The Setters are scratching at the door, but don’t expect them to break out of the cellar this season.
Looking at the season schedule, the Setters opponents are not slacking off. Pace will have to face teams that combined for regular season record of 36-31 last season. The Setters also did not win a single game against a Northeast-10 opponent in 2011.
The recent numbers for the Setters are quite unflattering. Pace’s football team has won a total of two games in the last three years. Also, the Setters lost by an average of almost 40 points per game a year ago.
Sadly the bad numbers did not stop there. Last season the Setters were last in the NE-10 with 241.5 yards per game. Pace also gave up the second most yards per game in the NE-10 in 2011.
With the atrocious season from 2011 fresh in their minds, the Setters have certain expectations heading into the 2012 season.
One of the primary goals the Setters will have going into the season will be getting better on defense. Pace allowed 534 yards per game last season while only picking up 241 yards per game themselves. The Setters also gave up more than 60 points to the opposition on three different occasions last year.
Pace will have Senior Biology major David Lopez returning at defensive back this year. Lopez led the Setters with 101 total tackles last season. Lopez was also one of three Setters with more than 50 tackles last year.
Also, the Setters managed a meager five sacks and five interceptions in 2011.
Offensively, the Setters have simply not scored enough. In ten games last season the Setters scored a total of 87 points. The Setters scored 14 or more points in only three of their games in 2011.
The Setters will likely start Junior Criminal Justice major Jordan Raynor at quarterback this season. Raynor threw for 1,195 yards last season as well as five touchdown passes.
However, the Setters need to improve on keeping their signal caller upright in 2012. Raynor was sacked a total of 37 times in ten games last season.
What the Setters may have in their favor is their running attack. The Setters rushed for more than 100 yards in five games last season. They managed a season high 198 rushing yards against the Yellow Jackets of American International College last year.
The Setters will have their two leading rushers back in action this season. Sophomore Business Management Major Blair Wynn and Graduate Student Eric Santos both rushed for more than 345 yards last season.
The Setters will open the regular season at Bentley University on August 31.