Too Close to Call

SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) — After sharing the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth League title in 1998 and winning it outright in 1999, the Susquehanna University football team is a co-favorite to capture its third straight crown in 2000, according to the league's head coaches in the annual MAC Football Preseason Coaches Poll, which the conference office released on Monday.

The Crusaders (4-1 Commonwealth, 6-3 MAC, 7-3 overall in 1999) finished tied with Widener with three first-place votes and 23 points in the survey of the six Commonwealth League head coaches. The two schools shared the league title in 1998 and the Crusaders captured their first-ever outright crown last season, sparked by a 28-7 win over the Pioneers at Amos Alonzo Stagg Field on October 16.

Lycoming is favored by nine of the 11 conference head coaches to win its fifth consecutive MAC championship. The Warriors (4-0 Freedom, 9-0 MAC, 9-1 overall) return nine starters from last year's defense that led the nation in scoring defense in 1999, including senior defensive back John Scanlan and senior lineman Mark Seagreaves. Lycoming has won five straight Freedom League titles and has posted four straight undefeated seasons while winning a record 37 consecutive MAC games.

Lycoming earned a maximum four first-place votes and 16 points to easily earn the nod as the Freedom League champion, followed by Wilkes (3-1 Freedom, 6-3 MAC, 7-4 overall) with 13 points and King's (1-3 overall, 4-5 MAC, 5-5 overall) with nine points.

Susquehanna will look to the talents of sophomore All-American cornerback Antonio Nash, who stepped in as a freshman and tied a school record and led the MAC in interceptions with 10 en route to being named Division III Defensive Back of the Year by Don Hansen's Football Gazette and a second-team Little All-American by the Associated Press. In addition, Nash was named the MAC Commonwealth League Rookie of the Year.

The offense should have plenty of firepower with two All-American linemen and all but one of the starting skill position starters returning. Senior center Dave Wonderlick and senior left tackle Randy Zook are tri-captains and were both Lutheran Brotherhood All-Americans and league All-Stars a year ago. Zook has been a consensus first-teamer the last two years while Wonderlick was also a first-team Academic All-America last year with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.

Sophomore quarterback Mike Bowman completed 111 of 224 passes (49.6%) for 1,394 yards with 11 TDs and 12 interceptions in his rookie season, and fashioned a 4-2 record while starting the final six games of the 1999 season.

“It's always good to be highly regarded by our opponents, but it's a preseason poll only,” said 11th-year head coach Steve Briggs, the winningest coach in Susquehanna history with a 68-34 (.667) career record. “I'm pleased with how the voting came out, but we still have a competitive schedule ahead of us.”

Widener welcomes back 12 starters (six offense, six defense) and 36 letterwinners from last year’s team. Senior quarterback Mike Granato, a two-time Commonwealth League second-team All-Star selection, completed 143 of 300 attempts for 2,870 yards and 25 touchdowns, both school single-season records. Junior receivers Jim Jones (50 catches, school-record 1,047 yards) and Michael Coleman (31 catches, 634 yards) will be Granato's top targets.

The Crusaders open the 2000 season on Saturday, September 2 with a 1 p.m. kickoff at FDU-Madison. The Devils (2-2 Freedom, 4-5 MAC, 5-6 overall) were picked fourth in the five-team Freedom League.

 2000 Middle Atlantic Conference Football Preseason Coaches' Poll