GROVE CITY — Chris Smith has grown weary of near misses.

The Grove City College football coach, entering his 25th season with the school, has seen his Wolverines come painfully close to entering the upper echelon of the Presidents' Athletic Conference.

Last season was a prime example of just how close Grove City has gotten.

Grove City was 4-6 overall last season but 3-3 in the league. Two of those losses came on touchdowns in the final seconds of the game.

"This is the year we need to make that door open up for us," Smith said. "We've been right there on the edge, very close, very close, very close.

"We were literally seconds away from being a playoff team."

The mission this year is to be a playoff team.

"This year's team has to remember that, but not dwell on it," Smith said.

The Wolverines have 16 starters back, including quarterback Andrew DiDonato, who is the school's all-time leading passer after throwing for 3,120 yards in his career.

His maturation as the starter the past two seasons has been a microcosm of the team's progress.

"If you would ask him, he'd say they were two good seasons," Smith said. "But he doesn't want good to stop him from being great."

DiDonato, a graduate of South Fayette HighSchool, completed 55.9 percent of his passes for 1,566 yards in 2007. But he threw only eight touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Smith is hoping for a 2,000-yard season from his quarterback.

"He's made progress every year," Smith said. "You don't realize when you have a talented freshman, which he was, how much better he will be as a junior. You see those flashes of great play and you are excited about them. Now, as a junior, he's just so much more rock-solid."

Smith also is looking for some consistency from his running game.

Injuries slowed a unit that gained 1,502 yards and averaged a 3.5 yards per carry last year.

There are plenty of candidates to carry the load. Perhaps the most intriguing is Brian Mercer, who moved from linebacker to running back at midseason last year and gained a team-leading 485 yards on 85 carries. He also scored six touchdowns.

Junior transfer Dan Van Dyke also showed Smith some speed and explosiveness and could play either tailback or wingback.

"We have some very talented kids returning and some young kids to add to that mixture," Smith said.

There is certainly a nice blend of talent on defense, an area that has been Grove City's strength for several seasons.

The Wolverines gave up more than 20 points only twice last season. Throw out a 49-point outburst by Washington & Jefferson, and Grove City surrendered 14.6 points per game in 2007.

"Our defense has always been a good unit," Smith said. "We'll be aggressive and make some big plays."

One player who is emerging on that defense is Mars graduate Matt Kennedy, a sophomore who has played himself into a possible starting linebacker position in camp.

"He's looking very good," Smith said. "He's very quick, a real heady kid. We're excited about his possibilities."

Smith, though, isn't excited about the schedule, which is as tough as ever.

Grove City must play difficult conference games against Washington & Jefferson, Waynesburg and Westminster on the road.

The Wolverines open at Dickinson Sept. 6.