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Linemen Brown, Lucas, Pellicano are Shepherd’s offensive core

By Bob Madison - For the Chronicle | Sep 1, 2023

SHEPHERDSTOWN — With a wealth of new offensive starters replacing veteran point producers from its last two national semifinal teams, Shepherd University will open its 2023 season tomorrow against Southern Connecticut State. The 12 p.m. game at Ram Stadium will only have the game-winning memories of such Shepherd luminaries as Tyson Bagent, Ronnie Brown, Joey Fisher and Brian Walker floating around the filled stands.

Last year, Shepherd went 13-2 overall — the same as it had in 2021.

The usually high-scoring Rams of yesterday will trot out new starters all over the offensive map.

Can Seth Morgan, a transfer from Virginia Military Institute, be an able insert on the artificial grounds where Bagent, now with the Chicago Bears, set national passing records? Will Malakai Brown, Cameron Dorner and Rodney Dorsey combine to be an effective corps of touchdown triplets?

If the Rams do well again, it will probably be because they found effective — even if unnoticed — offensive linemen that give them a game-saving ground offense that can salvage wins from any close games that are played.

Before being dulled in the national semifinals by Colorado School of Mines, the Rams were seen scoring mostly in the 40-point range. The Miners pushed Shepherd out of the national playoffs with a 44-13 loss. Nearly the same thing had happened the year before, when Shepherd reached enough scoring heights to play Ferris State in the semifinals, where the run of almost unparalleled success ended with a 51-7 loss in dank and snowy Michigan.

There are a number of defensive starters returning. The most effective of those players have been Enelio Pena, Dewayne Grantham and Malik Holloway.

Players such as Klayton Batten, JT Kouame-Yao, Christian McDowell and Donte Harrison — if they have retained their places on the depth chart — need to show how their experience has made them advanced playmakers.

Shepherd’s usual alignment of a front four of defenders needs more consistent pressure on PSAC quarterbacks. Even if the Rams do score well, the defense can’t get into high scoring, yardage shredding, up-and-down games in order do enough winning.

A trusted pace kicker is a necessity — especially later in the chilly days of November. A punter who could average 39 or 40 yards per effort might win a game that otherwise would slip away.

What can Shepherd do to become more of a special teams force? Past seasons have seen the Rams cover kickoffs and punts with decisiveness, but only Ronnie Brown gave them much punch or useful field position with his past returns.

Special teams are not the difference in 51-7 or 44-13 games, but could be in two- or three-point conference games.

Special teams and the field position they provide or don’t provide are usually important.

Ram Stadium will probably be a festive place to be tomorrow against the Owls, a team Shepherd romped to a 48-7 win over last season. At least it will be the site of Shepherd’s showing its thousands of fans a host of new starters and useful transfers expected to be this season’s difference makers.