Last year's Defensive Line was mediocre, but the yards we prevented on the line were frequently given up by the pass defense. This year, our line should consist of two seniors and two juniors; Joe Lemma at Left End, Ben Siegert at Left Tackle, Curtis Coker at Right Tackle, and Jeff Van Orsow at Right End. Dorian Smith is good enough to start at Right End, but Jeff Van Orsow is on the verge of being a great player. Joe Rudolph was projected to be second string Left End, but with his suspension, he probably won't see any playing time this year. In the middle, both Ben Siegert and Curtis Coker are experienced and ready to go.
This unit needs to use all its experience to do more. Between all four starters, they have a total of 10 lettering years. These guys are big, too, with an average size of 6-3, 280. This year, they need to get into the gaps, put pressure on the quarterback, and make him throw sooner. This will put less stress on the secondary, and will force less accurate throws. The more less accurate throws we force, the more turnovers we recover. The more turnovers we recover, the more we score. The more we score, the more we win. And if they don't score, we don't lose.
It's as simple as that.
And it starts with the Defensive Line.
Go Beavers!
--JB--