Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

There's a whiteboard in Pat Murphy's office that lists personnel groupings by formation. This whiteboard reveals, to a large extent, the progress the St. Anselm football program has made since Murphy was named St. Anselm's head coach in February of last year.

At this time a year ago, that whiteboard showed the same five names regardless of the offensive formation. This year there's different names in different places.

"When we came in there was no depth," Murphy explained. "We had the same five kids (playing the skill positions) no matter the formation or personnel grouping. We had the same five kids on the field all the time.

"Now we have competition at a lot of positions. We have quality backups.

"Last year we had two running backs who could completely run the offense. We've doubled that now. The returning guy (Joe Tran) has a leg up, but by the end of the season it could be tough to pick a starter."

St. Anselm finished with a 2-8 record in Murphy's first season as head coach. The highlight of last season was a 48-42 triumph over Merrimack College that ended a 34-game losing streak.

St. Anselm will begin its second season under Murphy on Saturday, when it plays a non-league game against Kutztown at Grappone Stadium (1:30 p.m.). Kutztown handed St. Anselm a 35-0 setback in the opener for both teams last season.

"They'll be out to stop the run. dare us to pass," Murphy said. "On defense they are huge."

Murphy said he's sure St. Anselm will put an improved product on the field this season. He's hoping that will translate into a significantly better won-loss record as well.

"We're not gonna win many games this year in a landslide," he said. "We're gonna have to keep grinding it out.

"First and foremost, before anything, we have to protect the football. We can't beat ourselves with penalties and turnovers. Outside of points, turnovers are the most telling stat in football.

"We have to stay healthy. We have depth in certain positions, but we're still thin in some areas."