Preview/Recap 2007

Most football coaches would be more than happy to have a season where their teams won 80 percent of the games.

The Trinity University Tigers did just that, sporting an 8-2 record following the 2006 campaign. But Trinity finished as runners -up in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (5-1 record) and did not qualify for the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Tigers previously captured 13 straight SCAC titles and made nine consecutive NCAA appearances.

“We had a respectable year, but we didn’t accomplish our goals,” said Coach Mohr, now in his 18^th season at the Tigers’ helm. “It’s something to help motivate us this season. It is our goal to return to the top of the SCAC.”

When the Tigers step on to the field Sept. 1 at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, they will have 16 returning starters (eight from offense, seven from defense and one special teams player) to lead the charge. Trinity opens its home schedule Sept. 8 at E.M. Stevens Stadium against Texas Lutheran University, which handed the Tigers one of their two losses.

Starting at quarterback will be Blake Barmore, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound senior from Friendswood (Friendswood). Barmore started seven games and completed 81 of 140 passes (five interceptions) for 1,107 yards (158.1 per game) and 10 touchdowns. He completed 57.9 percent of his passes and earned a 140.71 efficiency rating. Barmore also rushed 51 times for 185 yards and two touchdowns.

Riley Curry, a 6-foot, 188-pound junior from Sugar Land (Clements), gets the nod at a wide receiver position. Curry received All-SCAC First Team honors and was selected for the Football Gazette All-South Region Honorable Mention Team. He snagged 41 passes for 561 yards and six touchdowns. Curry also led the Tigers in all purpose yards with 561 (56.1 per game).

Jonathan Plotnick, a 5-foot-10, 215-pound senior from Chico, Calif. (Pleasant Valley), returns at running back. Plotnick, elected to the All-SCAC Second Team, had 22 rushing attempts for 85 yards. He also caught 11 passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns. Chris Baer, a 6-foot, 211-pound junior from Shiner (Shiner), played in only one game because of an injury. He still managed to pick up 38 yards on 11 rushing attempts and a touchdown, as well as grabbing two passes for 23 yards. The previous season, Baer rushed for 118 yards and one touchdown.

Three of the five starting offensive linemen return for the 2007 season.

Senior Tyler Feezell, a 6-foot, 260-pound guard from Hastings, Neb. (Hastings), received All-SCAC Second Team recognition. Returning at guard is Wade Lytal, a 6-foot-2, 277-pound junior from Houston (Memorial). The man in the middle, at center, will be Stephen Arnold, a 6-foot, 233-pound senior from Dallas (White).

Peter Licalzi, a 5-foot-9, 150-pound senior from Houston (Westside), returns as starting kicker. Licalzi booted 6 of 7 field goals, including a 38-yarder against Rhodes College. He also had 35 kickoffs for 1,616 yards.

Key offensive and special teams players who graduated were quarterback Jacob Cannon, punter Casey O’Bryant, lineman Derek Farney, along with wide receivers Justin Thompson, Zach Byars and Anthony Hicks.

The Tigers scored 260 points last season (26.0 per game) and racked up 3, 212 total yards (1,053 rushing and 2,159 passing).

“Having three of the five returning starters on the line is definitely a strength, as is having Barmore back,” Coach Mohr said. “We have to be able to run the football better. Our receiving corps needs to threaten more people with the deep ball.”

The Tigers’ “Black Flag Defense” will carry on a heralded tradition.

Baron Koch, a 6-foot-2, 218-pound senior defensive tackle from Austin (Westwood) earned All-SCAC Second Team honors. Koch recorded 37 tackles (13 solo) and had five tackles for a loss of 18 yards. He also sacked quarterbacks twice for 12 yards, intercepted a 3-yard pass and recovered one fumble.

David Morgan, a 6-foot, 220-pound senior defensive end from San Antonio (Taft) made the All-SCAC Honorable Mention Team. Morgan had 25 tackles (12 solo), with seven for a loss of 18 yards. He also picked up a quarterback sack (six yards) and a pass breakup, quarterback hurry, forced fumble and safety.

Philip Kownslar, a 6-foot, 209-pound senior from Houston (Westside), returns as starting middle linebacker. Kownslar, an All-SCAC Honorable Mention recipient, leads the returnees in tackles with 45 (18 solo). He registered 4.5 tackles for a loss of seven yards, two pass breakups and one quarterback hurry. Also returning is Dylan Nealous, a 6-foot, 218-pound outside linebacker from San Antonio (Madison). Nealous had 28 tackles (six solo) and three pass interceptions for 54 yards, along with a pass breakup.

The defensive secondary is an experienced group, as three of the four starters return for the 2007 season.

Strong safety Brian Marynowitz, a 6-foot, 167-pound senior from Coral Springs, Fla. (Pope John Paul II), was selected for the All-SCAC Second Team and the Football Gazette All-South Region Honorable Mention Team. Marynowitz chalked up 35 tackles (17 solo) and had 1.5 tackles for a loss. He led the Tigers in interception with four, accounting for 40 yards. Marynowitz also had two pass breakups and recovered two fumbles.

Shaun Irchirl, a 5-foot-8, 185-pound senior from Humble (Humble), received similar honors to Marynowitz, an All-SCAC Second Team selection and Football Gazette All-South Region Honorable Mention recognition. Irchirl had 33 tackles (21 solo) along with 10 pass breakups and one interception.

Free safety Lee Patterson of Garland (Lakeview Centennial), a 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior, made the All-SCAC Honorable Mention Team. Patterson is second of the returning players in tackles with 43 (15 solo). He had one tackled for a loss, two pass breakups, one fumble recovery and a blocked kick.

Trinity opponents scored 117 points last season (11.7 per game), a difference of 14.3 points per contest. The Tiger opposition had 2,381 total yards (1,259 rushing and 1,122 passing).

Among the defensive graduates were All-America lineman Dustin Allen, linebacker Tyler Flynn and backs Patrick Hayes and Ted Barnhart.

“Defense has been a strong point and will continue to be so,” Coach Mohr said.  " We should be solid up front and with our linebackers corps.”

Following the Tigers’ Sept. 8 home game with Texas Lutheran, Trinity hosts new SCAC member Colorado College Sept. 22. Birmingham-Southern College, also a new conference member, comes to Trinity Hill Sept. 29. The Panthers are in transition from NCAA Division I competition and will be eligible for a SCAC Championship in 2011. The University of the South-Sewanee is the SCAC opponent Oct. 20, during the University’s Alumni Weekend. The Trinity University Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held at halftime. The Tigers close out their regular-season home schedule Nov. 3 in a SCAC game with Centre College.

Trinity’s SCAC road campaign begins Oct. 6 with Rhodes College at Memphis, Tenn., and continues Oct. 13 in Greencastle, Ind., against DePauw University. Defending champion Millsaps College, which beat Trinity last season, hosts the Tigers Oct. 27 at Jackson, Miss. The Tigers wrap up their regular-season schedule Nov. 10 with a SCAC game at Austin College in Sherman.

“One of our main goals is to play better on the road,” Coach Mohr concluded. “We need to re-establish our presence in the league. The SCAC is going to be a much more balanced league and very competitive.”