Yale Bulldogs
Overall Rank: #32
#2 Ivy League
Yale Team Page
2010 Record: (7-3, 5-2)
2010 Postseason: none
Coach: Tom Williams (11-9 at Yale, 11-9 overall)
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Alex Thomas, RB, 710 yards
Passing: Patrick Witt, QB, 2,216 yards
Receiving: Gio Christodoulou, WR, 563 yards
Tackles: Jordan Haynes, LB, 102
Sacks: Allen Davis, DE, 2
Interceptions: Geoff Dunham, S, 2; Jordan Haynes, LB, 2; Will McHale, LB, 2
Yale was involved in a lot of close games in 2010. They were very close to a nine win season, but just as close to a four win season. In the end they finished tied with Harvard for second in the Ivy League. With a ton of starters returning on both sides of the ball, this is a team that could actually beat Harvard and win nine games with a few lucky breaks.
Strengths:
Senior Patrick Witt will be the leader of the offense that ranked tops in the conference in passing yards. Witt had a fine season, throwing for 2,216 yards and 12 touchdowns and is set to be among the best to ever play the position at Yale. Witt will have just about all of his favorite targets back as well. Chris Smith caught a team high 46 passes, while Gio Christodoulou averaged nearly 15 yards per catch and developed into the big play receiver. Cameron Sandquist only caught three passes as a freshman, but two of them went for scores. Deon Randall is a player to keep an eye on. He caught 13 passes for 80 yards, but he is also used in the Wildcat formation and carried the ball 29 times. Speaking of running the ball, the Bulldogs are stacked at the running back spot. Alex Thomas led the way with 710 yards and nine touchdowns, but he will not even be the starter come September. That job will go to Mordecai Cargill. Cargill struggled with injuries through much of the 2010 season and he proved that he is healthy and ready to go during the spring. Add Javi Sosa and Elijah Thomas to the mix and this is a dangerous offense. The offensive line was not particularly strong in 2010, but five players are back who started at least a game last year and that experience should help the entire offense.
Weaknesses:
The one place Yale has holes to fill is on the defensive line. Gone are Tom McCarthy, Sean Williams, Joe Young and Reed Spiller. Those four accounted for a large chunk of the teams sack total. The good news is that Coach Tom Williams has options, experienced options at that. Jake Stoller should man the middle of the line. Pat Moran is back after missing all of 2010 with an injury and should team up with Stoller in the middle of the line. Finding a consistent pass rusher is still a concern. Allen Davis had a promising sophomore season, but only tallied 2.0 sacks. Yale will look to seniors Matt Battaglia, Cliff Foreman and Austin Pulsipher to try and create some consistent pressure in the backfield. Without the front four getting pressure, the secondary will again be exposed. The unit gave up 206.60 yards per game through the air. Safety Geoff Dunham and Drew Baldwin are a nice duo to build around, but probable new starters Nick Okano and Colin Bibb will be tested early and often.
The Bottom Line:
Fortunately the Bulldogs have two great players in the middle of the defense who can help out the front four and the secondary. Captain Jordan Haynes tallied 102 tackles and earned all sorts of All-Ivy honors. Haynes is always around the ball and rarely misses a tackle. Will McHale is a versatile player who can drop back into coverage or come up and help the front four. He picked off two passes as a sophomore and totaled four tackles-for-loss. As an upperclassman he should play an even bigger role this year. And as long as the defense can get a little better, this is a team that can have a great year and end their four game losing skid to Harvard.
Projected Postseason: none
2010 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 123.50 (80th in nation, 5th in conference)
Passing Offense: 244.30 (23, 1)
Total Offense: 367.80 (47, 3)
Scoring Offense: 22.40 (69, 5)
Rushing Defense: 102.60 (9, 2)
Pass Defense: 206.60 (63, 6)
Total Defense: 309.20 (18, 3)
Scoring Defense: 21.10 (33, 4)
Turnover Margin: .00 (55, 4)
Sacks: 2.10 (39, 4)
Sacks Allowed: 1.80 (54, 5)
