Fort Collins – It’s one of those quandaries of spring football. If one side of the ball shows marked improvement, what does that say for the other side?
Colorado State’s Kyle Bell-led ground game improves by the day as the sophomore, along with senior Jimmy Green and redshirt freshman Gartrell Johnson, rip off huge gains. What does that say for CSU’s defense?
Last season, the Rams’ rushing defense fell to 111th nationally out of 117 teams, yielding 221.7 yards a game. The 5.2 per carry yield was next to last in Division I-A.
“Numbers don’t lie. People ran the ball down our throats,’ said returning starting linebacker Jahmal Hall, a senior. “We know we have to step up and be more physical. We have a lot more leadership. Everyone is stepping up’
Perhaps helping CSU’s defense is practicing this spring against a better rushing attack. CSU’s ground offense came in at 97th nationally a year ago.
“We definitely have guys who are preparing us,’ Hall said.
The addition of some two-back sets is further giving the defense a look at some offensive variety.
There’s also competition for all three linebacking jobs, although Hall and middle linebacker Courtney Jones haven’t lost their spots atop the depth chart. Weakside linebacker Luke Adkins hasn’t practiced all spring as he rehabilitates his knee. In his place, redshirt freshman Jeff Horinek has impressed coach Sonny Lubick and defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Steve Stanard.
“I think our depth is going to a little better at linebacker,’ Lubick said.
Injuries the past two seasons have forced the Rams to exhaust the depth chart, with mixed results.
Hall, undersized at 6 feet, 183 pounds last season, bulked up to 197 pounds before spring practice. “He’s shown up as well as anybody,’ Lubick said.
The Rams have had more contact work this spring than in years past to bring more physical play to both sides of the line. The most extensive hitting comes Saturday, starting at 10 a.m.
“There was some head-knocking today – well, maybe half-head-knocking,’ Lubick said Wednesday.
Several starters on both sides of the line are out either with new injuries or are coming off previous injuries. Stanard is encouraged by the linebacker play, considering only one projected starter on the defensive line, end Jesse Nading, practiced this week.
“A lot rides on (Saturday) for everybody,’ Hall said. “It will be a good opportunity for a lot of people.’
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-820-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
