The DePauw University football coaching staff, headed by Bill Lynch, is back for their second season, with a balance of returning players on both sides of the field.
DePauw’s preseason has been strong, according to Lynch.
“One thing we've done is we've stayed healthy,” the head coach said. “You know, a lot of times in preseason, you sustain some injuries that affect the team. The players came back in good shape. Hopefully, we can continue staying healthy.”
Having a returning coaching staff automatically places the Tigers ahead of where they were a year ago.
“The players know what to expect. We’ve been able to build on what we did last year,” said Coach Lynch. “Going into this opener, I feel good about where we are.”
The Tigers’ opening game will be at home starting at 1 p.m. They will face The University of the South: Sewanee, who they fell to in week one, 7-10.
DePauw has undergone some significant changes since the two schools last met. Most notably is the emergence of Matt Hunt, who didn’t start last year’s game.
“Sewanee use to be in our conference,” Lynch said, “so there's a history of games between the two teams, and many of them were very competitive.”
Currently, DePauw leads the overall series with the Tigers of Sewanee 12-3.
In an opening game, Lynch is more concerned with what his team will be doing in comparison to Sewanee.
“In an opener, you really have to worry about yourself,” Lynch elaborated. “You have so many players playing for the first time, and even for the returning guys, it's still the first game of the year. I think in any opener, the team that can minimize mistakes will come away with the win.”
Sewanee Head Coach Thomas Laurendine agreed and said, “Our biggest challenge versus DePauw is the ‘Unknown Factor.’”
“All we know is what happened last season against DePauw. Neither team has video to watch and prepare from,” Laurendine would go on to say. “It was an evenly matched game last season, and it could have gone either way.”
“In terms of offense, having a returning quarterback is great. Matt Hunt ended up becoming our starter in the fourth game of the season last year and had a fine year,” he said. “Having our starter back there helps.”
Laurendine feels similar when it comes to his offensive line. “We do have a lot of experience on the offensive line. Our kids play hard and our coaching staff does a nice job preparing a team each week,” he said.
“Sewanee presents some problems because they're a triple option offense. We don't play that very often,” said Coach Lynch. “Our defense has had to spend a lot of time working on that. We'll see how we can hold up against them because a team like that can control the ball on you if you don't get some stops.”
Looking past this opening game and to the rest of the season, Lynch just wants to see the team continue building.
“We just want to keep improving from where we were a year ago,” Lynch said. “I think if we keep improving, we'll end up being a very competitive football team. The goal is to keep getting better week by week and be playing our best football at the end.”