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Sports TwitterConiglio has made successful transition to defense
Thursday, September 04, 2008
OXFORD — Joe Coniglio knew where his future lay, even while he was bulldozing his way for 42 touchdowns as a 190-pound fullback during his junior and senior years at Boylan High School in Rockford, Ill.
He was not meant to be a running back. Not in college.
So he set his mind on two things. Gaining weight and playing defense.
Now Coniglio is a 259-pound senior defensive lineman for Miami University, and as the RedHawks prepare to walk into the University of Michigan's "Big House" Saturday, Sept. 6, he has set his mind on only one thing.
No, it's not the Michigan Wolverines.
Coniglio is thinking about how to turn a "good" Miami defense into a "great" Miami defense.
"It's all about us," he said. "We're not thinking about Michigan. We know we have good players on defense and can come out and play against anybody.
"We've really taken the initiative this week to make ourselves better as a defense and as a team," Coniglio said. "This week the whole defensive line as a unit has really come together. We know we're a good defensive line, but we want to be great."
Although Coniglio rushed for 2,806 yards in his final two years in high school, he was recruited as a linebacker.
"I figured if I really wanted to be recruited by a Division I school, I'd better take the initiative," he said, "so I gained about 35 pounds."
Coniglio made the transition to defense without too much trouble.
"The biggest switch is the mental side of it," he pointed out. "On offense, it's more of a finesse game, a different type of mentality. On defense, it's bring your hard hat and lunch pail and come to work every day.
"I've always worked hard," he added.
Coniglio played linebacker during the spring of his red-shirt freshman season at Miami.
"Then I moved to the defensive line on the third day of (summer) camp," he said. "There was a team need (on the defensive line). I was the most physically ready to come in and contribute as a freshman."
Coniglio was named Miami Freshman of the Year in 2005, led the RedHawks with 5.0 quarterback sacks in 2006 and made the all-Mid-American Conference third team in 2007, leading Miami with 6.5 sacks.
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.
