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Nose tackle key to RedHawks' defensive line
New MU coordinator hopes his linemen make opponents one-dimensional.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
OXFORD — Turnabout is fair play as far as the Miami RedHawks are concerned.
Last season, their running game was slammed shut, forcing them into all-too-predictable passing situations. The RedHawk defensive linemen plan to do the same thing to their opponents this fall.
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"Until we force people to be one-dimensional, we're not going to be successful," said Jay Hood, Miami University's first-year defensive coordinator who coached the defensive linemen in 2005 and '06.
"The proof is going to come Aug. 30 (with the season opener at Ball State)," he added. "The worst thing in the world is to have somebody run the ball at you all day, and you can't stop them. If you can force them into a situation where they have to pass, you can do some things scheme-wise to get them off the field."
Miami will use a front four consisting of a nose tackle, a defensive tackle and two defensive ends.
Much of the success will depend on the nose tackle, a position that will be manned by Mark Paun, a 6-foot-3, 272-pound sophomore, who will start, and Martin Channels, a 6-0, 335-pound sophomore.
"Both of them will play a lot," Hood said.
Former fullback Nick DeBartolo, a 6-1, 245-pound junior, also could enter the mix as he gains experience.
"He's a really strong kid," Hood said of DeBartolo. "He does a nice job of giving us a lot of activity, a guy who has adapted well and gives us some competition and depth."
The nose tackle will line up opposite the center most of the time, Hood said.
"He's got to be a guy who will constantly battle," Hood added. "It's sort of a mosh put in there with a lot of bodies coming at you."
The nose tackle will get some help in plugging the middle from the defensive tackle, who will play opposite one of the offensive guards. "The tackle needs to be a better pass rusher," Hood said.
Ben Huddle, a 6-4, 277-pound junior who missed four games after suffering a shoulder injury at Purdue last year, will start at tackle.
"He's a former defensive end, so he really understands the pass rush a lot better," Hood said. "The run is a different bit of an animal, but he has adapted really well."
The bulk of the action at defensive end, a position that concentrates even more on pass rushing, will be handled by 6-4, 260-pound sophomore Travis Craven, 6-2, 249-pound junior Joe Coniglio and 6-5, 262-pound senior Craig Mester. It's a trio that combined for 19.5 tackles for loss in 2006.
"They've played quite a bit of football. They have height and weight, and they can make plays," Hood said.
Jordan Stevens, a 6-4, 262-pound redshirt freshman coming back from a broken leg last fall, also could squeeze into the rotation. Also contending for playing time are redshirt freshman D.J. Svabik and true freshman Morris Council.
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197
or pconrad@coxohio.com.
