FORT COLLINS — Mike Bobo received the news of the Arizona Bowl pairing early on Dec. 6, and he got a head start on watching game tape of Nevada.
It didn’t take long for the Colorado State coach to notice a few things about the Wolf Pack. Namely, defensive ends Ian Seau and Lenny Jones. CSU offensive coordinator and line coach Will Friend also took immediate notice.
“His effort. He’s very athletic, and he’s an all-conference defensive end,” Friend said of Seau, an all-Mountain West selection. “He jumps out the plays he makes right way. The other end, Lenny Jones, is a good player too, and the two young defensive ends are athletic and younger kids who can rush the passer too.
“I really believe as far as a group of ends, they are the best pass-rushing group that we’ve played this year as a total unit. They do a great job and are athletic. The front seven is a very good group. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
It’s an assessment Seau said they have heard before, and while flattered, they really don’t take much from the compliments. Instead, Seau and Jones are driven by the competition they have with each other.
Trying to better each other is what they do best.
“We more take pride in who is performing the best,” Seau said. “Everyone thinks we’re one of the best defensive end combos in the conference, and that’s up to them, but we just focus as a team on trying to get better.”
Seau will enter the Arizona Bowl in Tucson on Dec. 29 with nine sacks, which lead the Mountain West. He also has 15½ tackles for lost yardage. Jones has 11½, including six sacks. So, naturally, Seau is winning, right?
“Nah, Lenny’s solid,” Seau said. “We all make jokes about who does what and all that nature. He thinks he’s a better run stopper and I think I’m a better pass rusher. Somebody always brings up the games we had. He had San Jose State, I had Hawaii, so we just have games.”
Seau remembers CSU’s offensive line as being physical, and he hasn’t seen anything on tape that will change that opinion. He knows the Rams want to run the ball well. If the Wolf Pack can stop that, Seau and Jones will start to fly upfield. Which they can do, and CSU offensive tackle Sam Carlson knows it, having squared off with Seau last year. He even recalls giving up a sack to him.
“Seau’s a great pass rusher,” Carlson said. “They have a lot of good guys on the edges that we’re going to have to be aware of at all times. He’s just the guy who leads them at this time.
“From what I’ve seen, everybody that’s played them has struggled on the edges against them.
“It’s going to be huge for us to be good with our hands and our eyes, making sure we’re punching those guys off.”
