By CAM DONALDSON
Sports Editor
 

Bates Football...A name synonomous with one thing that many Bobcat fans have become accustomed to every autumn...Losing. The campus pincushion for several decades now, winds of change may finally be in store for our fabled men of the fall. New coach Mark Harriman brings a refreshingly optimistic outlook and, for the first time, a full time training staff to this year's team.

"Everyone is in great shape and they all have a great attitude toward the game," said Harriman. "We're going to take it one game at a time and play very aggressively. Every game is important to us."

Harriman, a native of Westbrook, Maine and a former All-New England linebacker at Springfield College, is enjoying a return to his Northern roots after serving as defensive coordinator at Princeton and Harvard.

He had previously coached at U. Maine, helping to guide the Black Bears to an Atlantic Ten (formerly Yankee Conference) title. His resume also boasts three Ivy League titles, including two in three years with Princeton. You might think he'd be interested in adding a NESCAC cup to his trophy cabinet, but it is clear that Coach Harriman, while expecting the utmost effort from his players, believes in a more progressive approach to success.

A perfect match for a Bates team mired in an epic slump, Harriman stresses the basics in practice and measures achievement in terms of gradual steps instead of just getting the win.

"We are going to concentrate on fundamentals and hustle this year," said Harriman. "You're not going to see us lining up in thirty different formations out there. We're just going to find the best plays for the personnel that we have and watch them go to work."

As a linebacker coach, Harriman has two finely crafted tools of destruction at his disposal in the '96 and '97 NESCAC Defensive Rookies of the Year, Frost Hubbard '00 and Bob Rosenthal '01. Hubbard is already singing the praises of Harriman's "baby steps" approach to winning ballgames.

"Instead of thinking about winning, we're just trying to get a little better every day," said Hubbard. "Coach Harriman stresses a lot more technique. He's all business out there."

Harriman now owns a defense that allowed more points (209) than any other NESCAC team last season. While some of the blame for that bloated points against total goes to the offense's failure to execute, forcing the D on the field more often, there is obviously a great deal of room for improvement. Harriman plans to implement a blitz-happy, rock-'em-sock-'em defensive style this year. With the likes of Hubbard and Rosenthal bearing down, Tufts poster QB Dan Morse and Bowdoin's Gold Helmet Award-winning QB Hayes MacArthur will be forced to think before trying anything shifty.

"Our goal is just to win some ballgames and have fun doing it," said Hubbard. "That would shut a lot of people up. It's hard to walk around campus and get respect in the league when we go 1-7. We have to prove to ourselves and to other people that we can win."

If Harriman continues to take it a day at a time, the wins should come. While the players have not yet adjusted completely to Harriman's coaching style, they enjoy his carefully structured practices.

"We are a lot more organized this year," said Dan O'Connell '99. "The focus is on organizational skills, and the staff echoes that philosophy. We have the same practice schedule every day, which helps to cut down injuries. We have more mental discipline and everyone knows their role in practice." Under Harriman's system, everyone has an important place on the team, whether in practice or in the heat of battle.

"He watches everyone on the team," said Hubbard. "He treats everyone fairly and doesn't hesitate to criticize. Even if you're third string you know he's paying attention, and if you show up late, no matter who you are, you're going to have to do sprints after practice."

Despite all of these changes in practice, it remains to be seen how they will play out under game time pressure from other NESCAC teams. Amherst is coming off back-to-back 7-1 seasons and looks like the early favorite to capture the title. Bates will get a trial by fire when they open against the Lord Jeffs on September 26th. After playing at Tufts (3-5), the `Cats first homestand promises to be an ordeal. First, Bates will have to fend off an assault from Williams (7-1). Then, the Luftwaffe passing game of Wesleyan (7-1) comes to town for Back-to-Bates Weekend. After traveling to Middlebury (4-4), the `Cats will face Colby (0-8) on Halloween. Still haunted by their 22-21 loss to Bates last year, the boys from upstate won't be coming to trick or treat. At Bowdoin (4-4) the following weekend, it will be the game of the year as the Polar Bears attempt to pull off their first winning season since 1987. The season finishes at home versus Trinity (5-3), which boasts several of the league's top offensive linemen.

It should quickly become apparent where Bates stands in this pack. They have a tough schedule early on, which should help them adjust to Harriman's style before making a run at the BBC title.

Even if Bates has a bumpy beginning to the season, they could still benefit from strong teams like Middlebury and Trinity being ill-prepared for a newly focused Bates attack in the later part of the season.

"I think physically and talent-wise we match up with anybody in the league," said O'Connell. "we have a lot of guys returning and a lot of experience on the field. Our goal is to be over .500. We have made strides and other teams say that we have come a long way, but it would be nice to be 5-3 instead of 1-7. With Coach Harriman helping us build a winning mentality, we should be able to stack up with anyone."