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Last year, the Pipers were an entertaining team to watch; more so than the average 3-7 team. They had stellar play on defense all year and led the MIAC with 41 turnovers recovered. This year, the Pipers will be returning eight starters on the defensive side of the ball, including All-American Defensive Back Tyler Schultz. Last year, Schultz led the Pipers in tackles and tied for fifth in the nation with eight interceptions. The defense shouldn’t be much of a concern for the Pipers in 2006.

The Achilles heel of last year’s team was on the offensive side of the ball. The Pipers had problems putting points on the board. “We’ve got to show [this season] that we’re better offensively...we’ve changed some things in terms of what we’re doing offensively to utilize the talents and abilities of the guys who are here...we’ve tweaked our offensive package,” Miller went on.

One of those “tweaks” is evident at the quarterback position. Sophomore James Leary started the final three games in 2005 and he won’t be relinquishing that role in 2006. Miller made it clear that no position is cemented in stone but Leary has made the most progress in practice and has the best grasp of the Piper’s offensive schemes.

Another change on the Piper sidelines is the forty baby faced recruits that Miller brought in. Almost a third of all the recruits have come from outside of Hamline’s traditional recruiting neighborhood of Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. Miller credits this to a change, not only in the philosophy of Hamline football but also a shift towards diversity from Hamline University’s administration, resulting in changes beyond the football field.

These off-season changes were all on display last Thursday as the Pipers defeated the Mayville Comets, 38-7. The Pipers dominated the Comets in every facet of the game. It was a very convincing victory on paper and an even more convincing victory to witness.

The Pipers led 28-0, with 2:35 left in the second quarter when Tyler Schultz intercepted a Mayville pass. He allowed James Leary and the Piper offense to take over at the Mayville 41. Less than 35 seconds later, Leary hooked up with wide-receiver Andrew Seymour on a 42-yard touch down reception. Field goal kicker Kyle Milbourne put the ball through the up-rights to end the quarter with a 35-0 lead.

Milbourne added another field goal in the third quarter and the Hamline defense gave Mayville a hard time the rest of the game. Mayville seemed to loose all confidence in their passing game and by the third quarter they were strictly a running team. Midway through the fourth quarter, Mayville threatened to score after a 14-yard run landed them dead in the red zone. On the next play, their quarterback was flushed out of the backfield by Hamline defenders. As the quarterback ran out of bounds he was pushed to the ground on an aggressive play by a Piper defensive back. The Pipers were called for a personal foul and Mayville came within inches of a goal. The Mayville quarterback ran the ball in to the end zone on an option the very next play and the extra point was good; putting Mayville on the board 38-7.

The players on the field changed for the Pipers, as they brought in their subs but the score would not change. The Pipers marched on to victory, 38-7.

Regardless of what you think of Mayville State, the Pipers handled them heavy-handedly. They looked like a complete team and they were running on all cylinders. The offense was efficient enough to get the job done and the defense gave up little. The Piper special teams may come under a little criticism though. This year’s recruitment class was heavy in kickers; evidence that the coaching staff has already began to remedy a potential weakness. The Pipers looked good on kick offs and extra points but they botched a few punts that gave Mayville optimal field position. Optimal field position was beside the point, though, because everything else went the way of the Pipers on this Thursday night. The Pipers appear to have improved, to say the least. Coach Miller said, “People want to see improvement and that’s what we’re striving for. We think we’ve seen improvement. Now the fun part is going out there and playing and seeing what happens.” It is hoped that the good play continues when everyone returns to campus and this Piper team’s improvement against Mayville is a sign of things to come rather than an aberration.