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Friday, October 04, 2002

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

It speaks volumes about the expectations of a football program when the team is 2-1 and 23rd in NCAA Division III and the coach says the season has been "a nightmare."

John Banaszak is looking for significant improvement when Washington and Jefferson plays host to Westminster (2-1) at 2 p.m. tomorrow in a pivotal game in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.

"Things have not been going according to plan," Banaszak said of the Presidents, who opened impressively with a 63-20 victory against Ursinus, committed a spate of turnovers in a 28-25 loss to Allegheny and rallied from a 17-7 halftime deficit for a 21-17 victory against Thiel last week.

"We have not played up to our capabilities. We're not going to push the panic button. We'll push the improvement button," he said. "We've been making mistakes that are uncharacteristic for these guys. This is a veteran team and that complicates matters for me because they've not been in this situation before."

W&J was predicted to challenge for the national championship because the Presidents returned the nucleus from an 11-1 team that reached the second round of the Division III playoffs.

"I believe we still can reach our goals," Banaszak said. "We're on the verge of turning this thing around."

He was encouraged with the physical play of his team in the second half against Thiel.

"Maybe we had been playing a little bit tentative until then," he said. "We'd better be ready to play against Westminster because they're the most physical football team we see all year."

Westminster is eligible for the PAC championships and national playoffs this season for the first time since the Titans dropped from Division II to III three years ago.

The last time the teams met in 2000, Westminster set a school record with 10 sacks of W&J quarterback Brian Dawson in a 19-17 victory. Dawson, a senior from Thomas Jefferson and holder of every passing and total offense record at W&J, hasn't had time this season to get into a rhythm.

"He's been getting hit a lot and has been forced to throw on the run. He's been frustrated," Banaszak said. "I'm not happy with the way the offensive line has been playing."

Dawson has completed 53 percent of his passes for 784 yards and seven touchdowns. Wideout Todd Fry has 24 catches for 316 yards and two touchdowns and tailback Joey Nichols has rushed for 287 yards and two touchdowns. "We have the talent, the weapons and the scheme," Banaszak said. "We've got to execute."

Westminster also has offensive firepower with sophomore tailback Scott Froelich, who leads the PAC and is sixth in the country with 159.3 yards rushing per game, and junior quarterback Kevin Huber, whose 174.4 passing efficiency ranks sixth nationally.

"We know what we're up against," Banaszak said. "I think we're ready to play football the way I know Washington and Jefferson can play."

Other top games:

Lafayette (2-2) at Duquesne (4-0), 1:30 p.m. -- Lafayette, a member of the Patriot League that competes with scholarships schools in NCAAI-AA, is coming off losses to Penn and Princeton. The Leopards are led in scoring by kicker Martin Brecht, a senior from Greensburg Central Catholic who has 27 points with six field goals and nine extra points. ... The Leopards feature quarterback Marko Glavic (915 yards passing, 5 TDs) and tailback Joe McCourt (403 yards rushing, 4 TDs). ... The Dukes, ranked No. 1 in I-AA Mid-Major, are in the non-scholarship Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. ... Duquesne opened the season with a 35-14 victory against Bucknell of the Patriot League. ... Coming off a 35-28 victory against then-No.1 Dayton; receiver Jeremy Conley had nine catches for a school-record 245 yards and a touchdown. ... Duquesne leads the series, 2-0.

Robert Morris (3-1, 2-0) at Sacred Heart (2-2, 2-1), 2 p.m. -- A key matchup in the Northeast Conference between defending champion Sacred Heart and Robert Morris, ranked No. 3 in I-AA Mid-Major.

Clarion (3-1) at IUP (4-1), 2 p.m. -- Although it's only the opening game in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division, it will go a long way in determining the champion. IUP, ranked 13th in NCAA Division II, has won four consecutive game. Clarion has won three consecutive games since a 27-14 loss at Youngstown State.

California (4-0) at Slippery Rock (2-2), 2 p.m. -- The Vulcans try to go 5-0 for the first time since 1986, which was their last winning season. ... Slippery Rock has beaten California 12 consecutive times.

Phil Axelrod can be reached at paxelrod@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1967.