 Miami C Josh Satterthwait / Photo: Mike Smith Satterthwait, a senior from Roswell, Georgia, is moving to center, where he replaces the departed Steve Meister. Like Meister, Satterthwait came out of high school (Lassiter H.S., Georgia) as a tight end, averaging 20 yards per catch during his senior prep campaign. He also excelled in lacrosse, garnering second team all-state honors in that sport.
Miami coaches liked the athleticism they saw in the 240-pound Satterthwait then and still consider it a strength of the 6-4, 306-pound Satterthwait now that he is a senior lineman at Miami.
The high school tight end to collegiate lineman path is a familiar one in Oxford. “I actually played tight end my whole freshman year,” Satterthwait said. “The three senior linemen we have right now all came in as tight ends.”
All three – Satterthwait, Dave DiFranco (6-4, 305) and Bob Gulley (6-4, 295) will have a lot to say about how Miami’s offense fares this year. It is Satterthwait, however, who sets things in motion with his snap and calls at the line.
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| Photo: Mike Smith |
“I really like having a guy who is a veteran playing center,” Hohman said. “What we ask of our centers here is (to make) a lot of calls and get our blocking scheme correct. So I feel very comfortable playing an older guy at that position, and that is what Josh brings to the table. He knows what we are trying to accomplish. He knows our schemes, and he can help the rest of the line get it right. That is a big thing for me.”
“It’s more responsibility, but I like helping everybody do the right thing,” Satterthwait said.
According to Satterthwait, any discussion about the 2008 vacancy at center came after the 2007 MAC championship game. His was one of several player names that surfaced as a potential replacement for Meister.
“I was really open to it. When I was younger – in pee wee ball, it was the first position I ever played,” Satterthwait said. “I just feel real comfortable there (now). The steps are pretty similar to guard. It’s more of a difference with tackle (than) with guard and center.”
As a junior, Satterthwait had occasionally worked with quarterbacks who needed some more snap reps on the side. He picked up more reps heading into what became a “solid” spring. When spring practice ended, Satterthwait was atop the depth chart for the center position.
“I started to become a lot more comfortable at center,” Satterthwait said. “I thought I was improving daily.”
“It’s been very seamless for him,” Hohman observed. “He seems like almost a natural center.”
While the MAC East Division co-champion RedHawks finished atop many MAC statistical defensive categories last year, Miami’s offense was in the middle of the pack and inconsistent. With a relatively unseasoned group of running backs available in 2008, the offensive line will be challenged to improve the Miami ground game. If that gets on track, it will take pressure off the passing game.
Satterthwait said the coaching staff challenged players the first night of practice. “They got us all fired up. It’s all about attitude. You’ve got to get after that (opposing) person,” Satterthwait said. “We ran it better last year than the year before, and we will continue to improve that. But it takes everybody …, with all 11 guys on the same page.”
The RedHawks (6-7, 5-2 MAC) hope to be on the same page by August 28 when they get a return match – this time at home – with Vanderbilt (5-7, 2-6 SEC) of the Southeastern Conference. The Commodores out-rushed Miami 290-26 and out-scored the visiting RedHawks 14-3 in the second half last year on the way to a 24-13 Vandy win.
The national spotlight will be on Satterthwait and the RedHawks in a game that will be telecast on ESPNU (7:30 p.m. ET). Satterthwait knows he won’t be catching any passes, but he also knows he will be right in the center of what he hopes will be a big 2008 opening night at Yager Stadium.
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