2000 Augsburg College Football preview

(9/1/00) -- By Don Stoner, Augsburg College Sports Information Coordinator
There is plenty of room for optimism for the Augsburg College football team in the first season of the new millennium.

Seven offensive starters -- including all the skill-position players --return to the Auggie lineup. Six defensive starters are back, including the entire linebacking corps and three of the four defensive linemen. A deep senior class will enter the 2000 campaign with a 22-10 record over the past three seasons and a chance at achieving the best four-year record for a class in school history.

All signs could point to another successful campaign for head coach Jack Osberg, entering his 10th season as the Auggies' mentor. Augsburg finished 6-4 for the second year in a row in 1999, marking just the second time in school history that the Auggies have had three consecutive above-.500 seasons. Augsburg has never had four consecutive .500-or-better seasons in its 68-season football history.

"I think we could be a darkhorse contender (for the MIAC title), based on our depth at the skill positions on offense and our defensive front. We may have to be considered a team in the running, along with Bethel and St. Thomas, obviously behind (defending MIAC champion) St. John's," Osberg said.

The key to Osberg's positive outlook for the Auggies is experience. Augsburg returns 18 seniors this season, the largest senior class in Osberg's 10-year tenure. Combined with 16 returning starters, the Auggies have a solid lineup for 2000.

"The quality of seniors is important. This is our best group ever," Osberg said. "We need to rely on their contributions this year. This is the largest group of seniors we've ever had. Their experience and leadership should give us a foundation for a veteran team coming back."

Offense: All skill-position starters return
Augsburg's offense will be a formidable force in 2000, as all six skill-position starters return from last season, and three of the five starting offensive linemen return.

Keying the offensive attack will be quarterback Paul Tetzloff (Sr., Faribault, Minn.), who earned second-team All-MIAC honors in 1998. His 1999 campaign was marred by injuries, as he was only able to start eight of the 10 games. Consequently, his numbers were down (1,352 yards, eight touchdowns) from his sophomore year, when he threw for 2,439 yards and 22 TDs.

"We love Paul's potential," Osberg said. "He has two years of starting quarterback experience behind him. We look for big things from him. He is big and strong and healthy this year."

Backing up Tetzloff will be John Goodale (Jr., Buffalo, Minn.), who appeared in six games (two starts) and threw for 792 yards and five scores last season.

One of the key returners for the Auggies will be running back Brian Warden (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran HS), who set a single-season school record in 1999 with 232 carries. He rushed for 858 yards and six touchdowns, as Augsburg began to develop a solid running game to complement the passing attack. This year, Osberg hopes to not rely on Warden as much as he was forced to last season, as the running corps had limited experience. This year, sophomores Jamie Smith (So., Oakdale, Minn./Tartan HS), T.J. Bramwell (So., Tomah, Wis.), Justin Lehman (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) and Ray Dillard (So., Brooklyn Center, Minn.) all return at the tailback spot and will be able to give Warden much-needed rest. John Boeck (So., Braham, Minn.) will move from wide receiver to running back this year. Rico Washington (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Roosevelt HS) returns to the running back spot after taking last season off.

"With Brian back, that gives us a very experienced running back who hopes to improve his game even more this year," Osberg said. "We wore him out a little bit last year. With the depth of sophomore running backs we have now, we will be able to better use Brian's skills as a tailback."

John Rotter (Sr., Montgomery, Minn./Montgomery-Lonsdale HS) returns at the fullback position, providing the Auggies with a multi-threat option as a blocker, runner and pass-catcher. Rotter led the Auggies in pass receptions last year with 34, but rushed for just 60 net yards on 36 carries. His rushing numbers need to improve, Osberg said, and the coaching staff hopes to get Rotter more involved in the running game.

The wide-receiver positions are deep, with three players returning with varsity experience. Keying the attack will be Mark Johnson (Jr., Hastings, Minn.), who transferred to Augsburg last season and led the Auggies with 594 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Desman Oakley (Sr., Indianola, Iowa) had two touchdowns and 268 receiving yards. Damien Rochon-Washington (Sr., Chicago, Ill./Kenwood Academy) hopes to improve on his 434-yard, two touchdown performance of 1999. Sam Gross (So., Springfield, Minn.) also returns at wide receiver.

Starter Ryan Hupka (Sr., Thunder Bay, Ontario/St. Patrick's HS) returns at tight end, joined by three sophomores -- Jesse Naughton (So., Spring Lake Park, Minn.), Tony Warren (So., Brainerd, Minn.) and Brett Dunlap (So., Austin, Minn.).

Three starters return on the offensive line, including two All-MIAC players -- right tackle Todd Boerboom (Sr., Oak Grove, Minn./St. Francis HS) and left guard Andy Hansen (Sr., Mankato, Minn./East HS), both multiple-year starters. Starter Mike Hokanson (Sr., Maple Plain, Minn./Orono HS) also returns at right guard.

Contending for starting roles on the offensive line will be six quality players -- newcomer Chris Pelzel (So., Burnsville, Minn.), Brad Motl (So., Wausau, Wis./Wausau West HS), Rich Nelson (So., Eagan, Minn.), Bob Eckstrom (So., Otsego, Minn./Elk River HS), James Brue (So., Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo HS) and Lincoln Langhorst (So., Lafayette, Minn./Sibley East HS).

Defense: Front seven one of strongest groups in MIAC
Defensively, Augsburg's 4-3 front alignment could be one of the strongest groups in the MIAC, Osberg said. Six starters return to the defensive corps, a group that lost just one starter to graduation and gained a position player with experience.

"Our front seven is as good as we have ever had here as a group," Osberg said.

In the front four, Augsburg will be keyed by Andy Howard (Sr., Waseca, Minn.), who moved to the line from his starting linebacker position in the final three games of last year. Howard had 54 tackles (30 solo), four tackles for loss and two interceptions last year. Howard will be joined on the right side of the front four by Matt Chappuis (Jr., Faribault, Minn.), who had an incredible sophomore campaign last year to earn second-team All-MIAC honors, with 62 tackles (33 solo), 13.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks. His 13.5 career sacks place him fifth on Augsburg's all-time sack record list.

On the left side of the front four, Dave Sherry (Jr., Hastings, Minn.) returns after a solid first season as a starter, compiling 36 tackles (20 solo), 7.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He will be joined by Brandon Ward (Jr., Vermillion, Minn./Hastings HS), who will move to the defensive line from spending two seasons on the offensive line. He was a medical redshirt last year, but returns healthy for this season, Osberg said.

Kyle Koch (So., Austin, Minn.) saw some varsity time on the line last year, and could fit in at any of the four positions. Other returners include Nate Bremseth (So., Fountain, Minn./Fillmore Central HS), Derek Kuhlman (So., Rush City, Minn.) and Ben Mulvey (So., Eden Prairie, Minn.).

Six linebackers return with varsity experience at the linebacker positions. Kurt Werk (Sr., Herman, Minn./West Central Area HS), a two-year starter, was second on the team in tackles last year, with 72 tackles (44 solo) last year. Joe Souba (Sr., Hayward, Wis.), had 51 tackles (34 solo) last year in his first season as a starter. Scott Archambault (Jr., Faribault, Minn.), Mitchell Theisen (Jr., Waverly, Minn./Buffalo HS) and John Simones (So., Lonsdale, Minn./Northfield HS) also gained experience last season. Adam Leiter (So., Coon Rapids, Minn.) and Andy Stephenson (So., Red Wing, Minn.) also will contend for linebacker spots.

The defensive secondary is the biggest area for concern for Osberg and his staff, as three starters were lost to graduation or transfer, including multiple All-American Jake Kern (Faribault, Minn.) at free safety. The lone starter returning to the secondary is cornerback Brent Peroutka (Jr., Faribault, Minn.), who had 40 tackles (21 solo), five interceptions and six pass break-ups.

"Brent has a chance to be a dominant defensive back in this league," Osberg said. "He will be our team leader in the secondary. He had a great sophomore year and he returns with a lot of potential. He's smart, athletic and versatile."

Hoping to fill the other secondary shoes will be a plethora of candidates, keyed by Josh Larsen (Sr., Morristown, Minn./Waterville-Elysian-Morristown HS), Larry Lyden (Jr., New Brighton, Minn./Irondale HS) and Chad Thorp (Jr., New Prague, Minn.), who moves to strong safety from linebacker. Two key junior college transfers will also contend -- Luke Wittrock (Jr., Boone, Iowa) from Waldorf (Iowa) Community College and Chad Scheitel (Jr., Worthington, Minn.) who had seven interceptions last year at Minnesota West CC (Worthington, Minn.), second-best in the nation among all junior college players. Other secondary contenders include: Andy Peper (So., Maplewood, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran HS), Ryan Branson (So., Lino Lakes, Minn./Tartan HS) and Jon Fahler (So., Shakopee, Minn.)

Special Teams: Room for improvement
"We've got to get better with our special teams play," Osberg admitted. "It's a big challenge for us to get better at all phases of our special teams play -- kicking, punting and our return game."

Matt Van Alstine (Sr., Cottage Grove, Minn./Park HS) returns for his second year as Augsburg's starting kicker. He nailed three field goals in seven attempts and converted on 17 of 22 extra points last season, numbers that need to show improvement, in particular on long-range field goals, Osberg said. Tim Mauseth (Jr., Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo HS), a transfer from Wisconsin-River Falls, could contend for the kicking spot with Van Alstine, Osberg noted.

Brent Peroutka will likely be the Auggies' starting punter for the second straight year, Osberg said. He connected for a solid 32.5-yard average last season. Scot Olson (Sr., Monticello, Minn./Farmington HS) and Rich Nelson (So., Eagan, Minn.) will handle the long-snapper roles, and Goodale will be the team's holder on extra points and field goals.

The return game is an area for concern for Osberg and his staff. Augsburg used 10 different players returning kicks and four players returning punts last year, and Osberg said he hopes to settle on fewer players to fill the return roles this year. Tailback Jon Boeck (So., Braham, Minn.) will contend for the kick-returning spot. Peroutka and Jamie Smith have the most experience as punt returners from last year.