As the U of T football team finished up training camp, they were not obsessed over a statistic that has followed them for five years. Now, this young nucleus of football players intends to play the game from kickoff to whistle, and are adamantly keeping out of their mind the fact that they have not tallied a win since November 2001.
“At this point we’re not even thinking about it, it’s the farthest thing from our minds and we are not interested in listening to the critics,” said Head Coach Steve Howlett.
“There have been comments made by some of our players in the players’ room that set out our mission: to win one for guys like John Gilson, for guys who have played with us for years. We are positively focused and ready to fight for every play this season.”
Graduation was kind to the Blues (0-1), as eight of their offensive weapons have returned. Leading the way will be the Blues’ quarterbacking corps, Mark Stinson and Dave Hamilton.
“There was a huge turnover in our youth on the team and we believe in the natural evolution of our players,” Howlett said. “It is great to see the same guys that have been here for years.”
Howlett intends to start Hamilton for the majority of the season. Stinson’s role on the team will be an interesting one, taking on similarities to that of Kordell “Slash” Stewart and his role on the Super Bowl representative Pittsburgh Steelers in 1996. Stinson totaled 213 yards on the ground last season.
“Mark [Stinson] is a very good athlete and he should be seeing play in a slotback position,” Howlett said. “What we want to do was have Mark slide over into an ace back formation and become more active as a receiver. Both of our guys are great quarterbacks who make great decisions, and they do bring a lot of diversity to the quarterback position. But with this approach, we can take advantage of both of their abilities.”
The decision to do this came naturally to Howlett and Dan Crifo, Offensive Coordinator, and Offensive Line Coach for the Blues. Having Stinson in on more plays in this environment invites more diversity in offensive plays like boots, counters, and draw plays-possibly making play action boots more effective for the pass game.
“We always had it in mind to have a proper 50-50 of run and pass plays. Doing this will definitely take some pressure off of Marc.”
Back for his third campaign, Marc Gaudett returns to the halfback position, headlining the OUA’s eighth most potent offense, averaging about 344 yards a game. Gaudett’s 882 yards put him fourth in the OUA last season, a number that may increase if the offensive line, led by emotional leader John Gilson, continues to strengthen. Tony Mammoliti, Cory Kennedy, Jeff LaForge and Ken Mazurek all return this season as Hamilton’s prime receiving weapons.
The defense was where the most issues had to be addressed, and Howlett and his staff have made strides here. Joe Rumolo, a longtime assistant with the team, has been brought in to coordinate the defense and infuse a more effective approach to stopping opponents. Rumolo’s experience with defensive line development is one that Howlett admires, as the Blues run defense was a serious issue. The Blues had allowed over 600 yards of total offense a game last season, and about 263 of those yards from the run.
The recruiting season for Howlett and Greg Delaval, the Blues Coordinator of Player Development, was a rewarding one. The Blues found some depth in a few positions, and ensured some solidity once the offensive and defensive families graduate. Meadowvale Secondary School’s Derek Batchelor has impressed the staff as a defensive back, and Port Perry’s Tyler Daly has become promising as an understudy to Gaudett.
The majority of the youth infusion has come on the side of the defense. Rumolo’s scheme and execution is intended to be much more aggressive and unpredictable for his players, as blitz and aggressive zone packages are expected to be more exercised in the playbook.
“One of the biggest things that we want to see from our team is continued improvement in all aspects,” Howlett said. “We want a more aggressive defense and more consistency from our offense.”
Saturday, the team will travel to Windsor to face off against the Lancers (1-0), who defeated Waterloo yesterday 42-2. The Blues’ season opened yesterday against Queen’s University, as the Golden Gaels routed U of T 53-7.
The Blues had been conducting training camp at UTSC over the summer, and will be staying in Scarborough at Birchmount Stadium for their home games due to the continued construction of the new Varsity Stadium during the fall. There will only be three home games this season for the team, with the opener at Birchmount September 16 against Waterloo University. The Blues will have to be road warriors for most of the season, but they like the challenge.
