Aaron Johnson – Sports Editor
A crisp breeze blew through Jess Dow Field as the sound of pads knocking against each other rang out. Football season is finally here. The Southern Connecticut State University Owls look to bounce back after last season’s disappointing 3-8 (3-6 NE-10) performance. However, excitement is high as Tom Godek takes over as head coach following the retirement of long-time coach, Rich Cavanaugh.
“We’ve been through quite a ride since coach [Cavanaugh] announced his retirement,” Godek said. “Anyone that knows the history of the program and the previous five head coaches there’s quite an impressive list of names, some of them are still working in the NFL.”
Cavanaugh departed from Southern this past spring after 28 years at the helm. Godek said that stepping in for the winningest coach in program history does bring a bit of pressure to the position, but he is ready to bring Southern football back to excellence.
“Of course you’re following the all-time winningest coach who was your coach as a player so there is a lot of pressure with that,” Godek said.
The Owls have a lot to prove this season as they look to make a push towards the upper-echelon of the NE-10. Good news is that the Owls’ are returning several starters at key positions on both sides of the ball. The bad news is they have also lost a number of starters from a season ago, including quarterback Jacob Jablonski, wide receiver Vito Fornarelli, and defensive back Sebron Woodley.
“Everyone is getting a little bit of love with the first team,” said offensive coordinator, Chris Bergeski. “We really focus on how many plays we can get in during practice. How many we can get on the film. There’s definitely less coaching on the field and more coaching in the classrooms.”
A big boost for the offense will come from preseason All-American running back John Moscatel who is coming off a career year as a junior. The All-NE-10 Conference selection finished the 2013 season with 2,034 all-purpose yards with 188 carries for 1,070 yards and 10 touchdowns.
“What really matters (to me) is the performance and success of our team once the season starts,” Moscatel said. “That’s all I care about, helping to lead our team to an NE-10 championship and national championship.”
That team-first mentality and confidence from Moscatel has radiated through the rest of the offense. Center Tywan Jenkins said that the team has been working hard and is staying focused on the task at hand.
“Our first goal is to come together as a team,” he said. “Second is to win our first game. After that, we go after the NE-10 championship. We know what kind of work we have been putting in so right now I think we are confident, but we know there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
The Owls’ defense looks to continue to build on the success they had last season. While also improving and maturing a younger cast of talent. Defensive coordinator, Jon Shelton said that several young players have been given the opportunity to step up and earn some playing time.
“The older guys who have gotten kind of nicked up, when they kind of get out of it, it gives the younger guys more of an opportunity to take some reps that they normally would not get,” Shelton said.
A big blow to the Owls’ defense will be the loss of starting safety Mike Dunkley, who is out for the season with a knee injury, but Shelton believes that the younger players will help in making the entire defensive unit stronger.
“It’s helped us. With the younger guys,” he said. “And hopefully we get the younger guys back at the right time and that will help us.”
