Two thousand one hundred and eighteen yards. That’s the offensive output that running back Nikko Sansone and wide receiver Barry Flynn accumulated last season. With them out of the picture because of graduation, the Tigers will have to look elsewhere to find playmakers this Fall.
Because of this, things will be radically different for sophomore quarterback, Matt Hunt when he lines up against The University of the South at Sewanee in less than two weeks.
“In my first year, having those guys who have played in big games and been in critical situations, it was huge to have them,” Hunt said.
Instead of looking to his right and seeing Flynn’s massive 6-foot-5 frame, Hunt will likely be in the shotgun, staring at three or four wide receivers and only five down linemen.
And now with Sansone gone, the Tigers will look to junior running back Amen Galley to carry the majority of the workload.
“I have what it takes to be an all-conference running back, but what's really important is helping my team succeed,” a confident Galley said. “Personal accolades are just a bonus.”
The good news for the Tigers coming into this year is that both Hunt and Galley have experience to draw upon.
Last season Hunt burst onto the scene in his first year on the field. His 1871 yards passing with 17 touchdowns and only three interceptions have been well chronicled.
Galley, however, is a little bit more of an unknown.
His numbers weren’t quite as spectacular as he fell third on the depth chart behind Sansone’s backup, Armani Cato, who was also lost to graduation. Even when he was in the game, Galley didn’t set the world on fire. He averaged less than four yards per rushing attempt and didn’t find the endzone.
“I feel like the past two years of sharing reps with Cato and Nikko have really prepared me to take on the lead role,” Galley said.
So now when Hunt is under center, he’ll see a new receiving core out wide, a new tailback behind him, and also a new lineman in front of him.
That was supposed to be one of the few things that remained constant for the second-year quarterback. The Tigers were going to rely on the fact that all five of their starting offensive linemen from a year ago would be returning for this season.
They are all back, but senior Craig Neece has made the transition from left tackle to defensive end with the goal of shoring up a defense that allowed over 150 rushing yards per game a year ago.
“Coach Lynch told me they were losing a lot of people on the defensive side and they needed my help over there,” Neece said.
“When I heard Neece wanted to move to defense I was a little mad at first but now that I have seen the success he has had on that side of the ball I think it was good move for him,” Hunt said. “Although it hurt our depth and left a void in our offensive line, we have had guys step and do a great job.”
All this change means that the Tigers’ goals on offense could be a little different this year.
“I think we will be more versatile this year,” Hunt said. “We are always going to run the ball and always going to try and get into third and short situations and I think the personnel we have will fit more three-receiver sets.”
In order to run more spread formations, the Tigers will have to sacrifice the use of a tight end on occasions. This could lead to added pressure from opposing defenses, however, Hunt is confident with his returning starters up front.
“I have confidence in those guys in any situation,” Hunt said. “We have blitz beaters and I need to do a better job of picking the blitz up and finding the open guy and making calls at the line.”
The first opportunity to see the DePauw offense will be on Saturday, as the Tigers take on Franklin College in a combination joint practice and scrimmage at 12:45 at Blackstock Stadium.
