Widener retools offense after 12-1 football season

Widener coach Mike Kelly set the bar pretty high.

As the Pride's first-year coach in 2014, Kelly led the school to a 10-0 regular-season record and the Middle Atlantic Conference Crown. Widener reached the Division III national quarterfinals and finished 12-1.

So what does he do for an encore? How about tweaking the offense?

The Pride are ranked 12th in the D3football.com preseason top 25. Last season they ran a West Coast offense. This year they'll run more of a spread, with junior quarterback and all-conference performer Seth Klein at the controls.

"We're comfortable making the change," said the former coach of the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers. "We think we can be better offensively with the weapons we have.

Those weapons begin with Klein, who is 18-5 as a starter and was the ECAC rookie of the year as a freshman. Last season, Klein shocked observers with his accuracy, passing for 3,296 yards, 33 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. He didn't throw his first interception until after he had thrown touchdown No. 20.

"He's a heck of a quarterback, maybe the most accurate quarterback I've ever been around," Kelly said, "so I think he'll be just fine with the changes. In fact, he'll benefit from them. That's my feeling."

The Pride open their season Saturday at home against Rowan.

Freshman tackle Ethan Greenridge (6-4, 345 pounds) is going to play a huge role for Villanova in the coming weeks as he steps in for right tackle Jake Prus.

Prus, who started 14 games last season, will miss at least the next two games (Fordham and Delaware) and quite possibly a third (Penn) while he recuperates from surgery to donate bone marrow.

Earlier this week, coach Andy Talley - the driving force behind the team's bone marrow donor program - voiced his confidence in Greenridge's ability to step in and contribute.

"There's no doubt that he's going to be thrown into the fire and be tested," Talley said. "But he's ready. He's a huge guy and he's got very nimble feet."

Penn has a bye week the last weekend in September. Prus is likely to return no later than Oct. 10 (William and Mary).

Cheyney University has been trying to change its fortunes on the field for years. In its latest effort, it has reached into the past.

Taking over on the sidelines this season is 68-year-old Chris Roulhac. A 1964 graduate of Germantown High, Roulhac coached the Wolves from 1993 to '95. The Wolves went 3-30 in his first stint as coach.

Roulhac was named interim coach in the spring after the Wolves finished the 2014 season 0-11 under then-interim coach Anthony Jackson. He has been an assistant at Cheyney for the last six seasons.

"I just feel very comfortable here," Roulhac said. "There are things I can give back to the kids here that will be beneficial. I'm in good health, my mind is good. As long as I feel I can make a contribution I feel like I'm going to be here for awhile."

@JmitchInquirer