Tressel welcomes back experience at YSU

1999 schedule Sept. 2 -- Slippery Rock, 7:30 11 -- at Western Michigan, 6 p.m. 18 -- Indiana (Pa.), 7 p.m. 25 -- Western Illinois, 7 p.m. Oct. 2 -- at Indiana State, 2 p.m. 9 -- at Southern Illinois, 2:30 p.m. 16 -- Cal Poly, 4 p.m. 23 -- at Northern Iowa, 7:30 30 -- Illinois State, 4 p.m. Nov. 6 -- S.W. Missouri State, 1 p.m. 13 -- at Villanova, 1 p.m.

The trademark of Jim Tressel coached teams has been experience. All of Tressel's four national championship teams were flanked by a strong senior class. For the 1999 squad, the staple could once again be experience as the Penguins return a record 25 seniors.

Tressel has the luxury of returning 39 letterwinners and 16 starters from last season's 6-5 team.

Offensively, YSU is extremely solid as nine starters are back to give the Penguins one of the most versatile offenses in the Gateway Football Conference. Senior fullback Adrian Brown has been a workhorse in the backfield, logging 2,389 yards, which is ninth all-time in school history. The entire offensive line returns intact with senior center Ian Shirey, a Slippery Rock High School graduate, leading the pack.

On defense, the Penguins have a pair of All-American candidates in senior safety Dwyte Smiley and senior linebacker Kawonza Swan.

Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the 1999 Penguins:

• Quarterbacks -- The emergence of sophomore quarterback, Jeff Ryan and the experience of Jared Zwick gives Tressel two talented quarterbacks with which to build the offense.

  Ryan emerged as the starter in the fifth game and had an outstanding inaugural campaign. He threw for 1,036 yards and eight touchdowns and was third in the Gateway Conference in passing efficiency. Zwick, who passed for 249 yards and three touchdowns last season, had a great spring and will challenge for the starting role. Red-shirt freshman Colby Street has progressed well.

• Running Backs -- The strength of the Penguins could be their running game as senior Adrian Brown, who has rushed for 2,389 yards and 38 touchdowns, moves to shoulder most of the load at fullback. The two-time All-Gateway Honorable Mention pick rushed for a career-high 884 yards last season. sophomore Jerry Johnson started two games last season and will likely back up Brown. Redshirt freshman Ime Akpan had a great spring and could likely be a factor at fullback and tailback. The emergence of freshman Josiah Doby will also help the running game.

• Wide Receivers and Tight Ends -- One of the most improved positions this spring is the wide receivers. The Penguins have one of the most exciting receiving duos in seniors Renauld Ray and Elliott Giles. The two combined to catch 37 passes for 738 yards for a 19.9 per-catch average. Ray led the squad with 26 receptions for 562 yards and a career-high seven touchdowns. Giles hauled in 11 passes for 176 yards. Junior Denver Williams progressed the most this spring and is ready to be a starter. Senior Damion Matthews and sophomores Andre Coleman and Senn Guerriero will also be factors in the passing game.

  The tight end position is in good hands with the return of seniors Pete Supersk and Casey Bogerd. Both players received the majority of the snaps last season and have progressed this spring. Superak caught six passes for 39 yards and two touchdowns while Bogerd hauled in five balls for 31 yards. Redshirt freshman Dennis Dlugosz, who caught two touchdowns in the spring game, could also fit in the plans. Also look for sophomore transfer Matt Cessna to see significant playing time.

• Offensive Line -- An area that returns totally intact and added a little more depth is the offensive line. All five starters return, including All-Conference center Ian Shirey and All-Conference Honorable Mention guard Frank Rutherford. Shirey has started 37 straight games and earned third-team All-America accolades, while Rutherford is a blue-collar type player who could be ready for an All-America type season. Junior Steve Rovnak, who received a couple of starts a year ago, will back up Rutherford. Senior John Longano started last season and is penciled as the closed tackle. Senior Shawn Billker, who played tackle last season, is likely to start at open guard, but will get pushed from last year's starter sophomore Lavelle Hawkes. Sophomore Duane Delahunt got, his feet wet last season and will benefit from quality playing time last season.

  DEFENSE

• Secondary -- To have a great defense you have to have a great leader and the Penguinshave All-American free safety senior Dwyte Smiley. A two-time All-Gateway performer and All-American, Smiley is coming off a career-best 123 tackles and two interceptions. The Penguins have a huge void to fill at strong safety with the graduation of Jake Anderson, but junior Fon Nanji is waiting in the wings. Nanji recorded 34 tackles and one interception in 11 games. Junior Antulio Aroche is a big hitter and could spell Nanji at times. One of the biggest blessings last season was the emergence of junior Eddy Blizzard. Starting nine games, Blizzard was sixth on the team in tackles with 60. Senior Jabari Teague and redshirt freshman Toner Barone will add depth at the position, Sophomore LeVar Greene had a good spring and will benefit from significant playing time in 1998. Redshirt freshman Chris Conwell is coming along aid is a capable back up.

• Linebackers -- The linebacking corp took quite a hit with the loss of Jarritt Goode and Mike Stanee, who combined to record 188 tackles. The Penguins have an All-American candidate at inside linebacker in senior Kawonza Swan. Last season, Swan was slowed by an injury in the last couple of games, but still finished fifth on the team with 54 tackles. The Penguins' depth suffered a set back when sophomore Rob Zabel sustained a knee injury in the spring game. Senior inside linebacker Ian Dominelli was all over the field this spring and could be a huge factor in the Penguins scheme. Redshirt freshman Jon Tekac, a Wilmington High product, has come on and could see a lot of playing time in 1999. On the outside the Penguins have two undersized, but scrappy linebackers in junior (bandit) Lake Schumacher and senior (fox) Dave Vecchione. Both players have a nose for the football and seen to always come up with big plays. Redshirt freshman Martin Stachowlez emerged this spring at bandit and a bulldog mentality. Sophomore Mike Thomas saw a lot of action behind Stanec last season and is ready for more playing time in 1999. Freshmen Justin Dellarose and Chris DiMauro and junior college transfer Tim Johnson will be significant factors at this position.

• Defensive Line -- One area that the Penguins hoped to shore up was the defensive line. The Penguins signed a couple of linemen in juniors Montrial Thomas and Bryan Hawthrone, but need homegrown product Frank Kaydo to anchor the defense from his tackle spot. Kaydo has beefed up to 305 pounds and has the potential to be an intimidating force up front. Sophomore Pat Crummey blossomed as a true freshman, recording 23 tackles, and will be the starter at nose. The spring was good for sophomore Randy Beers, who moved from offensive guard to defensive end. The move has paid off as Beers had a solid spring and is slated to be the starter at defensive end. Sophomore Bob Sivik could also see time at that spot. Look for true freshmen Guy Mazard, Gary Quivers and Matt Mechling to see playing time up front for the Penguins this fall.

• Specialists -- Always a large point of emphasis is the special teams and Tressel could be very strong in that area. The Penguins return All-Gateway Honorable Mention kicker in senior Mark Griffith. Last season, Griffith was tops in the conference, blasting 10-of-13 field goal tries for 76.9 percent. He ranked 31st in the nation overall with an average of 0.91 field goals per game.

  Senior Anthony Rozzo took over the punting chores a year ago and did a commendable job. Rozzo averaged 37.0 yards per punt while landing 1.5 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line.

  Junior Nick Palumbo will handle the long and short snapping for the third might season.

  Tressel has a lot of speed returning punts and kicks in 1999. Williams is an option back there and is penciled in to return kicks, but Coleman is also an option.