Defensive Line

Gold – Carolina

Marvin Austin is the headliner for this unit, but the strength of the Heels’ defensive front might be in its depth. Sure, there is a starting four, but there is a very real possibility that eight or more players could see the field along the defensive front at some point against McNeese State.

E.J. Wilson started all 12 games for Carolina last year, and recorded 44 tackles along with five sacks. Darrius Massenburg played in eight games as a freshman and Cam Thomas started three games while playing in seven. All eyes in Chapel Hill, however, will be on Marvin Austin. Austin’s commitment to Butch Davis and the Heels served as notice to some that the Carolina program was on the rise, and his play as a true freshman, while somewhat inconsistent, for the most part did not disappoint.

Austin earned first-team freshman All-America honors to go with his freshman All-ACC team recognition after tallying 26 tackles, six tackles for loss and four sacks in his debut season in Carolina blue. Many, including myself, expect those numbers to grow this year despite the increased attention he’ll see from O-lines following the departure of Kentwan Balmer and Hilee Taylor.

Despite Austin’s excellence and the consistency of E.J. Wilson, what earns Carolina the gold in this event is their depth. Tydreke Powell is an extremely talented red-shirt freshman who benefited from being able to take his time adjusting to the college game, unlike a number of his classmates who were thrown into the fire their freshman year. Because he played one of the few positions Carolina had a significant amount of upperclass talent at, Powell was able to spend his first year on campus learning from a pair of future NFL-ers, and he and the Carolina defense are better off for it.

Aleric Mullins (19 tackles, two sacks in 2007), listed as Marvin Austin’s backup, started the last four games of the season and will ensure there isn’t much of a drop-off when Austin inevitably has to leave the field for a breather at some point.

Silver – State

This unit lost a pair of its top reserves as two players who started games for the Pack on the defensive side of the ball last year, John Bedics and Ted Larsen, are now on the offensive side of the ball. This leaves Tom O’Brien with a defensive line that boasts a solid starting four, but little else.

Markus Kuhn is an impressive athlete for a man his size, and is never out-worked after the ball is snapped. An honorable-mention freshman All-American last year, Kuhn has the look and attitude of a player that looks like he could take a huge step forward this year. I wouldn’t be surprised to see double-digit tackles for loss and at least five sacks from the true sophomore this year.

Alan-Michael Cash led the defensive line in tackles last year with 50 while starting in all 11 of the teams games. He and Willie Young (48 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 6 sacks) make for a very productive and intimidating right side of the defensive front. With a majority of quarterbacks being right-handed, State will be well-served by putting the kind of pressure they are capable of on the opposing signal-caller’s blind side.

The offensive line’s gain, however, is the defensive line’s loss. With Bedics and Larsen in charge of protecting the QB now, and not tackling him, State’s depth on the defensive line is far from impressive. Keith Willis, Jr. hasn’t played since 2006 after sitting out a transfer year, Audi Augustin has never played more than 19 snaps in any game and the other two players on the two-deep, Shea McKeen and Leroy Burgess, didn’t make the media guide…right…

Bronze – Duke

The Devils might have the single-most talented player of any of the Triangle defensive lines in Vince Oghobasse, but his inconsistency and the unit’s lack of depth means the bronze medal heads to Durham.

Oghobasse’s arrival on campus rivaled, if not surpassed, that of Austin’s in terms of what people thought it meant for the future of the program. Obviously, his presence hasn’t equaled more wins as of yet, but an emphasis on conditioning this off-season has the junior defensive tackle in a position to contend for a spot on the All-ACC first team. The 6-foot-6, 300-pounder from Texas racked up an impressive 12 tackles for loss last year, while finishing second on the team with 4.5 sacks.

If Oghobasse is going to do even more damage this year, he will need some help from his friends to make sure he isn’t double-teamed on every play. Wesley Oglesby, a red-shirt sophomore that started 10 games at end last year, might be just that kind of player. Oglesby finished the season with 37 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.

The last two players listed as starters are Clifford Respress and Greg Akinbiyi. Both played in at least 11 of the team’s games, and the two combined for 54 tackles, with Respress adding a pair of sacks.

The problem the Devils have had in recent years is closing games out in the fourth quarter, and part of that has to do with a lack of depth in the trenches. Unfortunately for Duke fans, this year looks to be more of the same. Ayanga Okpokwuruk and Kinney Rucker are solid, with the former starting all 12 games last season (at nose guard, not the end position he is slated to play this year) and the latter showing the ability to rush the passer (3.5 sacks in 2007) when given the chance.

However, Charlie Hatcher, the one that is likely going to be in charge of giving Oghobasse the rest he’ll need, is a red-shirt freshman with no snaps to his credit. Duke’s defense is at it’s best when Oghobasse is fresh enough to dominate, but if the coaching staff is too scared to take him out for fear of the falloff they might suffer, he’ll wear down towards the end of games.

Linebackers

Gold – Duke

The Devils return by far the most experience and talent at the position, headlined by mainstays Michael Tauiliili and Vincent Rey. Both players tallied over 100 tackles last year, with Tauiliili registering 108 and Rey racking up a team-leading 111. Tauiliili alone has more starts to his credit (33) than any of the other team’s entire starting units. Rey also started every game for the Devils last year, and enters this season with All-ACC aspirations. Tauiliili enters the 2008 campaign with ideas of improving on his team-best 13 tackles for loss in 2007, and provides Duke with a linebacker that is more than solid in coverage (3 INTS in 2007).

Marcus Jones, a phenomenal athlete that has played quarterback and receiver in addition to linebacker during his stay in Durham, rounds out the starting three. The 6-foot-3 senior made five starts last year while playing in all 12 of the team’s games, totaling 32 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss along the way.

For all of the issues Duke has with depth on their team, the linebacker position is one place where there backups are at least somewhat experienced. Adam Banks, Jones’ backup at the SAM linebacker spot, has a decent number of snaps under his belt, earning a pair of starts during his true freshman season while playing in all 12 contests.

Charles Robinson is Rey’s backup at the WILL, and while the falloff is steep, Robinson did start four games last season before missing a half a dozen contests with a knee injury. Before he went down, the 6-2 senior amassed 20 tackles, four tackles for loss and an interception.

Middle linebacker is the one position that Duke can ill afford an injury, not only because it would mean the loss of one of their captains and best players in Tauiliili, but also because the reserve players at the spot aren’t nearly as seasoned as Banks and Robinson. Damian Thornton, a sophomore linebacker from Lenoir, NC, played mostly on special teams last year, and Trent Mackey, while fast, is a true freshman that has yet to step on a college football field on game day.

Silver – Carolina

The Tar Heels have a bit of everything at linebacker – experience, talent, and mystery.

Mark Paschal, a senior, is slated to be the starter at middle linebacker. He is coming off a 2007 season that saw him register 53 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and a pick, while playing in all 12 games (four starts). He isn’t the strongest or fastest player on Carolina’s team, but he has worked hard to get everything out of his talent that he possibly can, and won’t make mistakes on the field, something Butch Davis loves.

Quan Sturdivant showed up in Chapel Hill last year and quickly established himself as one of the best young players at the position in the conference, if not the country. The honorable-mention freshman All-American and first-team freshman All-ACC player played in all 12 games in his first season on campus on his way to totaling 47 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and an interception.

Bruce Carter, another true sophomore that saw plenty of action last year (played in all 12 games with seven starts), is coming off knee surgery in the spring. The 6-3 graduate of Havelock High School in Havlock, N.C., isn’t the player Sturdivant is, and it will be interesting to see if his knee is at full strength to start the season.

Depth is a bit of an issue for the Heels, as the two-deep includes a true freshman in Zach Brown, a career special-teamer in Kennedy Tinsley (8 tackles last year), and Chase Rice. Rice played some as a sophomore, starting three games while playing in all twelve, but was shelved for the year in 2007 after injuring an ankle in the team’s first game against James Madison. Though he hasn’t played in a game in nearly two years, Rice at least gives the Heels some senior leadership at the position.

Bronze – State

The losses of Lerue Rumph, Ernest Jones, and James Martin cannot be overstated. It’s tough enough losing one starter from the linebacking corps, but to lose all three players is just cruel. The three players combined for 266 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

They are replaced by Robbie Leonard (a converted safety), Nate Irving (a red-shirt sophomore), and Ray Michel (one career start). Needless to say, there will be times when Tom O’Brien kneels and prays to the linebacking gods for help.

Irving is by far the most experienced player, coming on at the end of last season to earn four starts in the last five games (he did not start the Wake Forest game because of an illness). The 6-1 Wallace Rose Hill High School graduate showed the kind of potential State fans hope he can build on this year, tallying 52 tackles and a sack to go along with seven tackles for loss.
The other two spots are where the question marks lie. Michel earned his first career start in the last game of the season in 2007, and totaled 43 tackles on the year. Leonard is a converted safety, and while he has played well in spring and fall practice, there is no substitute for in-game experience, something he has none of.

It will be interesting to see how long of a leash O’Brien has with these three. While Irving is likely a mainstay, I expect Michel and Leonard to be pushed by true freshmen Sterling Lucas and Dwayne Maddox at some point. Though Maddox is listed behind Irving on the two-deep, he could easily move in for Leonard should he struggle early. The freshmen make up in athleticism what they lack in experience, and if State should start to see their season slip away, I wouldn’t be surprised if O’Brien got them some snaps in preparation for 2008. Injuries, of course, could always push up that timetable.

Defensive Backs

Gold – Carolina

Even without Charles Brown 100% for the team’s home opener (Jordan Hemby may start for him against McNeese State), and despite the fact that two of the remaining three starters are true sophomores, Carolina boasts the best secondary in the Triangle.

Trimane Goddard is an All-ACC candidate that must feel like a grandfather playing beside all of the young guys. Goddard finished third on the team in tackles (59) and second in the conference in forced fumbles (3) in 2007.He missed the entire spring practice season recovering from wrist surgery he had to repair an injury he played through in 2007, but the senior with 18 starts to his name, knows what he’s doing well enough that it shouldn’t hurt him at all in 2008.

Deunta Williams racked up all kinds of post-season awards after his stellar freshman campaign in 2007. The ACC rookie of the year last year (teammate Brown finished second in the voting), Williams finished the year with 57 tackles, three interceptions and a forced fumble. After earning first-team freshman All-America honors in his first season playing college ball, it is not out of the question to say that the 6-2 sophomore and Goddard form the best safety duo in the conference.

Cornerback is another area of strength for Carolina, especially when Charles Brown is healthy. With Brown out, Hemby, a player that did not record a tackle last year, and that has struggled with injuries for the past two seasons, will make the start against McNeese State.

Heels fans will hope for Brown’s speedy recovery, but in the meantime they can rest easy knowing that Kendrick Burney is manning the other corner spot. Though Burney didn’t earn freshman All-ACC honors like Brown did in 2007, he did start every game at the position for the Heels on his way to tallying 50 tackles and an interception.

Da’Norris Searcy and Melvin Williams are probably the team’s best backups. Searcy saw action in all twelve games as a freshman, while Willams’ play in a Carolina uniform will be his first (he attended community college for two years).

Silver – Duke

The Devils don’t have the same level of talent as the Heels, but they are far more experienced than the Pack.

All four starters have 2007 starts under their belt, led by Leon Wright who started all 12 games for Duke last year. Wright was the team’s best player in the secondary, trying for the team-lead with three interceptions and finishing behind only Tauiliili, Rey and Chris Davis in total tackles (67). Jabari Marshall, mostly a return specialist before this year, will be called upon to man the other corner spot. Marshall started a pair of games at the position last season, so he shouldn’t have a problem adjusting to every-down duties.

The two safeties heading the two-deep also boast a great deal of experience, most notably Glenn Williams, who started 10 games last season, albeit at cornerback. Williams and Gainey combined for 114 tackles in 2007,

Safety depth looks pretty good for Duke, as Adrian Aye-Darko, a two-year starter, is waiting in the wings in case something should happen to either Williams or Gainey. Corner is another story, as the players slated to backup Marshall and Wright are true freshman Lee Butler and sophomore Chris Rwabukamba, a player that saw action strictly on special teams last year.

Bronze – State

I almost gave State the silver because of Jeremy Gray, but there were too many other issues for me to overlook.

Gray, a graduate player, brings a wealth of leadership to an inexperienced State defense. He can also play some football too, registering 62 tackles in 2007, good for fourth on the team, and a team-best three interceptions. Starting opposite him is DeAndre Morgan, a player that is poised to have a breakout year after starting seven contests in 2007. Morgan led the team with eight pass break-ups and totaled 31 tackles to go along with a recovered fumble.

Safety is where the Pack could have some issues, as two players that were expected to see significant snaps, Javon Walker and Clem Johnson, are already done for the year with knee and jaw injuries, respectively. In their places will be J.C. Neal and Justin Byers.

Neal is a converted cornerback that started the last three games of 2007 at safety. That experience will make him that much better heading into 2008, as he has at least some snaps under his belt at the position he will play this season. Byers, a red-shirt freshman, is very raw, which means Neal’s experience at safety is that much more important to this unit’s success.

State better hope that the starting four stay healthy, because the depth, or lack thereof, is simply frightening. Koyal George, Morgan’s backup at corner, is a converted wide receiver who has never played the position in a game. Dominique Ellis, the other backup at corner on the two-deep, is a true freshman. The safety situation is equally as bad, as injuries have ravaged the unit to the point where the backups are a red-shirt freshman (Jimmaul Simmons), and a 2007 walk-on that played on special teams.

Ouch…