Aug. 8, 2007

Bronx, N.Y. - When Fordham head football coach Tom Masella was at Central Connecticut State University in 2004 and 2005, he led the Blue Devils to back-to-back Northeast Conference titles while setting numerous offensive team records, including most points and most touchdown passes in a season. Fordham Ram fans hope that the second-year leader will have the same luck on Rose Hill.

To invigorate the Fordham offense in 2007 Masella and offensive coordinator Ed Argast, who was also his offensive coordinator at Central Connecticut, have decided to tweak the game plan a bit, installing a run and shoot attack that looks to maximize Fordham's speed.

"There aren't a lot of changes to the offense from last year," said Argast. "We're looking to have a mobile offense. And with the improvements we've made at the skill positions, we should be able to open things up."

The Rams will try to keep opponents on their toes using a couple of different sets. "We plan to use three different sets: a huddle offense, a no huddle offense and fast no huddle offense," said Argast. "This will give us the flexibility to do what we need to succeed."

Of course, the success of the offense will depend on the success of the quarterback. And Fordham has sophomore John Skelton, who started the last six games of 2006, back to call the signals. Last year, Skelton completed 74 of 167 passes for 960 yards and six touchdowns, numbers he hopes to improve upon in 2007.

"I'm looking forward to the season," said Skelton. "We have a quality group of receivers to throw the ball to which will make my job easier. But I still have a lot to work on to become a better college quarterback."

The Rams return their top four receivers from last year for Skelton, led by senior Sylvester Clarke, who caught a team-high 26 passes for 408 yards and four touchdowns, along with junior Richard Rayborn, who made 13 receptions for 242 yards and two scores.

Other pass catchers who will return for the Rams include senior Raymond Loney, junior Jeff Van Note, sophomores Jason Caldwell, Asa Lucas, Michael Shorter, and Chris Small and freshman Jon Arnold. Loney was third on last year's squad with 12 catches for 106 yards while Lucas hauled in ten passes for 188 yards.

At tight end, junior Kody Kritzer, who served as the back-up to Ty Hogan last year, returns to start while junior Bo Marchand, who moves to tight end after two years in the offensive backfield, will serve as Kritzer's back-up.

Not to be overlooked in the run-and-shoot offense is the running game. The Rams return senior Jonte Coven, who was third on the squad with 272 rushing yards last year, to the starters' spot at tailback.

Senior fullback Kenny Jones, who appeared in every game in 2006, also returns for the Rams, while other running backs that will look for playing time in 2007 include senior Henry Kirlew, who gained 67 yards on six carries last year, and freshmen Quasand Lewis and Xavier Martin.

The offensive line, which featured two freshmen starters at times in 2006, returns four of the five starters from 2006, led by seniors Michael Nardone and Michael Breznicky along with sophomore Andrew Tyshovnytsky. Breznicky and Nardone were the only two linemen to start all eleven games last fall, with Breznicky manning center and Nardone lining up at right guard. Tyshovnytsky also moved into the starting line-up at left tackle following the third game of the year when Anthony Silvestro went down with an injury, while Reis started the final two games of the year at left guard.

Other experienced offensive linemen who return include junior Justin Sarabaez, who suffered a season-ending injury after starting the first three games at right tackle, junior Joe Welton, who started five games at left guard in 2006, and sophomore Frank Rizzo, who made two starts at left tackle. Junior Ian Pace also returns to the roster for the Rams after missing all of 2006 with an injury.

"The offensive line is a good mixture of young and old," said Argast. "We should have enough depth this year to be able to plug any holes we may get due to injuries. But the bottom line is that we need to throw the ball more efficiently, make better decisions at quarterback and protect the quarterback better than we did last year in order to be successful."

The Rams will continue camp with acclimation days on Thursday, Friday and Saturday before having their first set of practices in full pads on Sunday. Fordham will have its first scrimmage of the season on Tuesday night, August 14th at 7:45 p.m.