The Bulldog defense struggled to rush the quarterback last year, and this has been well-documented over the course of the offseason.
“Everybody mentions it; y’all bring it up all the time, so we know where we stand. We should see some improvement,” defensive line coach David Turner said. Improvement on the defensive line is vital to the Bulldogs’ success this season, and the possibility of failure is not on this units’ mind.
According to junior defensive tackle Pernell McPhee, the Bulldogs will not disappoint this season.
“One of the goals is to finish up as the top defense overall, and as far as the defensive line, we want to lead the conference – lead the nation – in sacks,” said McPhee, a former junior college All-American.
Defensive tackle Kyle Love, a senior who suffered through a painful toe injury last season, appears to be healthy after receiving new orthotics and modified cleats and will be relied on heavily to be a plug in the running game.
Defensive tackle Charles Burns, a senior who will earn some starts this season, has battled injuries during the offseason.
“Once you have shoulder injuries they will always be sore, but somehow, some way, I have bought into this system more than any other system, so I am feeling good about this season.”
Burns said buying into the system is what drives this defensive line because it has them playing more as a unit instead of as individuals.
Lamarcus Williams, Rodney Prince and Joshua Jackson are all returning and will challenge for time at the tackle spot, but two young freshmen are snapping at their heels and, according to Turner, have the ability to play this season.
These two young pups are Fletcher Cox and Josh Boyd. They have impressed enough to earn reps at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots.
The defensive ends are a key to the Bulldogs’ new aggressive style, and will be relied on to cause confusion for opposing offenses. Brandon Cooper is a junior who has been consistent, paid his dues and looks to be a big contributor for the Bulldogs.
There is a slew of young defensive ends stepping into roles of accountability this season. These players are Sean Ferguson (who played last season), Devin Jones, Trevor Stigers, Shane McCardell and Nick Bell. When asked about the younger ends, Coach Turner said: “There really is no question about what Coach Balis has done as far as mental and physical toughness. These guys have put in a lot of time and hard work in the weight room. One of the things, in terms of confidence as a player, is being a strong physical player, and all of that carries over from the weightroom.”
Jonathan McKenzie is a young defensive end who has received rave reviews this summer and fall, but according to the coaches he is likely to redshirt this season and be a big piece of the puzzle in the future.
Turner said there will be variations of three man fronts, four man fronts and players shuffling from position to position. There are several guys on the defense that can play tackle or end and can speed rush from several different stances.
These rotations are done to create the best possible mismatch that will favor the Bulldogs, but it’s also to confuse the offensive linemen as to which player they are assigned to block. With the possibility of so many people playing, the depth looks to be better than in the past.
Even with the anticipated correction of the lack of pass rush, one big question looms for the Bulldogs: Do they have the size to handle the rigors in the trenches of the SEC?
“We probably are small in terms of SEC defensive lines in just pure size, we’ve got a couple of guys 300 pounds guys,” Turner said. “You know this day and age, there’s not too many teams just pounding you. The flip side is technique, if you play with technique and execute inside, you can play a 285-pounder. We’ve got enough guys to rotate and stay fresh, so we should hold up.”
This question will truly be answered when the season begins and power teams such as LSU and Alabama come to town. Until then, however, teams have to take notice of a deep, lightning-fast and physically-fit Bulldog defensive line that has a new attitude toward opposing ball-carriers and quarterbacks.