DEFENSIVE LINEWithout Mario Williams, Manny Lawson and John Mccargo, state has holes to fill on D-line
Defensive EndsPerhaps no other unit lost as much as the defensive ends. Departing first-round draft picks Mario Williams and Manny Lawson combined for 25.5 sacks in the 2005 season. Williams rewrote the record book in his three seasons at State, leaving as the all-time leader in sacks and tackles for loss.
The losses have paved the way for intense competition among those looking to replace the previous bookends. Redshirt freshman Willie Young, senior John Amanchukwu and redshirt juniors Littleton Wright and Martrel Brown are all vying for the two starting spots.
“There’s a lot of competition going,” Young said. “We don’t have a definite one or two.”
Last year, Young and Wright were highly-touted incomers – Young from high school and Wright from junior college – that both sat out and took a redshirt.
“We’re missing a lot of game experience, but because the ends play so hard, physically and aggressively we make up for that. Playing hard always wins,” Young said.
Amanchukwu has moved from defensive line to offensive line then back to defensive line in his career that started at nearby St. Augustine’s College.
Brown has moved over from defensive tackle and dropped 30 pounds to become quicker off the edge. He leads all the competitors with 13 career tackles.
“We’re trying to find that combination to open the door. Once we find that combination, I feel pretty good about it – regardless of who [we] open with,” Young said.
Defensive TacklesAlthough John McCargo, another first-rounder, is gone, the defensive tackles should continue on with little drop-off, according to senior defensive tackle Tank Tyler.
When McCargo missed the final six games last year due to injury, Tyler started in his place in each contest. Tyler, a senior from Fayetteville, also made 11 starts the year before.
“We were rotating, so I always felt like a starter,” Tyler said. “I never felt out of the picture, but I feel I have more of a role to play this year because I’m one of the more experienced guys being on the field for four years.”
Tyler will partner up with DeMario Pressley once again. Pressley is a member of the preseason “watch list” for the Chuck Bednarik Award and has started in 12 consecutive games.
“Our strength is me and Tank really complement each other. Coach may call a twist and Tank will come out of nowhere and hit you. And I bring more speed I guess, after he [hits] you, I’m going to whiz right by,” Pressley said.
Although the two frequently saw the field as part of last year’s defensive line, they combined for only three sacks.
“With them gone, it opens opportunities for us to make more plays,” Pressley said.
With questions about how productive the ends can be this year, the two know they must up their pressure on the quarterback for the defense to remain dominant.
“Me and DeMario need to make more plays and more tackles for loss and more sacks for the simple fact that those guys are gone. But I feel like Willie Young and those guys will play the same role in getting those sacks,” Tyler said.
SECONDARY
Even after the departure of Marcus Hudson, the secondary is the most experienced unit on this year’s defense
Cornerbacks A.J. Davis, a fifth-year senior from Durham, has been in on more than 1,500 snaps and picked off four passes last year, averaging more than 25 yards per interception return.
In last season’s 20-15 upset of Florida State, Davis was named Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for his nine-tackle, two-interception performance.
The other starter penciled in for now is lightning-fast junior Jimmie Sutton, who doubles as a member of the track team. Sutton made his mark last year as the team’s nickelback and will see tougher assignments this season on the first team.
“He’s played before, so I just tell him how it’s going to be out there. A lot of things he all ready knows – he just hasn’t done it yet,” Davis said.
Junior Phillip Holloman has impressed his comrades with his play so far in practice, some predicting him to be the biggest surprise. Holloman only broke up one pass and completed six tackles over the course of last season.
“He’s learning the nickel spot and picking it up. He’s improved after every practice,” Davis said.
Rounding out the corners is sophomore Levin Neal. A Wilmington native, he broke up a pass and made 11 tackles in 38 plays last year, 33 of those plays coming on special teams, and he looks to be in on more downs this year.
That is, if he can hold off Jeremy Gray. The 6-foot-2 corner – the tallest of the group – looks to bounce back after a foot injury cut his season two games short.
SafetiesThe safeties will open the 2006 season with almost the entire unit intact from a year ago.
Garnering most of the preseason attention has been roverback Garland Heath, who made a huge impression with Pack fans after game-sealing interceptions against Georgia Tech and Florida State.
At 220 pounds, Heath can deliver a blow in addition to coming away with a pick, of which he had five.
“I’m expecting big things,” Heath said. “Everyone is saying we are the most experienced part of the defense, but we are expecting a lot. Personally, I expect to do better than what I did last year.”
As a safety, Heath sees all the action developing in front of him. As a senior, he’s trying to develop a knowledge of all the game’s happenings to ensure the secondary performs well.
“I’ve been trying to be more of a leader and try to get everybody lined up and learn the other positions so I can know what other people on the field are doing while I’m doing my position,” Heath said.
Junior Miguel Scott will once again handle free safety duties. Scott missed two games in the middle of the schedule last year, but proved to be a fast healer, actually improving his play the rest of the way. Scott and Heath are both entering their second year as starters.
“Right now we have the most experience coming back, so it might depend on us to step up in a game because we have the most experience,” Scott said. “This year is a big year for me – trying to make more plays and just make things happen for the defense.”
Sophomore J.C. Neal is an athlete that coaches are very high on, and he should see more time as the primary backup to Scott. Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore DaJuan Morgan, who led the team in special team snaps with 242, will once again play second fiddle to Heath.
Toward the end of last season both saw the field more as defenders, and that experience could increase this year as they have taken their turns at being the team’s dimeback.
LINEBACKERS
Reggie Davis hopes to make impact at new position
Former running back Reggie Davis will replace Stephen Tulloch, who left for the NFL Draft and was selected in the fourth round by the Tennessee Titans. He had a season like few Wolfpack players have ever had, notching 150 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, six sacks and an interception returned for a touchdown.
Davis had spent his first three seasons on the offensive side of the ball, but due to the substantial depth at running back and the lack thereof at linebacker, Pack coaches approached Davis with the idea of converting to defense.
“They asked me to [switch to fullback], and then they asked me to play linebacker. And I was like ‘OK I’ll switch again.’ I’m just all about helping my team win, and wherever they see fit that I can be to help the team win, I’ll do it,” Davis said. “If they ask me to play kicker, I might just play kicker.”
Davis has been absorbing the pointers from coaches and teammates as he will now have to come up with the tackles that he once avoided as a ball carrier.
“It’s a great experience to be able to hit somebody instead of getting hit now,” Davis said.
In the middle is Pat Lowery. Lowery, a senior from Mocksville, started two games last season.
“It’s something that whenever you come to college, you’re like, ‘I want to start,’ and maybe that didn’t work out. But I’ve never been a person to be like, ‘I should’ve been playing,'” he said.
In his final season, Lowery said he needs to continue what he has done in spot duty over his career, relying on instincts to make plays.
“I feel like when I played in the past I showed that I could play and be a productive player. Now it’s just a matter of that stretching out for 12 games, and I don’t see that not happening, personally,” Lowery said.
Returning to the strong-side is junior LeRue Rumph. He had made 59 tackles in 2005 before injury set in over the last three games, but he will have to beat out reserves James Martin and Ernest Jones in a position battle Amato said would go down to the wire.