2nd to last position discussion, lets go with one of our strongest positions top to bottom – the defensive line. Much like the WR corps, the D-line only lost one major contributor and it’s got the depth and talent built in to be able to fill that spot and hopefully not miss a beat. The challenge of course is that one loss, Alex Bienemann, represented a lot of the passion, heart, and soul of the D-line. Can the other D-line veterans pick up that slack? Wags, Takai, and Holmes will be looked upon to lead this group.
Lets start with the defensive ends:
Starter – Zach Wagenmann – Wags is widely regarded as the best defensive end in the Big Sky and one of the top defensive players in the FCS. He’s the pre-season defensive MVP, 1st team all-conference, and he’s on the Buch Buchanan watch list. He’s received plenty of pre-season accolades, save one from C-G Insider who was quickly taken to task on twitter from another former Griz D-lineman, and there’s plenty of hopes that 2014 will be his best season ever. Wags is a powerful speed rusher, he punishes QBs and is also great in run-support. A lot of speed rush D-ends aren’t that great in run defense, but Wags bucks that trend. It’s kind of hard to find an area that Wags need improvement on, his stat line last year, 64 tackles, 16.5 TFLs, 8.5 sacks, 6 QB hits, 1 recovered fumble, 3 forced fumbles is solid. I’d love to see him get 20+ TFLs and 10+ sacks this season.
Starter – Tyrone Holmes – Holmes hit a little bit of a sophomore slump after a stellar freshman season, posting 4 sacks (compared to 5 in 2012). He bumped up his QB hits though and when you talked to coaches he was making an impact that just wasn’t showing up in the stat books – forcing many hurried throws and pressures on QBs. Holmes, now a junior, I’m thinking will really show he’s a well-rounded and dangerous D-end. He’s very quick out of his stance and has great speed. He needs to keep improving on his motor – to keep going even when an O-lineman has him bottled up. Rush defense needs to keep getting better too. It’s a tall order but I could see this being a season where both our starting D-ends have double-digit sacks.
Backup – Derek Crittenden – Crittenden quietly had a solid season as a backup defensive end, finishing 8th on the team in tackles (more than Kidder or Holmes). He didn’t have many flashy stats, only half a sack, one fumble recovery, and a blocked kick. This season I’m thinking his role will stay the same, rotate in and help Wags and Holmes, also to be a force on special teams. For 2014 what I’d love to see from Derek is a bump-up in sacks and QB hits, to start to transition and get ready for presumably starting in 2015.
Backup – Ryan Johnson – Johnson I presume is going to enter fall camp as the other #2 defensive end but he’s going to see some major pressure from a healthy Addison Owen. Johnson’s advantage over Owen is experience at the position. We’ve seen at least 2 spring camps and 1 fall camp where Johnson has made a ton of flashy plays, including forced fumbles, interceptions on batted passes, and I think even scoring a defensive touchdown. He started the 2013 season as a backup and special team player but lost his job as the season went on. As a backup on defense you’ve got to be good at special teams, I wonder if that was his hold-up last year. Hopefully another year and some more experience in ST duty has Ryan ready to contribute
Backup – Addison Owen – I’m also listing Owen as a backup because I think him and Johnson are going to be duking it out this fall. Owen brings more speed and special teams acumen than Johnson but has no experience as a defensive end, and he missed spring ball, recovering from a surgery. Owen is going to have to adapt quickly to defensive end if he wants to see significant time this season. He could be the next Severin Campbell, who converted from OLB to DE and was a great pass rusher, but we just have to see what he can do once practice starts.
Depth – Aschan Richards – Richards is switching sides of the field, moving from TE to DE. He was a defensive end in high school. So far his Grizzly career has been injury after injury, and I don’t recall him practicing in fall camp. We’ll just have to see how he does back in his old high school position once fall camp gets under way.
OK now lets move to the interior, defensive tackle:
Starter – Tonga Takai – Takai is a defensive co-captain this season. A testament to toughness and durability he’s never missed a game that I’m aware of and is that ideal wide-body nose tackle a team wants in the middle of the D-line. Takai used to fool defenders with his quickness though (most all teams know about it now) and he’s an incredibly strong guy. He does his job well, fill the gap the interior O-line looks to create, force double teams, and slow down the running back. Takai’s always lacked in stats but as a DT that’s expected. He’s considered one of the best in the Big Sky. Tonga’s orders for this season? More of the same. I’d love to see some sacks or forced fumbles out of him too.
Starter – Caleb Kidder – Kidder eased into his role with much more playing time in 2014 and now it’s his time to shine as the other starter on this talented d-line. Kidder is a very fast and agile defensive tackle and this off-season adding more strength will only help him out. As I was told he was playing through injury last season so I’m expecting big things in 2014 now that he’ll presumably be back on track. One thing I really like about Kidder is his awareness of when a pass is being thrown and the ability to go up and bat it down. Did you know he was tied for 2nd on the team in knocked down passes? And I’m not talking about d-line players only. Chief Goodwin had 14 knocked down passes and then Kidder was tied with Jordan Tripp and Bo Tully… all with 5 knocked down passes. Kidder’s stock is on the rise, it’s time for (who I bet will be the next #37) to show what he’s made of.
Backup – Trevor Rehm – Your blue-collar behind the scenes guy on the D-line. Rehm is now a senior and will rotate in a bunch this season, as he has in the last few years. A little undersized as a D-tackle he makes up for it with a high motor and good speed for his position. Like in the past few years his stats won’t really amaze anyone, but he’s a guy that can be looked upon to provide good help off the bench and who can help keep the middle plugged up.
Backup – Zach Peevey – Peevey reminds me a lot of Alex Bienemann. He came to the Griz as an athletic freak of a d-lineman and has rather rapidly been asked to play multiple positions on the D-line and in special teams. Peevey, much line Bienemann, has succeeded so far. Last year Peevey was a D-end and a special teamer. About ¼ through the season he surpassed Ryan Johnson and started to travel and backup at D-end. Now as a RS-Sophomore Peevey finds himself as a backup at defensive tackle and will be looked upon to contribute big time on special teams as well. Much like Ryan Johnson he’s had some tremendous spring and fall camps, making a lot of great individual plays. For Peevey, it’s now time to prove it on the field. ST is where he’ll be needed the most I bet – but expect to see him out there helping backup Kidder and Takai as well.
Depth – Bo Harris – I’ve heard conflicting info that Harris has hung it up and others that he’s here in town this summer getting ready for fall camp. So… not sure here. He’s a big dude, a guy I think the coaches are hoping would take the role that will be left open by Takai in 2015. I don’t recall him practicing in spring camp.
Depth – Nate Bradley – You may be asking, “who is that?” Bradley is a walk-on from Billings who had a great spring camp which earned him a roster spot on the 2014 team. Bradley is a short guy at 5-10 but he’s listed at 260 pounds and this spring he showed some good raw talent, forcing a few fumbles and making some big stops. He could turn into a Ben Hughes-type of player with another year in the weight room and continued experience at the FCS level. We’ll see.
The Griz also have some D-line help coming with new recruits, however I don’t know if any will be pressed into service this season. Might be best for them to redshirt. But we’ll see what they’re made of in a few weeks time.
Cole Swartz – 6-5, 230 pound defensive end
Ben D’Alton – 6-3, 233 pound defensive lineman
Kyle Davis – 6-1, 245 pound defensive tackle
Evan Mcksch – 6-5, 230 pound defensive end
Nick Mertes, 6-3, 230 pound defensive end
Lets start with the defensive ends:
Starter – Zach Wagenmann – Wags is widely regarded as the best defensive end in the Big Sky and one of the top defensive players in the FCS. He’s the pre-season defensive MVP, 1st team all-conference, and he’s on the Buch Buchanan watch list. He’s received plenty of pre-season accolades, save one from C-G Insider who was quickly taken to task on twitter from another former Griz D-lineman, and there’s plenty of hopes that 2014 will be his best season ever. Wags is a powerful speed rusher, he punishes QBs and is also great in run-support. A lot of speed rush D-ends aren’t that great in run defense, but Wags bucks that trend. It’s kind of hard to find an area that Wags need improvement on, his stat line last year, 64 tackles, 16.5 TFLs, 8.5 sacks, 6 QB hits, 1 recovered fumble, 3 forced fumbles is solid. I’d love to see him get 20+ TFLs and 10+ sacks this season.
Starter – Tyrone Holmes – Holmes hit a little bit of a sophomore slump after a stellar freshman season, posting 4 sacks (compared to 5 in 2012). He bumped up his QB hits though and when you talked to coaches he was making an impact that just wasn’t showing up in the stat books – forcing many hurried throws and pressures on QBs. Holmes, now a junior, I’m thinking will really show he’s a well-rounded and dangerous D-end. He’s very quick out of his stance and has great speed. He needs to keep improving on his motor – to keep going even when an O-lineman has him bottled up. Rush defense needs to keep getting better too. It’s a tall order but I could see this being a season where both our starting D-ends have double-digit sacks.
Backup – Derek Crittenden – Crittenden quietly had a solid season as a backup defensive end, finishing 8th on the team in tackles (more than Kidder or Holmes). He didn’t have many flashy stats, only half a sack, one fumble recovery, and a blocked kick. This season I’m thinking his role will stay the same, rotate in and help Wags and Holmes, also to be a force on special teams. For 2014 what I’d love to see from Derek is a bump-up in sacks and QB hits, to start to transition and get ready for presumably starting in 2015.
Backup – Ryan Johnson – Johnson I presume is going to enter fall camp as the other #2 defensive end but he’s going to see some major pressure from a healthy Addison Owen. Johnson’s advantage over Owen is experience at the position. We’ve seen at least 2 spring camps and 1 fall camp where Johnson has made a ton of flashy plays, including forced fumbles, interceptions on batted passes, and I think even scoring a defensive touchdown. He started the 2013 season as a backup and special team player but lost his job as the season went on. As a backup on defense you’ve got to be good at special teams, I wonder if that was his hold-up last year. Hopefully another year and some more experience in ST duty has Ryan ready to contribute
Backup – Addison Owen – I’m also listing Owen as a backup because I think him and Johnson are going to be duking it out this fall. Owen brings more speed and special teams acumen than Johnson but has no experience as a defensive end, and he missed spring ball, recovering from a surgery. Owen is going to have to adapt quickly to defensive end if he wants to see significant time this season. He could be the next Severin Campbell, who converted from OLB to DE and was a great pass rusher, but we just have to see what he can do once practice starts.
Depth – Aschan Richards – Richards is switching sides of the field, moving from TE to DE. He was a defensive end in high school. So far his Grizzly career has been injury after injury, and I don’t recall him practicing in fall camp. We’ll just have to see how he does back in his old high school position once fall camp gets under way.
OK now lets move to the interior, defensive tackle:
Starter – Tonga Takai – Takai is a defensive co-captain this season. A testament to toughness and durability he’s never missed a game that I’m aware of and is that ideal wide-body nose tackle a team wants in the middle of the D-line. Takai used to fool defenders with his quickness though (most all teams know about it now) and he’s an incredibly strong guy. He does his job well, fill the gap the interior O-line looks to create, force double teams, and slow down the running back. Takai’s always lacked in stats but as a DT that’s expected. He’s considered one of the best in the Big Sky. Tonga’s orders for this season? More of the same. I’d love to see some sacks or forced fumbles out of him too.
Starter – Caleb Kidder – Kidder eased into his role with much more playing time in 2014 and now it’s his time to shine as the other starter on this talented d-line. Kidder is a very fast and agile defensive tackle and this off-season adding more strength will only help him out. As I was told he was playing through injury last season so I’m expecting big things in 2014 now that he’ll presumably be back on track. One thing I really like about Kidder is his awareness of when a pass is being thrown and the ability to go up and bat it down. Did you know he was tied for 2nd on the team in knocked down passes? And I’m not talking about d-line players only. Chief Goodwin had 14 knocked down passes and then Kidder was tied with Jordan Tripp and Bo Tully… all with 5 knocked down passes. Kidder’s stock is on the rise, it’s time for (who I bet will be the next #37) to show what he’s made of.
Backup – Trevor Rehm – Your blue-collar behind the scenes guy on the D-line. Rehm is now a senior and will rotate in a bunch this season, as he has in the last few years. A little undersized as a D-tackle he makes up for it with a high motor and good speed for his position. Like in the past few years his stats won’t really amaze anyone, but he’s a guy that can be looked upon to provide good help off the bench and who can help keep the middle plugged up.
Backup – Zach Peevey – Peevey reminds me a lot of Alex Bienemann. He came to the Griz as an athletic freak of a d-lineman and has rather rapidly been asked to play multiple positions on the D-line and in special teams. Peevey, much line Bienemann, has succeeded so far. Last year Peevey was a D-end and a special teamer. About ¼ through the season he surpassed Ryan Johnson and started to travel and backup at D-end. Now as a RS-Sophomore Peevey finds himself as a backup at defensive tackle and will be looked upon to contribute big time on special teams as well. Much like Ryan Johnson he’s had some tremendous spring and fall camps, making a lot of great individual plays. For Peevey, it’s now time to prove it on the field. ST is where he’ll be needed the most I bet – but expect to see him out there helping backup Kidder and Takai as well.
Depth – Bo Harris – I’ve heard conflicting info that Harris has hung it up and others that he’s here in town this summer getting ready for fall camp. So… not sure here. He’s a big dude, a guy I think the coaches are hoping would take the role that will be left open by Takai in 2015. I don’t recall him practicing in spring camp.
Depth – Nate Bradley – You may be asking, “who is that?” Bradley is a walk-on from Billings who had a great spring camp which earned him a roster spot on the 2014 team. Bradley is a short guy at 5-10 but he’s listed at 260 pounds and this spring he showed some good raw talent, forcing a few fumbles and making some big stops. He could turn into a Ben Hughes-type of player with another year in the weight room and continued experience at the FCS level. We’ll see.
The Griz also have some D-line help coming with new recruits, however I don’t know if any will be pressed into service this season. Might be best for them to redshirt. But we’ll see what they’re made of in a few weeks time.
Cole Swartz – 6-5, 230 pound defensive end
Ben D’Alton – 6-3, 233 pound defensive lineman
Kyle Davis – 6-1, 245 pound defensive tackle
Evan Mcksch – 6-5, 230 pound defensive end
Nick Mertes, 6-3, 230 pound defensive end
