A handful of familiar faces will take the field for the No. 16 Cavaliers Saturday when they open the 2004 football season at Temple. Some will sport new positions.
The most obvious change to the starting lineup will be at quarterback, where Junior Marques Hagans will take over for Matt Schaub, the leading passer in school history.
On offense, two new wide-outs will crack the starting lineup. Michael McGrew, who missed all of last season with a broken leg, will start opposite high school track star, sophomore Deyon Williams.
McGrew leads the receiving corps with 60 career receptions and 24 starts in his career. Williams appeared in 10 games last fall and snagged eight balls for 122 yards, giving him a team-leading 15.2 yards-per-catch average.
"He's got real good go-the-distance speed," coach Al Groh said. "He's going to be the proverbial size and speed receiver by the time that he's finished here."
The offense will welcome back sophomore fullback Jason Snelling, who redshirted last year because of an undisclosed medical condition. As a freshman in 2002, Snelling had 31 receptions for 314 yards and four touchdowns, which tied the ACC lead among backs.
There also will be a familiar number five jersey on the field for the Cavaliers, but on the other side of the ball. Senior Marquis Weeks lettered his past three seasons at tailback, but was moved to the secondary this season with the talented trio of Wali Lundy, Alvin Pearman and Michael Johnson in the backfield.
"He's got to see like [a safety] and think like one," Groh said. "He's better all the time. It's just how fast can he accumulate the looks."
Sophomore Marcus Hamilton will fill an open spot in the secondary at cornerback. He played in nickel and dime situations last year and tallied 29 tackles.
The linebacking core returns the trio of Butkus Award candidates Darryl Blackstock, Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham. Senior Rich Bedesem has been wearing the orange jersey--worn by starters in practice--instead of Ahmad Brooks, who missed two practices in August for undisclosed personal issues.
"We just try to get each other better," Bedesem said. "Going against someone like [Brooks] can only make me better."
Groh described the situation with Bedesem and Brooks as more of a 1A, 1B condition. Brooks will likely see plenty of time on defense, as Groh sarcastically asked reporters: "You think anybody is better than Ahmad?"
Brooks may also see playing time in a surprise position: kick returner. The 6-foot-4-inch 249-pound sophomore is listed at fourth on the depth chart and Groh said it is likely he will see time returning kicks this Saturday.
"He's one of the fastest guys on the team," Groh said. "He's got great hands; he's got experience in doing it. ...Every return that he has had in practice, there's quite a buzz on the sidelines."
Dennis Haley, a fifth-year graduate student starts at outside linebacker opposite Blackstock. Haley led the non-starters with 36 tackles last season and brings a wealth of experience to the young squad.
The remaining spot up for grabs is at punter, which is being battled out by sophomore Sean Johnson and junior Kurt Korte. Johnson spent the last two years on a Mormon mission and Korte transferred from William & Mary last season. Groh will make the final call after evaluating their performances in upcoming games, so both could see action at Temple.
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