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Case Football wants to be at the top in 2024

A football team that has 18 points in a 10-0 season can play the “what if?” game until it's blue in the face, but Case Western Reserve is using that as motivation in 2024.

The Spartans, who will adopt a new color scheme from navy blue to a lighter shade this fall, hope they have learned from the 7-3 2023 season.

That was fourth place in the competitive Presidents' Athletic Conference, and it should come as no surprise that Case suffered three losses to the league's top three. It's not a stretch to say that a few plays could have made the difference between a good season and a great one.

Week 2 featured a 27-24 overtime loss to undefeated PAC champion Grove City, then a 38-33 loss to Washington and Jefferson (9-2), followed by a 31-21 loss to rival Carnegie Mellon (another nine-win team) in a game that was tied 24-21 in the final two minutes.

“That's the question, what do we have to do to overcome this hurdle?” said longtime Case coach Greg Debeljak. “There could be several reasons. We have experience. We have 10 fifth-year guys coming back, nine are regulars.”

“I think it's more about focus because there's so little room for error (in the PAC). That one play will make a difference. You could point to one play in the games we've lost that has made the difference.”

Debeljak cited a blocked punt that led to a touchdown by Washington and the botched short field goal by Jefferson and his team against Grove City as examples of this narrow lead in important conference duels.

“If you're not focused for the entire 60 minutes, you lose your chance to win,” said Debeljak, who is entering his 21st year at Case.

Case Western Reserve quarterback Alex Fromberg totaled 29 touchdowns in 2023. (Tim Phillis – for The News-Herald)

The table is set for the season in which the Spartans could overcome that hurdle as they seek their first NCAA Division III playoff appearance since 2019. Case can return 17 starters, including quarterback Alex Fromberg and NDCL wide receiver Noah Coyne on offense and most of the defense that will be stingy in 2023.

Fromberg and Mentor's Ian Kipp started last season in a QB competition, but a season-ending injury to Kipp, who has since graduated, put the offense in Fromberg's hands and legs and he delivered. The QB threw for 2,323 yards and 23 touchdowns and added 381 rushing yards and a team-high six rushing TDs. Now he's hoping to do even more this season, which means winning against the conference's top teams.

“We can keep in mind that we were really close last season and use that as motivation this season to make every play count,” Fromberg said. “The experience of those close calls will spur us on.”

It took a while for Fromberg – who actually transferred and returned to Case – to get his chance while watching four-year starter Drew Saxton set one school record after another. His patience paid off in 2023.

“(Saxton) was a four-time first-team All-Conference selection,” Debeljak said. “It was really nice to see a guy (Fromberg) who was patient and had to overcome adversity.”

Fromberg's favorite target was Coyne, who finished last season with 44 catches, 1,001 yards and 11 touchdowns. Coyne — a matchup problem for cornerbacks at 6'4″ — is Case's undisputed big-play receiver.

“Acceleration and speed are some of the things I've been focusing on personally,” Coyne said. “But also film. I've been watching what other teams are doing more than I have (in the past). It's important to understand the team you're going up against and how to attack.”

On defense, the unit is led by defensive lineman Kaden Tong, who had the most on the team with 70 tackles, 10 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. The D was tough to score and move the ball in 2023, allowing 13.5 points and 257.4 yards per game and shutting out three opponents.

For the second year in a row, the PAC will play its entire 10-game season against conference opponents. That will end after this season. The Spartans will open the season on September 7 in Waynesburg.

A week earlier, Case and John Carroll will meet for their annual practice game, scheduled for August 31 at 1:30 p.m. in University Heights.

Schedule 2024

September 7 in Waynesburg, 1

14 September Bethany, 7

28 September in Geneva, 3

October 5 in Allegheny, 1

12 October St. Vincent, 7

19 October Thiel, 6

26 October in Westminster, 7

November 2 Washington and Jefferson, 1

November 9 in Grove City, 1

November 16, Carnegie Mellon, 1:30 p.m.

Originally published:

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