Junior Chris Castelluccio carries the ball against Carnegie Mellon University on Nov. 13, 2010. Castelluccio, Wash. U.’s starting running back entering the season, ran for 208 yards and four touchdowns last year.

Last season, the team finished with an impressive record of 7-3, scoring an average of 19 points per game and winning games against tough opponents, including Wabash College, Carnegie Mellon University and Case Western University. Despite the hype and expectation of a possible playoff berth, Wash. U. instead finished with a loss against the University of Chicago, ending the Bears’ chance at a championship run.

The team now hopes to rebound one year later by winning the University Athletic Association and reaching the playoffs for the second time since 1999.

“Our theme [last season] as a team was to finish every drill, practice, and game all the way. I think that was key in helping us win in close situations and defeat some of our toughest rivals,” head coach Larry Kindbom said. “We had two very close games [including one] against U. Chicago, and that could have made our record 9-1, but that’s the past…this year, we’re all in.”

The expectations of a playoff berth remain high as the coaches and players were impressed with how well the team played in a scrimmage against Greenville College on Aug. 27. The Bears won 24-0.

“I was really happy with how well we did,” senior wide receiver Easton Knott said. “We came out of the scrimmage 10 times better than last year and after watching the film, we have a lot to positive things to build on.”

Despite the few mistakes in the scrimmage, Kindbom, entering his 23rd season as head coach, was especially impressed by the speed with which the players executed each play

“The scrimmage was truly beyond my expectation this year,” Kindbom said. “Though there were mistakes, I want our kids to go out there and play at full speed rather than worry about making a mistake on the field. We’re going to practice through those mistakes and become a better team.”

According to Kindbom, the overall talent level of the team, across each unit, is the highest he’s seen so far at the University. With a high number of returning upperclassmen, including sophomore safeties Tate Byers and Scott O’Brien, senior linebackers Nick Hillard and Kyle Larkin and junior running back Chris Castelluccio, will try to lead the team to the playoff berth that they are all hungry for.

“This is the year,” Hillard said. “I really hope this is our time and, by the looks of our roster, I think we’ve got a great chance.”

Though the Bears have a schedule as tough as, if not tougher than, that of last season, the strategy for 2011 is simple: one game at a time. The Red and Green will have to win almost every game of the year once again, because of their small conference, in order to be considered for the playoffs. According to Kindbom, if the Bears can beat any of the top opponents scheduled, they should be able to take on any other team. Players, such as Knott and Larkin, believe that mental focus will be the key to winning each week.

“Physically, we are in great condition,” Hillard said. “But in order to have a successful season, we can’t get distracted and make costly errors.”

With former starting quarterback Stephen Sherman graduated, junior Dan Burkett will start against Knox on Saturday, while junior Adam Banks will play back up; however, Kindbom has not decided whether Burkett will be the starter for all of the season. Castelluccio will have big shoes to fill as he will start in place of all-time leading rusher Jim O’Brien, a 2011 graduate. Despite losing these valuable players, Knott believes that the situation is not a problem.

“Coach does a good job of getting young guys in and having enough time to adjust. When we do have guys that leave, we also have underclassmen ready to back up many of the positions right away. [It’s] just a matter of playing experience,” he said.

In spite of all the pressure of having a successful season, Kindbom wants his players to not only play to the best of their abilities, but also remember the fun in the game of football.

“We have to go out and show the things we’ve been practicing on during the course of the week and not worry about success or failure,” Kindbom said. “We just have to lay it out there and give it the best we can.”