Brown Gridders To Play Saturday
Friday, April 26, 2013
With almost five months to go before the start of the college football season, many schools are wrapping up their spring practices with their annual intra-squad scrimmages.
This Saturday at noon, the Brown Bears will hold their annual Brown-White spring game allowing both the coaches and Brown fans to get a sneak peak at the 2013 team.
As has been the case every year under 16th-year head coach Phil Estes, the Bears will enter the season with Ivy League chamnpionship aspirations.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTComing off of an impressive (7-3) campaign in 2012 which saw the team battle through a multitude of injuries to key players, Brown returns a nucleus of players that should have the team picked to finish at or near the top of the league again when the preseason polls are released in late summer.
Led by co-captains Patrick Donnelly (QB) and Michael Yules (DE), the Bears have an excellent chance of bringing home a 4th Ivy League title since 1999.
An interesting twist to Saturday's game will be the division of the coaching staff. Estes has decided to have the older (or veteran) coaches coach one team while the younger coaches will have the other. Given how tight-knit that group of coaches is, it should make for a lot of friendly banter between the two groups all summer long.
On the field, the biggest hole to fill may be that left by graduating senior All-Ivy defensive back AJ Cruz. Cruz had an unbelievably successful career at Brown starting all four years for the Bears. He has been working out vigorously in an attempt to be drafted in this weekend's NFL Draft. Should Cruz not get drafted, it is likely that he will get invitations to join training camps of some NFL teams.
Here is the school's official press release regarding tomorrow's game:
Brown head coach Phil Estes and the Bears’ football team will culminate 11 days of Spring Practice with the Annual Brown-White Spring Game, presented by OfficeMax, Life Fitness and NECS (New England Copy Specialists), on Saturday, April 27 at Brown Stadium, starting at 12:00 noon. All are welcome to attend free of charge.
“We accomplished an awful lot in the spring, and there are several positions where we’ve come a long way,” said Estes. “Our focus has been on the individual to make them better. My job is to make them into a team. I believe our players are starting to understand what it takes to be a champion.”
While the Bears have a number of holes to fill for next season, Estes is buoyed by the return of seven All-Ivy players to the lineup, led by offensive tackle Cole Hooper ’14, wide receiver Tellef Lundevall ‘14, defensive end and co-captain Michael Yules ‘14, defensive back Emory Polley ’14, kicker Alex Norocea ’14, offensive guard Dan Austin ’14 and outside linebacker Ade Oyalowo ‘14.
“Offensively, I happy with a number of players who stepped up at running back, and am pleased by the improvement of our tight ends,” said Estes. “We worked individually with our offensive line to find seven starters and we’re secured that goal. We also groomed a number of wide receivers that will contribute to our offense.”
The number one priority for the Bears’ offense is rebuilding a group of running backs that was decimated by injuries a year ago. Senior Jordan Reisner came into the 2012 season as Brown’s fifth running back, but due to injuries, stepped in as the starter against Cornell. He ran for 193 yards against the Big Red, but broke his arm in the game. Cody Taulbee ‘14 and Bobby Grebenc ‘15 will also see significant action.
“Defensively, the secondary position has really developed as we look to replace three-time All-Ivy DB AJ Cruz,” continued Estes. “I feel good about having some shutdown corners. We’ve established a number of players on the defensive line and are really pleased with the group, and I’m excited about the development of our linebacker corps.”
In addition to the All-Ivy players on the defensive side of the ball, the Bears have several emerging players, including linebacker Dan Giovacchini ’15, who started last year as a sophomore and has all the tools to be an outstanding inside linebacker. Inside linebackers Chad Berry ’16 and Zack Lattrell ‘14 are also expected to be a major players for the Bears.
