Will another flashy running back give the Rams the kind of productive season Ronnie Brown had? Courtesy photo

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The reveal of the 2023 version of Shepherd University’s football team will indeed be a true unveiling.

Many first-year players. Many first-year starters. And should the early September weather be kind enough for sitting outside in Shepherdstown, those wondering about this latest group of Rams should be able to make many judgments about the team, in the aftermath of its season opener against Southern Connecticut State University.

Southern Connecticut State is no Grand Valley State University, Ferris State University or Colorado School of Mines, but seeing so many Shepherd players for the first time should give the thousands of football enthusiasts a good idea of how Shepherd’s coaching staff has replaced so many starters from the highly successful 2022 team.

Will there be a capable passer at quarterback, now that Tyson Bagent is gone from his record-setting days as a four-year starter?

Will that starter be Seth Morgan, a transfer from VMI who threw for 1,283 for the Keydets last season?

Will another flashy running back give the Rams the kind of productive season Ronnie Brown had? Could Kelvin Mendez, a 5-foot-8, 194-pound bundle of energy be Brown’s alter ego this year. Mendez rushed for a Maryland state-best 2,100 yards at Harford Tech High School in 2021.

At Shepherd, followers of the blue and gold annually think about any possible playoffs for their Rams.

Taming Kutztown University and West Chester University from the East Division of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is paramount to any playoff plans.

Shepherd has had nothing but success against division opponents Lock Haven, Bloomsburg, Millersville and East Stroudsburg. Shippensburg hasn’t beaten the Rams lately. Lock Haven lost, 72-7, last year. And Millersville fell, 55-17, while Bloomsburg went down, 55-10.

Before losing to Colorado School of Mines in the national semifinals, Shepherd’s only 2022 loss was to Indiana (Pa.) of the PSAC West Division. And then Indiana was beaten in the playoffs, sending the Rams into the national semifinals.

The three PSAC West Division teams Shepherd plays are California, Edinboro and Mercyhurst. Edinboro lost a 41-7 verdict to the Rams while California, which once led, 23-13, in the second half, eventually lost a 26-23 decision in overtime at super-charged Ram Stadium. Shepherd did not play Mercyhurst in 2022, when the Lakers went only 2-9 on the season.

If Shepherd has another season worthy of playoff recognition, it might see a team from one of three conferences as well as a possible foe from its own league.

The Northeast-10, Mountain East and Great Midwest are the three leagues that are also in Shepherd’s Super Region One.

Making the playoffs from those leagues last year were New Haven, Indiana (Pa.) Slippery Rock, Assumption, Ashland (Ohio) and Notre Dame (Ohio), as well Shepherd.

The Rams defeated New Haven, Slippery Rock and Indiana, in reaching the 2022 semifinal round.

The two teams likely to be the lords of the PSAC West are again Slippery Rock and Indiana. Gannon went 8-3 last season for one of its best showings in years.

Ram Stadium, right now, lies empty and quiet. That silence will soon be gone, when the 2023 season loudly begins at noon on Sept. 2.