Revamped offense lights it up at the Yale Bowl

The Eli offense unexpectedly thrives with an ex-defensive back named Walland

By Geoff Chepiga

The Yale football team is at the midpoint of its 1999 campaign—an appropriate time to step back and reflect on the season so far and what lies ahead. The numbers tell the story: the Bulldogs are 4-1 and have outscored their opponents 166-51. Their five opponents, however, have included two weak Pioneer League teams that hardly presented a challenge and Dartmouth, which sits at the bottom of the Ivy League with an 0-5 record.

In the next five weeks, the Bulldogs will face much stiffer competition: five Ivy League teams, including Penn and Cornell, both undefeated in the league, and perennially dangerous Princeton and Harvard. Winning the next five games will give Yale at least a share of the Ivy League title, but is that too much to ask from a team and from a 5'11", 205- pound quarterback, who are already playing well above expectations?

From out of the blue

Coming into this season, conventional wisdom had it that the backbone of this Yale football team was its defense and that Yale's success would depend on stopping opposing offenses cold. Led by the likes of defensive end Peter Sarantos, MC '00, and linebacker Peter Mazza, JE '01, the defense has certainly done this and more, holding opponents to just 10.2 points and 254 yards per game.

But the real shock thus far this season has been Yale's offense. The offense was predicted to be the team's Achilles' heel, and yet it is averaging a phenomenal 379 yards and 33.2 points per game, led by quarterback Joe Walland, TD '00. Yale's 44-3 bludgeoning of Dartmouth last weekend—the Elis' first victory over the Big Green since 1989—marked the third time this year that the Bulldogs have blown away their opponents by 20 points or more.

How has the offense been able to perform so well?

"Everyone knows that in this league you win with juniors and seniors," Head Coach Jack Siedlecki said. "Our defense is almost all juniors and seniors, all returning starters. Our offense has returning starters in all the skill positions: Walland at QB, [Jake] Fuller [BR '00] at wideout, running back Rashad Bartholomew [MC '01], and wide receiver/tight end/punter Eric Johnson [JE '01]. The real question mark was the offensive line. They're young and they're just not 300-pound goliaths. They're not all where they could be physically, where they would be if they were older."

Indeed, the offensive line has been the focus of attention since day one. Of the top six linemen, only one, Matt Proto, BR '01, saw any action at all last year. Ben Sproul, BR '02, Kyle Metzler, JE '02, and Eric Lee, BR '01, didn't play any games; center David Farrell, MC '03, is a freshman; and Andy Elwell, BK '00, sat out all last year with an injury. From the get-go, the hopes of the offense were riding on how well this inexperienced bunch could pull together.

So far the line has been up to the challenge and Siedlecki has been more than happy with the results. "They're all doing great and getting better each week," Siedlecki said. "David Farrell is the most improved player on our team. I don't think anyone can appreciate how difficult it is to step right into an NCAA Division I program and start at center as a freshman."

Walland also has seen the offensive line improving in each game this season. "There were some questions at the beginning of the year, but the more experience they get playing together, the better they're doing. They're adjusting really well," Walland said.

The self-made quarterback

Things will, however, get trickier. Compared to those that the Bulldogs faced in the first five games, the opposing linemen in the season's final games will be bigger and more experienced and will run more complicated defenses. The game against Columbia at Baker's Field in Manhattan on Sat., Oct. 23 will be a litmus test for Yale's offense. "Columbia runs an eight-man front on defense, and it's notoriously tough to block," Siedlecki said. It is precisely this kind of defense that has given the line problems. "With a more experienced line, you can teach them all kinds of theory, alternative techniques, and complicated blocking strategies," Siedlecki said. "But with this crew we're more staying with the basics. Find your man and don't let him get by you. Put your body in front of his."

If the line can do its job, everyone on the team is optimistic about the next few weeks. "We know that if we can give Walland protection week in week out, no one in the league can stop our offense," Metzler said. "Joe is truly that good. We just need to protect him."

Walland came to New Haven as a defensive back in the fall of 1996, Siedlecki's first season as coach of the Bulldogs. Siedlecki remembers well the first time he met Walland. "Here was this defensive back I had never met and didn't know from Adam that comes up to me and tells me he'd like to try and play quarterback," Siedlecki said. "The guy was my height, so I wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea. But that year we had only two quarterbacks on the roster, none of whom had ever completed a forward pass in a game. So I figured, why not let this guy practice a little at quarterback?" That unfounded leap of faith would prove to help the Elis for years to come.

That first year Walland didn't turn many heads and didn't get any playing time at quarterback. But he did show some signs of potential. "He obviously had some talent, but he didn't knock anyone's socks off," Siedlecki said. And he did play well enough in practice to be considered one of the top candidates for the starting job his sophomore year. "I thought Joe had a decent chance at starting his sophomore year. It was an interesting situation—that year we weren't sure who could do what and who was our number-one guy." Unfortunately, a preseason injury sidelined Walland for the first few games. "It was a big setback," Siedlecki said. "It really hindered his progress."

But the coach still had faith that Walland could be the go-to guy. Late in the season, when Walland was healthy, Sied-lecki gave him a chance at the starting job. "No one else around the league knew his name, but I thought if he could stay healthy, we had something special on our hands," he said.

Two years later, Walland is on the verge of several school records that have stood for decades. He is only 171 yards short of catching Kelly Ryan, BK '88, in career total offensive yards. Walland should surpass Ryan easily in the upcoming game against Columbia. Walland is also only five touchdowns behind the legendary Brian Dowling, BK '69, in career touchdowns, a mark he should set in the next couple of weeks.

"Everyone is making a big deal about these records," Walland said. "I am a superstitious guy. I don't want to know about it. When my career here is over I'll look back at [the records] and be thrilled."

Walland has been virtually flawless every time he sets up this year. In just five games, he has completed 81 passes in 137 attempts (59 percent), racked up 1,176 passing yards and 120 rushing yards (the second most on the team behind Bartholomew), and has produced nine touchdowns to only one interception.

Siedlecki sees Walland as the foundation the team is standing on. "Joe is a very special quarterback, and we're not the same team without him in there, as was seen out in San Diego [when Walland sat out the game to rest]," Siedlecki said. "The first thing you notice about him is his presence, his leadership in the huddle. And yes, he can pass, and yes, he can run, too. But perhaps most importantly, he understands so well what we're trying to do on offense. A lot of quarterbacks, once they get comfortable, will try to force plays and throw into tight coverage, but not Joe. He plays within our game plan and takes exactly what the defense gives him."

Changes for the better

Walland's skills, combined with the success of the offensive line in protecting him from defensive linemen, have allowed the Bulldog offense to mature and operate at a notch above previous years. In crucial situations, Yale has gone to a four-receiver set. Putting four wideouts on the field has confused opposing defenses and given Walland many more options downfield. "The four- receiver set makes us more difficult to defend, our players feel comfortable with it, and it has led to a lot of touchdowns," Siedlecki said.

In addition to the four- receiver set, for the first time in a number of years Yale is running the option play, giving Walland the choice to keep the ball or lateral it to a running back. The option has been consistent in netting four or five yards per play, but it requires a quick quarterback who isn't afraid of taking a few hits.

Siedlecki sees preparation as the key to the five remaining games. "We're good enough, we just have to be ready to play our best each week. We can't look ahead to titles or to other games. This weekend our only goal is to beat Columbia," he said.

This is easier said than done. With promising results so far, Yale should be greedy for the Ivy League title. Penn may still be the odds-on-favorite to take the league, but the Bulldogs will surely be disappointed if they walk off the field after The Game on Sat., Nov. 21 with anything less than a championship. Photo by Julia Tiernan.

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