The Wolfpacker

56 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ing quarterbacks to just 10-of-21 passing for 93 yards with the longest pass coming on a 38-yard reception to redshirt sopho- more tight end David J. Grinnage. The lon- gest haul for a receiver was just eight yards by sophomore Jumichael Ramos. Depth though was a concern at corner during the spring. Sophomore Sean Paul and redshirt sophomore Niles Clark both missed the scrimmage with injuries. Clark had earned strong praise from Huxtable for "having a heck of a spring." Options Up Front The new looks on defense have allowed for more competition at linebacker. Con- ventional wisdom entering the spring was that junior M.J. Salahuddin and senior Brandon Pittman would be the favorites to start, with Salahuddin manning the middle and Pittman handling weakside duties. Challengers emerged in the spring, though, in the form of senior Rodman Noel and redshirt freshman Jerod Fernandez. Doeren credited Noel as a player "that re- ally had a good spring." He ran with the first stringers alongside Salahuddin in the spring game, totaling four tackles, 1.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and one sack. Salahuddin had three assisted tackles, in- cluding one in the backfield, and broke up a pass. His counterpart on the White team, Fernandez, was all over the field, piling up a scrimmage-high 11 tackles, including a sack. Pittman added three tackles for the White squad. On the line, the star of the game was redshirt junior end Mike Rose, who was elevated to a starting role to replace the de- parted Darryl Cato-Bishop alongside fifth- year senior Art Norman. Rose had six stops, a scrimmage-high 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Depth at defensive end remains a question mark, but there were promising signs from former linebacker Drew Davis, a redshirt sophomore who had five tackles, 2.5 stops for loss and a sack for the Red team. Doeren is also high on the potential of redshirt fresh- man Pharoah McKever, who bounced around positions last fall after being recruited as a receiver and has settled in at defensive end. Doeren noted that McKever is pushing 250 pounds on his 6-7 frame and has the potential to be an athletic 270-290-pounder. "He can run," Doeren said. "He's a knee bender and very athletic. I'm excited for his future at that position. I think he's going to be able to not just add length, but also be a guy that can bend and run. Every coach's dream is to have those big long guys at the edge of their defense to be in throwing lanes and get around tackles and use that exten- sion." Similarly, redshirt sophomore Joe Wright continues to add strength to his 6-7 frame, checking in at 236 pounds at the start of spring drills. He was active in the scrim- mage, tallying four stops, 2.5 tackles for loss and a game-high two sacks. The interior of the line returns many of its main characters from last fall, including fifth-year senior Thomas Teal, senior T.Y. McGill and sophomore Monty Nelson. A new name in the equation was freshman B.J. Hill, yet another early enrollee. Like Pratt and McCain at safety, Hill made a quick impression on the coaches and earned a role on the first string in the spring game. He tallied four tackles in the contest and is growing into his 6-3, 280-plus pound frame. "B.J. has done a tremendous job for a guy that has been here for just two and a half months," Huxtable said. "All of those guys have really done a tremendous job. I've been really impressed with how quick they've learned and picked up the system, and how hard they've worked." Doeren and Huxtable are hoping that all of their players, from fifth-year seniors to in- coming recruits, have similar success adapt- ing to the 4-2-5 in the fall. ■ Redshirt freshman linebacker Jerod Fernandez had a strong spring, capped by a game-high 11 stops and one sack in the Kay Yow Spring Game. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN "It gives us more flexibility within our package. It gives us a chance to do more with the personnel we have. We think it is the best lineup for us." ■ Dave Doeren on the Wolfpack's switch to a base defense of four linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs 54-56.Spring FB Defense.indd 56 4/29/14 11:59 AM

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