It is Tim Beckman’s contention that he has been training for this point in his life for all of his 44 years. When you are the son of a coach, and a former college football player, and someone who has coached under the likes of Pat Dye, Mike Gundy, Urban Meyer and Jim Tressel, you get the sense that every moment has been part of the preparation. Now Beckman is the guy wearing the alpha headset. He takes over a program that was once his bitter rival when he was defensive coordinator at Bowling Green. The Rockets, mired in a valley after a long run as one of the most dominant teams in the MAC, are looking to Beckman to lead them back to the top.

Quarterbacks

Some of the most soothing words a first-year head coach could hear are: senior quarterback, three-year starter. That’s what Beckman gets in Aaron Opelt. After completing 60 percent of his passes a year ago and throwing for 2,176 yards and 12 touchdowns, Opelt will lead the transition to a new offense. Beckman has been impressed with Opelt’s toughness and the respect he commands from teammates. Opelt has faced most of the live fire over the past three years, but sophomore D.J. Lenehan has made three starts when Opelt was injured, and Lenehan has the competitive juices to push the senior for time in 2009.

Running backs

The Rockets have a glut of talent in the backfield, led by senior DaJuane Collins, who gained 700 yards and earned all-conference honors in an injury-shortened 2008 season. Sophomore Morgan Williams teams with Collins to give the Rockets what is arguably the MAC’s best combination of running backs. Williams, filling in for the injured Collins, had a school-record 330 yards against Miami (Ohio) last November, and a team-best 1,010 on the season. Sophomore Jake Walker and freshman Darius Reeves provide depth.

Receivers

Stephen Williams is a two-time All-MAC pick who has 144 catches and 15 TDs over the past two seasons. Beckman is working on more ways to utilize the talented Williams. Senior Robin Bailey (15 receptions) and sophomore Kenny Stafford (six) are the only other experienced receivers, so expect sophomore Tim Cortazzo to get a good look here. At tight end, senior Tom Burzine, junior Matt Fought and sophomore Jerome Jones are in a healthy competition for the starting assignment.

Offensive linemen

Beckman was no doubt thrilled when he realized that his new team would be bringing back so much experience on the offensive line. Senior Jared DeWalt and junior Nate Cole hold down the guard spots, while junior Kevin Kowalski and senior Buster Garrett can both anchor the line at center. Sophomores Mike VanDerMeulen and John Morookian go again at the tackles. Sophomore Jan Gewont sat out spring to get healthy, but he figures to be a part of the rotation at tackle. The project here is to develop more depth.

Defensive linemen

This group is under the gun after the Rockets finished last in the MAC in sacks with only 10 last season. Beckman has put a priority on being able to pressure the quarterback. Seniors Skylaar Constant and Maurice Hill bring experience at tackle. The Rockets will rotate ends Derrick Summers, Alex Johnson, Terrell Willis and Hank Keighley.

Linebackers

Senior Archie Donald was the team leader in tackles last season with 119, and he emerged as the heart and soul of the defense. Beckman expects Donald to be comfortable calling the shots and taking on the primary leadership role. Donald will be flanked by senior Beau Brudzinski in the starting unit, while the top backup roles go to Daris Quinn and Damien McIntosh.

Defensive backs

The most decorated Rocket resides in the secondary. Senior safety Barry Church is a three-time first-team All-MAC pick and a candidate for the Nagurski Award as the nation’s top defender. Church is joined by senior rover Lester Richmond, who had 60 tackles in 2008. Sophomore Mark Singer gets the nod at free safety. Corner Desmond Marrow missed spring due to injury but should be back in a starting role alongside Walter Atkins.

Specialists

Beckman is looking for the biggest improvement to come from this group, which found itself near the bottom of the conference in critical areas such as punt returns, kickoff coverage and kickoff returns. Senior placekicker Alex Steigerwald connected on 16-of-21 field goal attempts, including the 48-yarder that helped beat Michigan. Sophomore punter Bill Claus returns, and Beckman is hoping that dynamic freshman Eric Page can make the return game a big asset.

This preview appears in the 2009 Athlon Sports Big Ten Magazine. Click here to order yours today.

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