By Siddique Farooqi
Go ahead. Ask Hofstra Pride Football Head Coach Dave Cohen just how excruciatingly long the 2-win 2006 campaign felt.
“It seemed like five seasons, it was a long year – that’s for sure,” Cohen said. “Obviously it was a disappointment to myself, the staff, and the players.”
The arduous season, which saw the Pride drop their last seven contests – after a 2-2 start – en route to a dismal 2-9 season, was Cohen’s first season at the helm. As would be expected with a first-year head coach stepping in to a new setting, a series of transitional growing pains were inevitable.
“There were a lot of philosophical and schematic changes,” he said. “We had to create personnel at the tight end and fullback positions, which really weren’t on-campus; and then of course we had the four guys (Marques Colston, Willie Colon, Devale Ellis, and Stephen Bowen) going to the NFL.”
Despite last year’s struggles, however, Cohen is quick to point out the “definitive improvements” observed during the recent spring training camp – to go along with a fresh sense of excitement for the upcoming season. One of the primary reasons for the renewed optimism is the pending three-way dogfight for the quarterback position, with incumbent Dennis Davis competing against junior college transfers Bryan Savage and Cory Christopher for the rights to take the opening day snaps on Sept. 8 vs. Furman.
“It’s a battle,” said Cohen. “They’re all so different.”
He says Davis, who saw action in 5 games for the Pride last season, stands out from the trio as a “true pocket presence with good size and strength,” and that the senior has shown improved poise so far in the spring training camp. Savage and Christopher, according to Cohen, bring a different dynamic to the quarterback core with their speed and athleticism. As for when the keys to the offense will be bestowed upon one of the three candidates, Cohen conveys that the answer may remain a mystery till “at least the eighth or 10th day of summer training camp.”
One thing for certain, however, is that whoever does inherit the starting quarterback position will not have the luxury of employing the services of playmaker Shane Smith. The mercurial deep threat latched onto nine of Hofstra’s 11 end zone strikes last season and finished second in the Atlantic 10 Conference in yards per reception.
Despite Smith’s proficiency, the Pride offense had a season to forget – finishing dead last in the conference in total offense and second to last in scoring offense. Much of the inconsistencies came from the inability to establish a credible short yardage passing game, a concern which Cohen hopes to alleviate with the return of a healthy crop of wide receivers including senior Charles Sullivan, junior Ottis Lewis, red-shirt freshman Aaron Weaver and senior Julian Watts – who returns to the gridiron after a stellar season with the Pride Lacrosse team. Despite the newfound depth and steady health at the wide receiver position, it is imperative for the blue and gold to have solid play at the tight-end position.
“I’m really excited about some of the things we’re getting out of Phil Riley but also newcomer Brian Carpenter,” he said. “Those are guys at tight end that have to play a big role in our intermediary pass game.”
Conversely, the defense was the strong suit for the team in ’06 and looks to be even stronger this year with the top four leading tacklers returning to action. Joining the group will be defensive end Kevin Smith. Smith, the transfer from Western Michigan, is touted by Cohen as a skilled pass rusher who “will be talked about” towards the onset of the season. Cohen also mentions red-shirt freshman Andrew Nelson, a Uniondale product, as another solid DE expected to bolster the Pride defensive unit.
Despite a dismal first year at the wheel, Cohen asserts that he feels no pressure – adding that the only time he faces pressure is when he “looks in the mirror.” and that “pressure only comes from within.”
With six home games scheduled for the 2007 slate, Cohen cleverly points out that last year’s 0-4 home record is, well, just that – last year’s home record.
“What happened in ’06 has nothing to do with ’07; and I would say that if we won a championship, or, had the 2-9 season we actually did have.”
Cohen offers an encouraging assessment as his squad prepares to do battle in the inaugural season of the CAA as a football conference – which he praises as “the best Division 1 – AA conference in the nation.”
“I certainly think it’s going to be an improved version in every facet of the football game; offense, defense, and kicking – I’m excited to see how that translates into wins and losses.”