We’ve already looked at the state of the Michigan State Football program in general and the state of the Special Teams. Today, we preview the state of the Defensive Unit.
9 practices into preseason camp, the Spartan defense shows signs of improvement from last year. And boy, do we need the improvement to happen. Big time. Last year showed positive signs followed by complete breakdowns. Low scoring games followed by shoot outs. This year’s defense needs to do better. And there is good reason to think that they will. Let’s break it down:
Monday’s first preseason jersey scrimmage ended with the defense defeating the offense 95-89. Coach Dantonio said that turnovers were the difference. Of course, when you are playing yourself, it is difficult to celebrate an offensive success because that means that the defense failed. On the other hand, it is difficult to celebrate a defensive sack, turnover or tackle for loss because that means that your offense failed. Focusing on the defense, though, here are some highlights from Monday’s scrimmage:
• Linebacker Greg Jones – 12 total tackles, with six for losses (43 yards) including four sacks (38 yards).
• Linebacker Chris Norman – 11 total tackles, including one 7-yard sack.
• Nose Tackle Kevin Pickelman – seven total tackles, including 2.5 for losses (6 yards).
• Defensive End Denzel Drone – seven total tackles, including one 5-yard sack; also forced and recovered one fumble.
• Cornerback Johnny Adams – seven total tackles, one interception and two pass break-ups.
Greg Jones
Since Kirk Cousins threw 2 interceptions in the scrimmage (that won’t keep happening), we know that one other player had an interception – but we don’t know who. It’s good to see defensive intensity and the five names above are likely to be names we’ll continue to see. Coach Dantonio wants his defensive players running to the football, consistently getting pressure on the quarterback and forcing turnovers. Greg Jones is doing that again this year for the Spartans, instead of giving the NFL a shot. Don’t take Jones for granted – what he does is simply All-American. He’s even added 12 pounds from his last year’s playing weight and now brings 240 pounds of heat on every play.
In other linebacker news, Dantonio is trying to figure out how to work freshmen Max Bullough and William Gholston into the mix. The last thing he wants to do is use up a year of eligibility from these guys without getting some good action from them. It sounds as if he thinks they’ll provide that this year. “We want to make sure that we put them into situations where they can contribute on a consistent basis because you don’t want to just take away a guy’s year (of eligibility). Those guys can play and have an impact,” said Dantonio. Borrowing a quote that Joe Rexrode got from Defensive Coach Pat Narduzzi regarding the 6 ft, 6 inch, 250 pound William Gholston: “…in five years… I would imagine that guy’s gonna be a first-round pick in the NFL draft… if it’s a 3-4 (defense) he’s gonna be a backer… if it’s a 4-3, he’s probably gonna be putting his hand down in the NFL.”
William Gholston
And Gholston and Bullough are just the freshmen linebackers. Add them to this group and you see why linebacker is MSU’s deepest position in 2010: Greg Jones. Eric Gordon. Chris Norman. Steve Gardiner. Denicos Allen. Jon Misch. TyQuan Hammock. When you have this much talent at linebacker, everybody starts talking 3-4 defense in addition to the normal 4-3. For those of you who are reading this and have no idea what that means – hello to my wife! – here’s a little explanation:
Since most college football teams operate their offense by running the ball the majority of the time, defensive coordinators prefer a 4-3 scheme to have four linemen filling the running lanes. It is the base defense of choice for most college football teams. But the times they are a-changing. Since the 3-4 defense gets four linebackers on the field, it generally brings more speed with it. Since it seems that talent is trending to the linebacker position, especially at MSU, it makes sense to have 4 of them on the field when possible. The 3-4 allows for flexibility and balance and gives the play callers the ability to disguise when, and if, they are going to rush the quarterback. In the typical 4-3 defense, the front four are going to be rushing the QB 9 times out of 10. In the 3-4, it is hard to tell where that 4th guy might be coming from (strong side, weak side or maybe not at all). It tends to give the defense a little bit of an advantage since the offense can’t predict very easily what it has to do to protect the quarterback.
A good 3-4 defense needs a good nose guard. That’s why it is encouraging to see good stats from Kevin Pickelman. Pickelman and Jerel Worthy will be asked to take on double-team blocks and they have to keep the offensive guards from getting their blocks on the linebackers behind them. A good 3-4 defense also asks the defensive ends to do different things than normal. Instead of using speed to get around blocks, the defensive end needs to not allow gaps to open up while pushing the QB’s pocket around, freeing up the linebackers to make the plays. Blake Treadwell, Colin Neely and Tyler Hoover are solid on the line. Dan France is looking powerful and Junior College transfer Rashad White is getting a lot of attention. White is 6-2, weighs 320 pounds and passed the conditioning test with flying colors. Remember his name this year.
Colin Neely
It will be interesting to see how much 3-4 is called this year, when it’s called, which linebackers are used in it, and how it works. It will probably depend on how fast the team can pick up the nuances of it. You can be certain that it will be a topic of conversation as long as the linebacker depth is there.
On other defensive notes:
• Dantonio mentioned safety Isaiah Lewis and cornerback Mylan Hicks as freshmen who have been standing out.
• Coach Dantonio thinks Darqueze Dennard and Isaiah Lewis are both very good players” who can contribute this year, and have gotten a lot of practice time with “the twos” so far.
• Denicos Allen is battling Chris Norman for the STAR linebacker position (so called because it will likely help out in pass coverage more so than in the past). Whoever wins that spot will have a very effective backup.
• On the defensive back front, youth is the word of the day. Safeties Trenton Robinson and Marcus Hyde have apparently improved this position over last year. Redshirt freshmen Jairus Jones, Patrick White and Dana Dixon are in the mix right now but the true freshmen will likely have some impact as well.
• Chris D. Rucker is working at cornerback as well as wide receiver.
As you can tell, there is definitely a large amount of potential on the Spartan defense this year. However, until we see improvement on the field, the 2010 defense gets an overall preseason grade of C+ (a bit above average) with plenty of room available for improvement. Check back later this week for the offensive unit breakdown.
