 85 tackles one season ago. A consistent player, Dalrymple totaled at least five tackles in every game as a junior. Fredrick had to sit out the spring season with an injured shoulder, but the hard hitter should be ready to go for preseason camp.

A pair of new faces will serve as back-ups at the inside positions.

“We also have two redshirt freshmen who I absolutely love – Zavier Foster and Ichiro Chiba,” Hood said. “Both of those players have motors that don’t stop running.”

One other face to watch out for is redshirt freshman Tyler Horn. He is a swing player who could play inside or outside linebacker.

Making the move from inside backer to the strong side will be junior Tyson Patrick. That move has made the defense much stronger according to Coach Hood. Hood compares the play of Patrick to former Colonel outside linebacker TyJuan Jones. Patrick led all players with eight tackles, including one sack, in the spring game.

Sophomore Nick Vicini, who saw action in all 11 games last year, is slated to serve as Patrick’s back-up.

Defensive Backs
Coach Hood tends to have a personal connection with the defensive backs unit because he himself played the position in college and then climbed the coaching ranks as a secondary coach. The EKU defense relies on the safeties to call the coverage and schemes for the entire unit.

Luckily for the Colonels, both starting safeties from 2009 are back for another season together.

Senior #Robert Dees and junior Patrick McClellan# were two of the steadiest defenders last year. Dees finished with 61 tackles and three pass break-ups. Meanwhile, McClellan chipped in with 64 tackles and three interceptions.

Sophomore Brooklyn Fox will be used in the safety rotation this fall, allowing Dees and McClellan a chance to catch their breath.

“Brooklyn probably had the best spring of anyone on our whole football team,” Hood said. “With the emergence of Brooklyn at safety, that has allowed us to be comfortable moving Marcus Williams back over to his natural position [of corner back].”

Williams will be joined on the outside by all-league performer, junior Jeremy Caldwell. Caldwell tied for fourth in FCS football last year with seven interceptions. He made an immediate impact in the season opener with two interceptions against Indiana. He then sealed the win over Eastern Illinois with a fourth-quarter interception returned for a touchdown.

One other player likely to see plenty of quality playing time at corner back will be senior Jaren Gooden. Gooden has started 15 games in his Colonel career while registering four pass break-ups as a junior.

Special Teams
The coaching staff is hopeful that senior #Logan O’Connor#, who handled the punting and various kicking duties the previous two years, will be used only as the placekicker this season. O’Connor struggled at times kicking last fall, but finished strong thanks to making both field goal attempts in the season finale at Jacksonville State.

Coach Hood is hopeful that redshirt freshman Jordan Berry, a native of Australia, can help the team in the punter’s role.

“[Berry] improved as the spring went along,” Hood said. “He has a powerful leg, but he needs to be more consistent on his punts.”

EKU will be searching for a new long snapper in 2010 following the departure of three-year starter Jacob Claycomb. Junior Emory Attig and freshman Chaz Hope spent time long snapping in the spring. Senior Chris Krack has been used as the short snapper before and could be called on to fill that role again. Another option at long snapper could be true freshman Danny Adams. Adams was rated the number one long snapper in the nation last year by www.prokicker.com.

The most likely candidates to return kick-offs will be junior Jeremy Caldwell and sophomore Orlandus Harris. Caldwell will probably be utilized as the primary punt returner for the second consecutive season as well.

The Schedule
The beginning of the 2010 schedule could be one of the most challenging in recent EKU history. The Colonels open the year with three straight tough road games at Missouri State (Sept. 2), at Louisville (Sept. 11) and at Chattanooga (Sept. 18). This will be the third straight year the Colonels kick off the season on a Thursday night.

“I don’t think it matters that those games are on the road, but it matters who we are playing,” Hood said. “I like the fact that we are playing FCS teams from other conferences that will be fighting for playoff positions, especially with the playoffs expanding [to 20 teams] this year. It’s frosting on the cake to play a regional BCS team such as Louisville.”

Eastern concludes its non-conference schedule at home on Oct. 2 against Kentucky State. This will be EKU’s latest date for a home opener since 1964.

The following week, the Colonels begin OVC action at home against defending league champion Eastern Illinois (Oct. 9). EKU was the only OVC team to defeat the Panthers one year ago.

Following two straight road games at UT Martin (Oct. 16) and Southeast Missouri (Oct. 23), Eastern Kentucky returns to Roy Kidd Stadium for three of its last four games. Homecoming is set for Oct. 30 versus traditional rival Murray State (Oct. 30). The Colonels have won eight of the last nine meetings against the Racers with the lone setback coming in the 2004 Homecoming game.

On Nov. 6, Eastern hosts Jacksonville State. Since the Gamecocks joined the league in 2003, EKU (44) and JSU (42) have tallied the most victories against OVC opponents.

Finally, the Colonels wrap up the regular season at Tennessee Tech (Nov. 13) and back home against Austin Peay (Nov. 20). Eastern Kentucky does not play OVC foe Tennessee State this fall.

The NCAA Division I FCS playoffs, which expand from 16 to 20 teams this year, begin on Nov. 27 with four first-round games. There are now 10 conferences that earn automatic bids to the playoffs: Big Sky, Big South, Colonial, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern and Southland. The FCS championship game is slated for Jan. 7, 2011 in Frisco, Texas.