The Bleacher Report breaks down the top 10 SEC defensive line's heading into 2010. As expected, UK is not listed in the top 10. UK's defensive line is the biggest concern for most heading into next season. Remember, games are won at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Losing Corey Peters is huge as he is likey a first day draft selection and his shoes will be tough to fill. Look for Shane McCord, Mark Crawford and Mister Cobble to push hard for playing time. Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Ranking the SEC's Defensive Line units
The Bleacher Report breaks down the top 10 SEC defensive line's heading into 2010. As expected, UK is not listed in the top 10. UK's defensive line is the biggest concern for most heading into next season. Remember, games are won at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Losing Corey Peters is huge as he is likey a first day draft selection and his shoes will be tough to fill. Look for Shane McCord, Mark Crawford and Mister Cobble to push hard for playing time. 
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I'm stating the obvious when I say Corey Peters' graduation will be tough for UK's defensive unit to overcome. UK simply doesn't have another DT like Peters or Myron Pryor. Ricky Lumpkin isn't a bad player at all, but Ricky just doesn't have Peters' or Pryor's brute strength and power. And when you consider Micah Johnson won't be there anymore to back up the interior line and make tackles inside the box at MLB, there is cause to worry about the Cats' ability to stop the run. Even with Corey and Micah, UK's defensive unit ranked 11th in the SEC against the run in 2009. That picture could get worse in 2010.
ReplyDeleteBut there is another side to this coin. UK's DEs are bound to be improved in 2010. In 2009, no UK DE had ever played a serious down against an SEC opponent before. Chandler Burden had seen some meaningless mop-up snaps in 2008, but Taylor Wyndham and Collins Ukwu were redshirting that season. Meanwhile, Dequin Evans was playing JUCO ball in California. So UK's DEs were incredibly green last fall, and will undoubtedly play much better from the get-go this time around with a year of experience under their belts. Plus they will add Justin Henderson and Pat Ligon to the mix.
That's important, because it suggests UK's 2010 defensive front will simply have a different set of strengths and weaknesses this time. Although the DTs will be a work in progress, the DEs might actually be pretty good. If the pass rush improves, and if a couple of youngsters like Mister Cobble and Brice Laughlin develop as the season rolls along, there is hope for UK's defensive unit. Stopping the run will be the $64,000 question, though.
Fortunately, the secondary is manned by veterans. That part, at least, should be alright from the beginning.
I agree with you completely on this one. UK's will have experience on the ends and hopefully someone steps up at DT. The game are won and lost in the trenches. I feel good about UK's secondary and linebackers (now that Lentz is moving).
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