He is the X-factor of the team. It's crazy to say about someone who isn't even on campus, but he might make or break this defense.
Which is a terrible position to be in. What I have learned from watching the SEC for a long time is these guys always come in out of shape. They usually come in during the spring and even then they dont start playing the well until mid season. Wyche not coming in until the summer is such a huge disadvantage
It is. Unfortunately for our defense, we don't play UF every week.
The team is starting to look like Miami in the back seven and with its speed rushers. The defensive ends are seniors with Pierre and Chickillo. Now it needs the anchor in the middle, and unfortunately we have to rely on two JUCO guys. Heurtelou looked pretty good in spring, but Wyche is the guy who appears to have the upside.
One of the very best DTs ever in UM's history was a Juco, with 2 to play 2, and that was Cortez Kennedy. He was an overweight backup his junior year, he was a dominator his senior year (1989). We had the Tez and Russ Maryland, backed up by Jimmie Jones. We had Willis Peguese and Greg Mark at DE, backed by Shane Curry. It was an incredible defensive line one of the best in CFB history. The coach, Bob Karmelowicz, told me the LBs never got blocked. That shows you what stud interior DL play can do for your defense. It's not important necessarily that the DT makes a lot of tackles, it makes a difference that you control the OL and keep the LBs from getting blocked. That was one of the interesting things I learned when I went out for football in HS. I played on the DL and began to learn that my responsibility was much like the OLs when in pass protection; my job was to protect the LB from the OL, or at least one of my initial responsibilities.
Now that was a long time ago, and with different schemes, but I think there's some basic truth to that now. It doesn't mean it's the only responsibility but often it's a very important part of DL play.
Experts please elaborate or criticize what I'm saying.
