Bowling Green football coach Dave Clawson talked before spring practice started about his team, including a position-by-position analysis of the roster. Here is the second part of a three-part breakdown of the team entering the spring, focusing on the defense.
DEFENSIVE LINE: At defensive tackle, the Falcons return senior All-MAC first team choice Chris Jones as well as juniors Ted Ouellet and Jairus Campbell along with sophomores Hunter Maynard and Darius Gilbert. At defensive end, the returnees include junior Ronnie Goble, sophomores Charlie Walker, Bryan Thomas and Zach Colvin, and redshirt freshmen Bryan Baird and Shaq Hall.
"Chris Jones is the best defensive tackle in the league,” Clawson said. "We also have Ouellet and Jairus Campbell back, and young guys like Hunter Maynard and Darius Gilbert had very good off-seasons. At end, two of the best ‘look’ players we had last year were Bryan Baird and Shaq Hall. We’re six-deep [at that position], and we’re young. All those guys need is some reps and some sun and some water, and I think they’ll grow.”
Click here to read an analysis of this position following the 2011 season.
LINEBACKERS: The Falcons return their entire linebacking unit from last season, led by senior All-MAC first team choice Dwayne Woods, junior Paul Swan, and sophomores Gabe Martin and D.J. Lynch. Freshman Coy Brown, a 2012 signee who enrolled in school early, is working to learn the "buck" linebacker position.
“We didn’t lose anybody who played, we got a year older – and we added someone to the mix [Coy Brown],” Clawson said. “You want to be two-deep, but we’re an injury away from not being two-deep. You have to get [Brown] ready as if he’s going to play. And I think Coy can be an outstanding special-teams guy as well.”
Click here to read an analysis of this position following the 2011 season.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: At cornerback the Falcons return three players with extensive experience in junior Cameron Truss and sophomores Von McKoy and Darrell Hunter. Also look for freshman Johnny Joseph and possibly sophomore Jude Adjei-Barimah to get reps there. At the safety position, junior BooBoo Gates and sophomores Ryland Ward and Brian Sutton are working at the "stud" safety, while the candidates at the "whip" safety include junior Aaron Foster. While Gates is the returning starter at rover, among those who will learn the position this spring are Sutton and sophomore linebacker Gabe Martin.
"It’s very important that we find a fourth corner,” Clawson said. “The starters have to get better, but I think they are good players who are going to get better." When asked about all the position-switching, Clawson said, "It’s hard to get a young player to learn one position. Now that it’s their second year, you can cross-train them a little bit. That way you can put your three best safeties out there. Some times you are playing your sixth-best player if your guys can only play one position. Part of the challenge of this spring is [for players] to master their positions and to learn a second [position]. Last year it was about guys learning one position in the base defense. Now they should know their position and should know the base defense. So how do we get our best 11 players on the field at all times and in all situations? To do that involves some cross-training."
Click here to read an analysis of this position following the 2011 season.
Click here to read about Clawson looking at the offense, and on Tuesday, April 10 he will talk about special teams.
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