Colby College All-American tailback Aaron Stepka led all NCAA Division III rushers in yards per game last season, but the Mules had to settle for a .500 finish in the New England Small College Athletic Conference.

Whether Stepka is able to improve on his 171.3 yards per game or NESCAC single-season records of 1,390 rushing yards on 293 carries remains to be seen, but Colby’s ability to improve on last fall’s 4-4 record likely depends on a different statistic – turnover ratio.

Despite ranking second among conference teams in total offense, the Mules averaged only 16.9 points per game in 2002, in large part because they committed 21 turnovers while forcing just 14.

“We need to do a better job of performing at critical times of the game,” said 18th-year Colby coach Tom Austin. “In a league that’s so balanced, we need to be able to create opportunities and capitalize on them.”

Stepka, a junior, is the featured performer in a Colby offense that also includes junior fullback Chris Duncombe of Athens and senior quarterback B.L. Lippert of Augusta, a part-time starter the last two years who completed 53 percent of his passes in 2002. Senior Rob Vail of Boothbay is among three returning starters on the offensive line.

“We’re very comfortable to have guys like Aaron running the football and guys in front of him like Chris Duncombe who takes great pride in leading the way,” said Austin. “We will work to become more efficient and do things that play upon Aaron’s high visibility.”

Defensively, the Mules return their secondary intact, including team captain Brandon Irwin at safety. Senior James Bradford of Bangor is among three new starters at linebacker.

“Defensively, we need to improve our turnover ratio,” said Austin, “and not give up the unusually large number of big plays we allowed last year.”

Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin are among the 10 NESCAC teams that begin the 2003 season Saturday. All three Maine teams open at home – against teams that combined for a 20-4 record last year. Colby plays defending co-champion Trinity in Waterville, while Bowdoin faces co-champion Williams at Brunswick, and Bates will play Amherst at Lewiston.

Bates is the defending CBB champion, having defeated both Colby and Bowdoin last season. Those victories were the start of a three-game win streak the Bobcats carry into this season.

“It’s definitely something we’ve tried to build on going into our offseason conditioning program and now going into this season,” said sixth-year Bobcats coach Mark Harriman.

Bates returns 16 starters from last year’s 3-5 team, 10 on defense. That defense is led by All-NESCAC second-team lineman Kurt Chapman.

Four starters return to the offensive line, but graduated are Kane Jankoski, a three-year starter at quarterback, and tailback Sean Atkins, who rushed for 1,069 yards last year and finished as Bates’ second-leading career rusher.

Senior Chris Gwozdz inherits the quarterbacking duties, while Rob Dionne steps in at tailback. Other key offensive players are senior wide receiver Owen Miehe and junior wideout Matt Orlando of South Portland.

“We need to have some success early with the front-loaded NESCAC schedule we have,” said Harriman. “To do that we need to be more efficient in early downs offensively, and defensively we need to play a little more consistently.”

Bowdoin’s development under fourth-year head coach David Caputi may be reflected best in improved depth, because while the Polar Bears are near the NESCAC maximum roster size of 75 players, they remain very, very young.

On defense, two freshmen, five sophomores, and three juniors will play key roles, along with senior middle linebacker Jeb Boudreau, a second-team All-NESCAC choice in 2002, and senior defensive end Chris Wagner.

“We’re better in many areas, and our level of experience continues to grow, but I still don’t know how good we are,” said Caputi, whose team went 1-7 last year. “We’ve got more players, and more good players, than we’ve had since I’ve been here.”

Offensively, Bowdoin returns junior halfback Rob Patchett, the team’s leading rusher last year with 563 yards, and a veteran offensive line led by senior center Bob Desaulniers.

Three players are battling to start at quarterback: juniors Tom McMahon and Mike Ferrante and sophomore Rick Leclerc.

“The quality of the players, their size and speed, and the numbers have all improved,” said Caputi. “But there’s really only one measure that counts, and we’ve got to prove it out on the field.”