Central Michigan University Athletics
Football Notebook: Experienced, Talented Quartet Leads Defense
8/18/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The move to a spread offense and the battle at quarterback have garnered much of the outside attention in the Central Michigan football team's training camp.
And while talk of the offense and who, eventually, will trigger it are certainly tantalizing, it is, at the end of the day, the defense that will make or break the Chippewas' season.
It almost always is.
For those who haven't paid attention, that defense, on paper, looks awfully good, led by four players who earned All-Mid-American Conference honors in 2016: cornerback Amari Coleman (first team), linebacker Malik Fountain (first team), end Joe Ostman (second team), and cornerback Josh Cox (third team).
"I'm cautiously optimistic that we can be as good as we were a couple years ago," third-year defensive coordinator Greg Colby said. "We're a little bit different type of defense than we were. We've had to tweak our scheme a little bit to adjust to the spread offenses that we're seeing now."
The Chippewas ranked fifth in the MAC and 54th nationally in total defense in 2016 after ranking second (MAC) and 16th (nationally) in '15. The hope for this season, Colby said, is that CMU can be more like that 2015 unit.
The above-mentioned quartet is a very good place to start, and the Chippewas - like everybody else in college football - have had to change with the times. As they more frequently face spread offenses built on speed with the aim to free up good athletes in space, the Chippewas have had to get faster, more athletic, and conditioning is paramount.
CMU's move to a spread offense itself has helped the Chippewa defense, Colby said.
"Our offense is helping us tremendously to learn to try to defend that," he said. "We're a little bit different, but I think we can be just as effective.
"Our guys were in great condition coming in. (Strength and conditioning coach) Jason Novak does a great job in the summer with them, but practicing with the offense the way they practice really helps us get in better shape. You just get used to that tempo, thinking faster and reacting faster.
"Conditioning's obviously a big part of it. You're going to get tired against (a spread) offense. It's just going to happen and you've got to have rotational plans to deal with it."
Fountain, the Chippewas' leading tackler a year ago, is the man in the middle of the linebacking corps. The junior is in his third year as a starter and has naturally ascended to the leadership position of the entire unit.
"Malik has kind of taken over in that role of being the quarterback of the defense, making the calls and getting people lined up," Colby said. "He's got a really good grasp of what we're doing.
"When a player gets to that point where they understand there's something not quite right, and then they go to the next step of knowing how to fix it. I think he's right there on the verge of being that kind of guy. I think he's going to have that kind of presence."
Coleman and Cox, both seniors, combine to form perhaps the best cornerback duo in the MAC, and are joined in the secondary by the likes of Sean Bunting, Darwyn Kelly, Da'Quaun Jamison, Zach Oakley, Tyjuan Swain and Ray Golden.
In the Chippewas' defense scheme - and out of necessity because of the number of receivers they potentially could face on any given play - any number of those defensive backs could be in the game, Colby said.
Ostman may be the best of a the Chippewas' very good defensive front. The senior ranked second in the MAC a year ago with nine sacks.
"I wouldn't trade Joey for anybody, anywhere," Colby said. "He may not be the fastest, most-athletic defensive end in college football, but I'll tell you what, he's got the fastest motor and he's stronger than a bull and he's relentless and he knows how to play.
"He's a dog for us out there. I look forward to his season. I think he's going to be a good one."
Opposite Ostman on the other end is junior Mitch Stanitzek, who played in just two games last season because of injury. Stanitzek, Colby said, is on the same career arc as is Ostman.
"Mitch, to me, is one year off of Joey Ostman," he said. "I think he's got a lot of potential to be one of the better D ends in the conference."
Sophomore Mike Danna, who may be the best all-around athlete among the Chippewas' defensive front four, will also see ample playing time on the end.
The Chippewas are again loaded at defensive tackle with the likes of D'Andre Dill, Shahid Bellamy, Mitch Steinhauer and Nate Brisson-Fast returning. The unit has been bolstered by the addition of steady and dependable veteran Chris Kantzavelos, who moved over from defensive end and has packed on 40 pounds.
Among the leading candidates to start on Fountain's flank in the linebacking corps are junior Alex Briones and sophomore Carlos Clark, while senior Jeff Perry and sophomore Michael Oliver are among the group of backups who should seeing playing time.
