Bowling (no Burgers), 9th Frame: THE DEFENSE

Kitchen's closed.  No more tweets, no more burgers.  Just strikes and gutters as we move along into crunch time and take the wide-lens view of the defense as a whole.  (The 10th frame is the offense.)  Here we go...


Strikes

• By my inexact calculation, here is our list of "plus" starters on the defensive side of the ball.  These are the guys who elevate the talent level and ability of the defense above the average norm of mediocrity: DT Will Hill, MLB Steve Greer, WLB LaRoy Reynolds, and CB Tra Nicholson.  You might think that's a short list, but I really think the rest of our starting lineup is fairly ordinary in terms of the competition we're facing in the ACC.  The four guys listed above represent the difference-makers in our starting lineup.
• I might be tempted to add Bill Schautz to the above list, but he'll need to deliver the goods on a consistent pass rush, and we haven't even seen him play starter's minutes yet.
• I think our defense will be very good up the middle.  The tackles should be solid (and rotating in waves, and thus always fresh.)  We know we have ability at the Mike in Greer and uber-recruit Kwontie Moore.  Not sure about the safeties, but I have confidence in Ant Harris playing in the box.  Add it together, and I think teams will have trouble running up the middle against us.
• Stopping perimeter runs should also be an area of relative strength.  I think our ends are going to be good run-stoppers (especially Jake Snyder), and our corners will be willing tacklers, but the key is the seek and destroy capabilities of our outside linebackers, especially Roy.
• This is a bit of a cop-out, but with our o-line and running backs, we should be able to successfully control the ball when we want / need to.  This is key to keeping the defense off the field and keeping them fresh and rested.  So I count our running game as a positive for our defense.
• This is just a hunch, but I think the tangible uptick in speed and athletic ability across the board will lead directly to an uptick in the number of turnovers our defense will generate.  Brandon Phelps and Rijo Walker, I am looking at you.
• When we blitz, I think we'll blitz hard and effectively.  Guys like Da-Da Romero and Reynolds could be very good when they come on the pass rush.  And if we dial up a safety or a corner blitz, I think the improved athletic ability of the players in our secondary will make those plays successful.

Gutters

• We'll need that blitz to be good, because I worry about our base pass rush.  Schautz could deliver, and Hill is a good interior penetrator, but beyond those two nothing is really proven.  We need Eli Harold to come as advertised and lock down a role in the nickel pass rush.  We also need guys like Ausar Walcott and Jake Snyder to deliver the goods when they are attacking the passer.  Will Mike Moore and Courtnye Wynn redshirt, or will they see action this fall and help us with this pass rush?  Will young tackles like Chris Brathwaite and David Dean offer up that interior pass rush we'll need to compliment our middling edge rush?  Lots of questions in this area, in my opinion.
• Meanwhile, nothing helps a pass rush more than a strong secondary, and vice versa.  Unfortunately for us, this season figures to see both the pass rush and the defensive backfield as weaknesses.  My concerns about the secondary are already well-documented, but when these two pieces of the puzzle (pass rush and coverage) don't fit together, you tend to get a defense that can have the top blown off of it with relative - and disastrous - ease.  Ready to see us give up a lot of big plays this season?  If not, you better get ready.
• Under Mike London, the defense will eventually be the calling card of this program.  We're just not there yet.  The talent is in place, it just needs to gain experience.

Score for the Frame:
Okay, so in a nutshell, we'll be strong up the middle and solid on the edge.  The pass rush will be inconsistent, as will the young secondary.  We'll blitz more often than we've seen so far under Jim Reid.  Our defense will struggle to stop good passing offenses, but should be able to generate some turnovers.  The talent level is high, the depth chart is well-stocked, and as green players get bloodied and battle-tested and earn seasoning, the D will improve as the season drags along.  To me, this sounds like the basic epitome of an average college defense.  Therefore, this is an average frame.  Solid eight-pin hit on the first roll.  Bang a pin but fail to pick up the spare with the second roll.  Nine for the frame, and an open frame heading into the 10th...

Score Thru 9 Frames: 124



The Game So Far:

| 7/ | 7- | 33 | 8/ | X | 9/ | 8- | X | 81 |   | 124