Rollins Tars

2010 Season Recap

Season Report Posted: January 27, 2010 21:42  

Due to the short timeframe between Coach Scott's hire and National Signing Day, Rollins was only able to manage the 120th-ranked class in the nation. However, Rollins' first crop of recruits would be thrown into the fire immediately as starters. 3-star QB Alexander Czajkowski, JUCO HB David Howell, WRs Jason Brock, Chris Williams and Keron McDuffie, and TE Andy Utz would all become instant impact players for the Tars.

Defensive signees were very thin in 2009, and defensive linemen Ryan Dortch and Tramaine Burton would provide the only real talent upgrades from 2009's squad. SS Brad Raymond would assume Nick Brewster's starting spot.

Due to the off-season development of the returning players, plus the infusion of new blood, Rollins showed improvement right out of the gate. Following a more-respectable 49-13 showing against Florida, Rollins came close to winning their first game at Washington State. A late holding call ruined a chance at a potential game-tying field goal at the end of regulation.

Rollins' first home game at Stumpy Jones Stadium was against USF, who defeated the Tars by a convincing margin. A road trip to Miami further exposed the weakness of the Rollins defense, as 84 points were posted against the Tars.

Following that embarassing defeat, the resiliency of the team came through. Czajkowski began to find some confidence and Rollins' patchwork running game started showing signs. A narrow 3-point defeat to Florida Atlantic was hard for the team to swallow, but the signs of improvement were evident.

ACC Champion Maryland was much too talented for Rollins to handle, and a 52-34 defeat to FIU was disappointing considering last season's competitiveness against the Golden Panthers.

The Tars put together two upset bids against Penn State and Navy, but fell short in the second half against their potent offenses. Despite the improvement from last season, blowout victories by Florida State, UCF and Hawaii to close the season showed that Rollins had a lot of recruiting and coaching to do in the offseason.

For the second straight year, Rollins finished at 0-12, but few could say that the 2010 team wasn't an improvement. The team's future was bright as it had found a capable young quarterback and a good receiving corps.

The Robert H. Scott Memorial (MVP) Trophy was awarded to TE Andy Utz, who will move to the offensive line in 2011 to shore up depth issues.

During the offseason, the coaching staff put together a nice recruiting class that should pave the way for future success. The additions of FS Dalton Derigible, OLB Roki Okbokuwuruk and CBs Sven Fjordsgaard and Joey Goddard should help improve a struggling defensive unit.

On offense, the Tars stockpiled additional talent. TEs Alfonso Garbanzo and Scott Cantrell, WRs Trusler Hall and LaQuarious Jiblit, and offensive lineman Jose Maria Lopez del Rio will join newly-eligible transfer HB Dontae Aycock for the 2011 season.