Joe Moorhead knew what he was getting into when he took the Fordham football head-coaching job in December 2011.
He was tasked with changing the culture of a program that had fallen fast — from the heights of a Patriot League championship in 2007 to the low point of a 1-10 finish in 2011, with the latter costing former coach Tom Masella his job.
Moorhead's first season was a successful one, as the 6-5 Rams posted a winning record for the first time since 2007.
Despite the major improvement, Moorhead said he knows his team had to change things if they are to take that next step.
"The [three things] that we've focused on during camp [so far] are extra effort, attention to detail, and 'No excuses," Moorhead said during an exclusive interview with The Post during Friday's Media Day, which came at the end of the team's first week of practice.
"We lost three Patriot League games by a combined eight points," he said. "You can point to one our two plays that changed the outcome. We need to turn those close losses into wins. The difference between 6-5 and 9-2 is not very big. It's being able to focus on the things that are necessary to bridge that gap."
That sentiment was echoed by redshirt senior running back Carlton Koonce, a preseason All-American.
"On and off the field, we have to do the little things right," he said. "Coach Moorhead and his staff has instilled that in us. [Things like] showing up to meetings on time, not taking a play off, [knowing] your specific assignment. You need to pay attention to the little things. A play here, an assignment there, and we could be 9-2 instead of 6-5."
Koonce will serve as the linchpin of an offense that was explosive last season. The Rams, who averaged 13.2 points per game in 2011, piled up an average of 31.2 points per contest last season. Fordham also has a promising passing attack, led by preseason All-Americans Dan Light, a junior tight end, and Brian Wetzel, a junior wide receiver.
Who will replace Ryan Higgins, who graduated, at quarterback ? Moorhead has not made a decision, but early indications seem to favor redshirt sophomore Michael Nebrich.
Nebrich played his freshman season at the University of Connecticut, where Moorhead served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2009 to 2011.
After the season, Nebrich transferred to Fordham, was eligible to play immediately, and made an immediate impact, scoring five touchdowns off the bench in his first three games. Unfortunately, his season was cut short by a torn ACL he suffered during the team's Homecoming victory over Cornell.
"It was a tough situation for me," he said. "I've been playing sports all my life, and I've never faced an injury that kept me out of a game, much less an entire season."
Because of Higgins' departure, Nebrich said things are different this season.
"It's different, now that I've had a full year with the team," he said. "Last year, I came to the team a week and a half into camp, and it was difficult to compete for the [job]. This year, it's an open competition [between] me, [junior] Peter [Maetzold], and a couple of other guys. It's fun competing every day, and we'll see what the coaches decide at the end of camp."
On defense, Moorhead said he has liked what he has seen in the early going
"The defense has come out with a chip on their shoulder, with something to prove," he said. "It's been indicative in their play throughout the practices and our first scrimmage. They're flying around, making a lot of plays and feeding off each other's energy. Throughout the season, they need to maintain their focus and continue to create turnovers, and tackles in the backfield."
Moorhead also said it would be hard to replace Patrick Murray, who was one of the premier kickers in the NCAA last season.
The Rams are in their last season of being ineligible for the Patriot League championship, which stems from their decision to award athletic merit aid to football student-athletes beginning in 2010.
That rule — which was against league policy at the time — was changed last year. Starting this season, athletic merit aid can now be given to football student-athletes at all Patriot League schools.
As a result, the Rams will be eligible to compete for the Patriot League championship and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament beginning next season.
Despite being ineligible to win the Patriot League, Moorhead said he still has lofty goals for this season's team.
"The first goal we have is to retain the Cups — the Liberty Cup versus Columbia, and the Ram-Crusader Cup versus Holy Cross," he said. "The next goal is a winning non-conference record, and then to have the best record in the Patriot League. If you take care of those things, you can qualify for an at-large bid [into the NCAA Tournament] and have a chance to win a national championship."
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