Hoya Staff Writer Friday, September 15, 2006
Joseph DiGiacomo After his first game at quarterback for the Brown Bears, many must have wondered what Joseph DiGiacomo could do for an encore. It was two years ago that DiGiacomo burst onto the scene as a fresh-faced sophomore to throw for 245 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-7 win over Albany. Ever since, there has been no question as to who has control of coach Phil Estes’ high-powered offense. The 6’3 205 pound DiGiacomo enters his senior season fourth on the Brown all-time passing list with 3,314 yards and was named an honorable mention All-Ivy League after throwing for 1,800 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. If All-America running back Nick Hartigan was the thunder for last year’s Ivy League champion team, then DiGiacomo was the lightning. The Doylestown, PA native struck often, unleashing a lethal passing attack when opponents stacked eight defenders in order to stymie Hartigan. Although his partner-in-crime has been lost to graduation, DiGiacomo has no intent on slowing down. In fact, look for the experienced signal-caller’s numbers to rise this year as the Bear offense looks to focus more on the pass. It won’t be a mystery where his passes will be headed-senior Lonnie Hill has been DiGiacomo’s favorite target for the past two years. The only question will be whether or not defenses can stop the dangerous duo. When all receivers are covered downfield, number 13 is more than willing to tuck the ball under his arm and run for positive yardage. Just ask the Penn, who watched DiGiacomo snake his way through their defense on a Vince-Youngesque 40-yard touchdown scramble last year. Zak DeOssie The biggest challenge for the Hoya offense looms large and imposing from across the line of scrimmage. Brown senior linebacker Zak DeOssie stands 6’4 and weighs in at 240 pounds, but DeOssie is also armed with a sharp football mind. The leader of the Bear defense was a Buck Buchanan finalist in 2005 before injury forced him to sit out Brown’s last three games. Despite missing the end of the season, DeOssie was still named to the All-Ivy League team after amassing 80 tackles, five sacks, three fumbles and one interception. “The best thing about Zak is how much he loves to play-loves to run, loves to hit-he plays every game like it is his last,” Brown Head Coach Phil Estes said, “He is our number one leader on defense.” Perhaps DeOssie’s passion for the game stems from his deep football roots. His father, Steve, was a stud linebacker for Boston College in the 1980’s and played for the Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, New York Giants, and New England Patriots. He was a member of the Giants’ Super Bowl XXV Champion team, a squad that also featured Hoya quarterback Ben Hostetler’s uncle Jeff at quarterback. Ben Hostetler said he is looking forward to the match up with linebacker of DeOssie’s caliber. No doubt DeOssie is looking forward to Saturday’s game as well-his performance last year against Georgetown was scary good. If the Hoya offense were the Beatles, then DeOssie played the role of Yoko Ono, breaking up everything Georgetown could put together with 11 tackles, including three for a loss. When he was in high school, DeOssie spent his summer’s as a ball boy at New England Patriots training camp, learning the ways of the linebacker from pro standouts such as Willie McGinest and Tedy Bruschi. On Saturday, DeOssie will make sure his senior campaign gets off to a good start.
