What we saw and heard from the defense after one week:
DL – Jay Nelson is stepping up to be the 3rd defensive end behind Broc Bellmore and Ross Brenneman. He has had a great start thus far. Spencer Cummings is also living up to his billing and has moved up the depth chart and could be taking reps with the 1’s this week. He will be a valuable addition to the front 7 this fall. Ekenna Anya-Gafu is also making strides and could contribute. Ben Henson is the #2 noseguard and is making a positive impression on the defensive staff. He needs to be game-ready by fall to give Devin Benjamin a breather at nose.
ILB – Two great battles have emerged at strongside and weakside. Incumbent Mitch Goertz is having a great battle with Garrison Goodman for the #1 spot at ‘Sam’. Both players have had good starts so far. This may be a 1A/1B situation for the whole year as both bring a lot to the table. Ben Peters and Brian Otto are battling it out as well for the #2 spot at ‘Will’. Peters physically is impressive at 6-2, 241 lbs and will only get better with time. He carries his weight well and is still athletic enough to run around and make athletic plays. Good to see Otto making some plays as well and providing depth at weakside.
OLB – Damon Andrews is solidifying himself at the ‘Stud’ position and is becoming a consistently good player. Cordero Finley had a great winter in the weight room and looks the part. Now he needs to use it and become a more physical player in the run game while lining up against the TE. Dominique Bennett also has the athletic ability for a OLB to run down plays from the backside, but needs to be able to use his hands better, shed blocks and make plays in the running game when he is playside. Johnnie Daniels is providing good depth at ‘Zeke’ and will see the field more in the fall.
DB – Dominique Hawkins has made a good transition at safety so far and he and Erik Mersereau are providing the playmaking and leadership qualities you want in your safeties. Hawkins needs to make all 15 practices count so he can be comfortable going into fall. Mitch Kudrna had a good first week and provides good depth. At corner, Daryl Brown has made plays and been assertive. He seems to have a good feel for a freshman and definitely has the confidence you want in a corner. Kenny Watkins has also re-emerged after having a very disappointing 2010 season. Good to see him bounce back in the first week and make some big hits and plays. With Hall, Mackey, Watkins and Brown you can finally start to see some quality depth develop at corner.
We’re trying to just address some of the unknowns and younger guys this spring, as we already know what a lot of the upperclassmen can do, but we have to mention that Ross Brenneman and Dan Hendrickson are really lining themselves up to have great seasons as they have been real nuisances so far for the offense.
We’ll try keep you updated after each week of practice at minimum leading up to the Spring Game.