Mount St. Mary's opened the 2014 season with a 16-3 loss at Maryland.
It wasn't a terrible loss, but it snowballed into 14 consecutive setbacks that didn't end until April 19 when the team got its first and only win of the season against Northeast Conference foe Wagner.
So with the Mountaineers prepared to open the upcoming year at VMI on Saturday, coach Tom Gravante is all too aware of the importance of starting off on the right foot.
"I think it's very important. That's why I set out to change our schedule," Gravante said Wednesday afternoon, referring to his decision to replace games against the Terps, Johns Hopkins and Virginia with games against Furman, Richmond and VMI. "I know we're just not built for those high-level teams right now. We need to rebuild this program, and I wanted to try to start out with some better competition to put us in position to win."
That doesn't mean that Mount St. Mary's should expect the red-carpet treatment from the Keydets. Although VMI was defeated soundly, 21-7, by Navy on Sunday, the team did finish 2014 with two victories, which is one more than the Mountaineers had.
And Gravante pointed out that the Keydets have a game under their belts, while Mount St. Mary's will try to break off some rust.
"I think there's always that thought with coaches because there are the first-game jitters," he said. "Even though you play scrimmages, that first game you play is for real. It's for keeps. So the only thing we can do as coaches is try to physically and mentally prepare these young men to battle and battle from the first whistle.
"That's always the game plan. Right from the first whistle, let's go. Let's play fast, let's play hard, let's make smart decisions."