Now, a look at our 2005 defense. We have to replace several key players on this side of the ball, including some All-Conference honorees.
Defensive Linemen
Wingard (39/39), undersized but tough as nails, returns at one DE and hopes for an injury-free senior year.
Farr (39/39) was a devastating pass rush specialist last year, and he'll be counted on for every-down duty in '05. We'll miss All-Conference star
Juan Carter here, big time.
Houck (12/27) is a long way from being ready, and
Edwards (10/42) has potential, but his academic issues are keeping him off the field.
We're going to run a 3-4 base defense again this year, with
Houston (22/22) at nose tackle. He's the best of a poor lot of options, with
Bycroft (13/35) also not quite ready for prime time.
Linebackers
One of the freshmen,
Duffy (23/35) or
Earhart (19/41) will need to start at OLB. Duffy is more polished right now, but Earhart has real potential as a run destroyer. Gritty little
Wason (36/38), whom I like a lot, returns on the other flank.
Camacho (28/33), who battled injuries last season, and
Weaver (24/25), who played a good bit on passing downs, give us two seniors at ILB.
Andersen (9/40) and
Farrell (13/52) have promise, and they'll be important reserves this year.
Defensive Backs
The task of replacing
Ray Roberson will fall to first year
Jordan (14/49), who shows signs of being a shutdown corner one day.
Truitt (18/46), who held his own as a freshman last year, returns at the other corner, and he will cover the other team's most dangerous threat.
Our three best safeties all graduated, leaving us with unproven
Ross (25/36) and
Coles (24/40) to hold the fort this season. They were on the field for a combined total of 66 defensive plays in '04. In a perfect world,
Quinn (9/49) would redshirt, but I'm not sure I can afford that luxury.
On paper, our defense will fall short of the standard established by last season's unit, which was led by a number of seniors.