2008 Opponent Position Preview: Defensive Line | by Pat
The offense is done. Time to move to the defense. If you're just catching up, here are the QB, RB, WR, and TE/OL previews.
SAN DIEGO STATE
DE - Jonathan Soto. RS Junior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 35 tackles 3.0 sacks 4.5 TFL, 1 FF.
DT - Siaosi Fifita. Senior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 29 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 6.0 TFL.
DT - Ernie Lawson. RS Sophomore. New Starter.
2007 stats: 17 tackles.
DE - B.J. Williams. RS Sophomore. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 45 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 4.0 TFL.
The Aztecs return a veteran defensive line as three of the four starters have started at least eight games in their careers. However, these same starters were part of the line that allowed the nation's 118th worst rush defense in 2007. The lone newcomer is Ernie Lawson, who was a backup last season. At 6'3" 250 pounds, B.J. Williams is their pass rusher coming in off the edge. He only picked up 1.5 sacks in that role last year as a new starter but those numbers should go up now that he has a year of experience to his name. Redshirt junior Jonathan Soto is a bigger defensive end at 6'3" 270 pounds which should help against the run. Senior Siaosi Fifita (right) started his career at linebacker before being moved to defensive end. He was moved in to tackle during spring ball. At 6'4" 270 pounds he's slightly undersized for the tackle spot. He also hurt his knee, making him somewhat questionable for the ND game. Depth: If Fifita can't go, Soto will slide inside at the tackle spot. Also helping out is massive 6'4" 355 JUCO transfer Darias Jones. He only made it to the final few practices so he's still catching up and will only be a spot player. If Soto moves, the new starter in his place will be either junior Tony DeMartinis, who is also the backup tight end, or Ohio State transfer Ryan Williams. The backup behind Lawson at tackle is freshman Jerome Long, who is definitely undersized at 250 pounds.
MICHIGAN
DE - Tim Jamison. (#10 DE) RS Senior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 52 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 10 TFL, 1 INT, 2 FF.
DT - Will Johnson. (#35 DT) RS Senior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 40 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 1.5 TFL.
DT - Terrance Taylor. (#5 DT) Senior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 55 tackles, 3.5 sacks. 8.5 TFL, 1 FR.
DE - Brandon Graham. (#25 DE) Junior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 25 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 9.5 TFL, 2 FR, 3 FF.
Any question as to the improvement or not of the Irish offensive line will be answered when they line up against Michigan's DL. Arguably the best line ND will face all year, the Wolverine front four are experienced as any and filled with NFL talent. Perhaps the best player is the youngest, junior Brandom Graham. He only started five games last season, but led the team in sacks. In fact, no opponent on the 2008 Irish schedule finished with more. Extremely fast for his 270 size, Graham will be tough against the pass and run. Nose tackle Terrance Taylor is the biggest one on the line at 6'0" 320 pounds. He has started 24 games for Michigan and led the entire DL last season in tackles. Running up the middle against him will be tough. Next to him is another experienced tackle in redshirt senior Will Johnson. He's a taller tackle at 6'5" 285 pounds, which sometimes works against him, but his strength makes up for his relative lack of bulk. It took redshirt Tim Jamison (left) until last season to crack the starting lineup, but he has been a valuable backup his entire career. With one final season he will be a defensive leader and should improve on last year's numbers, including his second best on the team 10 tackles for loss. Depth: The backups at the tackle spots are inexperienced with undersized but extremely strong freshman Mike Martin behind Taylor at the nose tackle spot while Canadian import and sophomore Renaldo Sagesse will play behind Johnson. Sagesse only saw action in six games last year as a freshman.
MICHIGAN STATE
DE - Brandon Long. Senior. New Starter.
2007 stats: 18 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 4.0 TFL, 1 FF.
DT - Justin Kershaw. RS Senior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 34 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 5.0 TFL, 1 FR.
DT - Oren Wilson. Sophomore. New Starter.
2007 stats: 10 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 FR.
DE -Trevor Anderson. RS Junior. New Starter.
2007 stats: transfer from Cincinnati.
The Spartan line might appear to be inexperienced at first glance, but that really isn't the truth. Junior transfer Trevor Anderson is one of the reasons why. He sat out the 2007 after transferring from Cincinnati where he started all 13 games at defensive end, led the team in sacks, and was named 2nd Team All-Big East. He'll be a strong fill-in for the departed Jonal Saint-Dic in the pass rush department. The emergence of Saint-Dic was one of the reasons that expected starter Brandon Long slide back into a backup role last season. A former linebacker, the 6'4" 250 pound Long should be solid against the run for the Spartans. Redshirt senior Justin Kershaw has the most starts under his belt and successfully made the transistion from defensive end to defensive tackle. At 6'5" 275 pounds he's still a bit undersized for tackle, but his quickness makes up for it somewhat. The true new starter is sophomore Oren Wilson (right). He's another tackle that doesn't crack the 290 pound mark so it will be interesting to see how he holds up over the course of a game. Depth: Wilson held off the much larger 6'5" 318 pound Antonio Jeremiah for the starting job, but look for Jeremiah to get plenty of playing time, especially on obvoius running downs. Redshirt senior Dwayne Holmes moved from fullback last season and will contend for snaps at the defensive end spot with Brandon Long. At 6'0" 286 pounds, he's definitely built to stop the run. Freshman defensive end Tyler Hoover is a big 6'7" 270 pounds and has a bright future if early practice reports are any indication.
PURDUE
DE - Ryan Kerrigan. Sophomore. New Starter.
2007 stats: 18 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1.0 TFL.
DT - Ryan Baker. RS Senior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 22 tackles, 0.0 sacks, 4.0 TFL,
DT - Alex Magee. Senior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 38 tackles, 0.0 sacks, 4.5 TFL, 2 FR, 1 FF.
DE - Keyon Brown. RS Junior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 21 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 4.0 TFL, 1 FF.
Purdue returns a veteran line led by their tackles. Senior Alex Magee (left) has started 22 games in his career and is stout against the run and quicker than the average 300 pound defensive tackle. Redshirt senior Ryan Baker cracked the starting lineup last season and returns, but at 280 pounds can't always hold up to a physical run game. He's a tough player though and has the experience to outplay those that might have a talent edge. Keyon Brown started last season as a backup but moved into the starting lineup for the final 12 games. He's a quick end at 6'3" 240 pounds and should continue the somewhat under the rader Purdue tradition of quality defensive ends. Sophomore Ryan Kerrigan is more of a run stopping defensive end at 6'4" 255 pounds than a pass rusher. He saw limited action last season and will be counted on to quickly acclimate to playing nearly every down. Depth: Junior Mike Neal was hit with injuries last season, but still picked up 22 tackles and 2 sacks at the defensive tackle spot. Redshirt freshman Gerald Gooden is a smaller defensive end at 6'3" 235 pounds and was suspended from the team for awhile, but is back now and expectations are that he'll be able to play himself into a solid reserve for the Boilermakers.
STANFORD
DE -Pannel Egboh. (#34 DE) RS Senior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 49 tackles, 6.0 sacks, 13. 5 TFL, 2 FR, 3 FF.
DT - Brian Bulcke. Junior. New Starter.
2007 stats: 9 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1 TFL.
DT - Ekom Udofia. (#14 DT) RS Junior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 18 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 2.0 TFL.
DE - Erik Lorig. RS Junior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 37 tackles, 2 sacks, 7.5 TFL.
Another team, another veteran defensive line returning. Sense a theme yet? Redshirt junior Pannel Egboh (right) is one of the most underrated pass rushers in the nation and is line for a great final season. He's a huge end at 6'6" and 275 pounds but is still fast enough to give left tackles fits trying to contain him. The next best player is redshirt junior Ekom Udofia. A big run stuffer at 6'2" 310 pounds, Udofia has battled injuries during his time on the Farm. He broke his leg midway through last season, but still has 18 career starts to his name. If he can finally stay healthy he'll be a big assest to the Cardinal defense. Erik Lorig started out at tight end for Stanford but moved to defense last season and started eight games at end. Now that he's more familiar with the position he should see an uptick in his tackles and sacks. He's 6'4" 270 pounds, which gives Stanford two sizable defensive ends. Junior Brian Bulcke is the lone new starter of the group although he did start the final two games of last season. He's not much bigger than Egboh or Lorig at 6'4" 278 pounds, so he might have trouble with bigger offensive linemen. He also missed spring practice due to injury so he will make a few inexperience mistakes here or there. Depth: Sione Fua is actually listed as the starter on the latest Stanford depth chart in place of Ekom Udofia. It could be an injury fill-in, or he could have beaten out Udofia right before the first game. Either way, Fua will see the field this year in some manner after serving his LDS mission last season. A tough 6'2" 305 pounds, Fua will plug the middle and provide an excellent one-two punch with Udofia. Levirt Griffen started six games last season at defensive end and can provide depth at either end or tackle thanks to his 6'4" 270 pound size. Finally, sophomore defensive tackle Matthew Masifilo is supposed to work his way into the Stanford rotation starting this year in preparation for future seasons as a starter.
NORTH CAROLINA
DE - E.J Wilson. RS Junior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 44 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 9.5 TFL, 2 FR, 1 FF.
DT - Marvin Austin. (#17 DT) Sophomore. New Starter.
2007 stats: 26 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 6.0 TFL
DT - Cam Thomas. Junior. New Starter.
2007 stats: 8 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1.5 TFL. 1 FF.
DE -Darius Massenburg. Sophomore. New Starter.
2007 stats: 11 tackles, 0.0 sacks, 1.0 TFL.
The Tarheel defensive line isn't going to be the most experienced one that the Irish face, but it will be one of the biggest. The smallest player on the line is returning starter and redshirt junior E.J. Wilson, who still checks in at 6'2 280 pounds. The leader of the line, Wilson started every game last season and his size will be a big change to left tackles used to fighting with 240-250 pound defensive ends. Next to him is the future star of the line, 6'3" 300 pound Marvin Austin (left). He only started three games last season as a freshman, but kept getting better and will be a force in the middle the next few years. Running up the middle against North Carolina will be tough, especially when Austin pairs with 6'4" 330 pound junior Cam Thomas. Like Austin, Thomas started three games last season before an ankle injury forced him to the sidelines. His size alone will give offensive lines fits. Bringing defensive tackle size to the defensive end position, sophomore Darius Massenburg is a huge end at 6'4" 300 pounds. It remains to be seen how effective he will be rushing the passer, but at least against the run he will a sizable opponent. Depth: Being the large starters are, well, large backups. Junior Aleric Mullins started five games last season so he provides experience backing up Cam Thomas in addition to his 6'4" 300 pound size. Redshirt freshman Tydreke Powell doesn't have any game experience, but, like, Mullins, he is listed at 6'3" 300 pounds. Sophomore Greg Elleby adds another huge defensive end at 6'5" 290 pounds while sophomore Vince Jacobs provide another pass rusher at a comparitively skinny 6'7" 235 pounds.
WASHINGTON
DE - Daniel Te'o-Nesheim (#38 DE) RS Junior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 57 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 15.0 TFL, 2 FF.
DT - Cameron Elisara. RS Sophomore. New Starter.
2007 stats: 2 tackles.
DT -Senio Kelemente. Freshman. New Starter.
2007 stats: N/A
DE - Darrion Jones. RS Junior. New Starter.
2007 stats: 1 tackle.
There aren't any defensive lines on the 2008 ND schedule as inexperienced as the Washington line. Redshirt junior Daniel Te'o-Nesheim (right) is one of the more productive defensive ends in the nation, but the other three starting defensive linemen combined for three tackles last season. Te'o-Nesheim was the team's defensive MVP last season last year in his second year as full-time starter. One of the most experienced players on the defense, he will be a leader on the field and a legitimate threat comingi off the edge. Senio Kelemente on the other hand has landing in the starting rotation right out of high school. He's listed at only 6'4" 260 pounds on the official depth chart, which isn't going to be big enough to stand a full game of pounding. Even if he's slightly heavier than than, he's going to be undersized. but will undoubtedly struggle at times as most all freshman do. Cameron Elisara is also in his first year starting, but played in a backup role in 12 of 13 games last season. At 6'3" 290 pounds he has the size to hold his own, but playing in 12 games and only getting two tackles isn't the sign of a player about to break out. Darrion Jones mans the other defensive end spot where he played in four games last season. He's on the lighter side at 6'2" 245 pounds so defending the run may be an issue, but the former linebacker has the speed to rush the passer. Depth: The second team is just as inexperienced as the starters with freshman and redshirt freshman filling up the depth chart. Two of the more notable ones are defensive end Everette Thompson and defensive tackle Alameda Ta'amu. Thompson has prototypical pass rusher size at 6'6" 255 pounds and was a highly regarded recruit. He should see the field frequently as he has a bright future on the Husky D-line. Ta'amu is probably the biggest defensive tackle the Irish will face at 6'2" 348 pounds. Conditioning might be an issue this season for the freshman, but he'll probably see some action on goalline and other short yardage situations.
PITTSBURGH
DE - Greg Romeus. (#45 DE) RS Sophomore. New Starter.
2007 stats: 41 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 11.5 TFL, 1 FR.
DT - Mick Williams. RS Junior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 29 tackles, 3 sacks, 8.0 TFL,
DT - Rashaad Duncan. Senior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 40 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 7.0 TFL.
DE - Jabaal Sheard. Sophomore. New Starter.
2007 stats: 3 tackles.
Another opponent, another veteran defensive line it seems. The star-in-the-making on the Pitt line is redshirt sophomore Greg Romeus (left). He didn't start last year in his first taste of college football, but played in every game. He finished the year tied for 2nd on the team in sacks, 2nd in tackles for loss, and 8th on the team in tackles. Expectations are sky-high for the 6'5" 265 pound pass rusher. The experience on the line is in the middle with redshirt junior Mick Williams and senior Rashaad Duncan. Duncan has 22 career starts to his name and is a powerful 6'2" 295 gap filler. He was voted Pitt's most improved player last season and should only be better in 2008. Williams only started seven games last season, but played in all of them. He didn't have a lot of tackles last season, but had a fair number of tackles for loss for a defensive tackle. Sophomore Jabaal Sheard doesn't have much playing experience, but like with Romeus, expectations are high that Sheard will provide an instant pass rush from the defensive end position. He might struggle initially against the run, but his quickness will help Pitt when the opposition drops back to pass. Depth: Redshirt junior Gus Mastakas started 14 straight games at defensive tackle before tearing his ACL last season. As he gets back up to full speed, he will provide experience off the bench and form a solid DT rotation with Duncan. Backing up Williams is junior college transfer Tommie Duhart.
BOSTON COLLEGE
DE -Alex Albright (#58 DE) Junior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 38 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 10.0 TFL, 2 FF.
DT - B.J. Raji. (#25 DT) RS Senior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: ineligble
DT - Ron Brace (#51 DT) RS Senior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 27 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 7.5 TFL.
DE - Jim Ramella. RS Sophomore. New Starter.
2007 stats: 19 tackles, 1.0 sack, 3.0 TFL.
Boston College continues the parade of experienced defensive lines. The Eagles also feature perhaps the best pair of defensive tackles that ND will face in 2008. The massive 6'1" 323 pound B.J. Raji (right) had to sit out last season due to academics, but with 24 career starts it won't take him long to get back up to speed. Next to the large Raji is the equally large 6'3" 324 pound Ron Brace. Brace has started 23 games and used last season to step out of Raji's shadow a bit and go from big obstacle on the field to NFL caliber defensive tackle. Paired with Raji, Brace will make it extremely tough for teams to get yardage up the middle. Alex Albright entered the starting lineup last season and wasn't expected to be much of a pass rusher, but he wound up with 8.5 sacks, which is tied for the most out of all the returning D-linemen facing ND this season. He did break his arm towards the end of the 2007 season, but is fully healed and should see his stats creep up even higher with teams paying more attention to Brace and Raji. The lone new starter is Jim Ramella, but even he started 3 games last season while playing in 13. He's not a threat, but is a solid program player with plenty of backup experience. Depth: Austin Giles, younger brother of former ND player Zachary, backs up Ramella, but also has five career starts to his own name. Giles is a bigger than average defensive end at 6'3" 283 and likely will rotate in on short yardage downs. Redshirt senior Jerry Willette doesn't have the size of Brace or Raji at 6'5" 285 pounds, but provides solid experience off the bench. He started two games last year and has played in 33 in his BC career.
NAVY
DE - Michael Walsh. Senior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 57 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 10.5 TFL, 3 FF.
NG - Nate Frazier. Junior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 42 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 4.5 TFL.
DE - Matt Nechak. Junior. New Starter.
2007 stats: 22 tackles, 0.0 sacks, 1.0 TFL.
The first team on the schedule to exclusively play a 3-4 defense, Navy returns two quality starters from last season. Senior Michael Walsh and junior Nate Frazier (left) both started every game last year and will be counted on to provide a solid first line of defense for the Midshipmen. Walsh is the best lineman on the team and his 10.5 tackles for loss last year in his first year of starting shows an ability to get into the backfield. Frazier is slightly undersized for the nose guard position at 287 pounds, but he's one of the strongest players on the Navy team and is quick enough to slip past slower linemen. Walsh Junior Matt Nechak will have to adjust to the starting lineup, but did play in every game last season, starting one. Depth: Sophomore Billy Yarbough backs up Nechak, but is light for a 3-4 defensive end at 234 pounds. 6'4" 263 pound Jordan Stephans is the next in line at nose guard, but as is usual for most Navy backups, lacks ideal size for his position.
SYRACUSE
DE - Jared Kimmel. RS Sophomore. New Starter.
2007 stats: 5 tackles.
DT - Arthur Jones (#23 DT) RS Junior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 51 tackles, 1.0 sack, 17.5 TFL.
DT -Nick Santiago. RS Senior. New Starter.
2007 stats: 17 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 1.0 TFL.
DE - Vincenzo Giruzzi. Senior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 41 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 FF.
One of the younger defensive lines ND will face, Syracuse still features a top defensive tackle in redshirt junior Arthur Jones (right). His 17.5 tackles for loss last season was the 18th best mark nationally, which is even more impressive considering he plays defensive tackle. Last year was his first year starting which means he should only get better in 2008. Senior defensive end Vincenzo Giruzzi is technically a returning starter, but he moved from starting linebacker to starting defensive end during spring practice. He started seven games last season and has played in 35 straight games, but there will be some adjustment to having his hands on the ground every play now. Redshirt senior Nick Santiago has played in over 30 career games as well, but only has started two. After four seasons of being a backup, he'll finally get a chance to start and be a more productive member of the defensive line. Redshirt sophomore Jared Kimmel is the youngest member of the defensive line. He tore his ACL last season and, while back, will likely still be slowed a bit as his knee continues to heal. Depth: Syracuse's DL depth took a hit when returning starting defensive tackle Brandon Gilbeaux was declared academically ineligble. That leaves a trio of sophomores and a freshman as the second stringers. All three sophomores saw the field last year in at least nine games so they have some experience. The freshman, Mikhail Marinovich, is the younger brother of former Southern Cal QB Todd Marinovich.
SOUTHERN CAL
DE - Kyle Moore (#16 DE) Senior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 35 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 3.5 TFL 2 INT, 1 FF.
DT - Averell Spicer. (#48 DT) RS Junior. New Starter.
2007 stats: 9 tackles, 1.0 sack, 2. 0 TFL.
DT - Fili Moala. (#1 DT) RS Senior. Returning Starter.
2007 stats: 32 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 5.5 TFL.
DE - Everson Griffen. (#18 DE) Sophomore. New Starter.
2007 stats: 21 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 5.5 TFL, 1 FR, 2 FF.
Southern Cal is still able to just reload after losing two 1st round defensive lineman to the NFL. Defensive tackle Fili Moala (left) will pick up where Sedrick Ellis left off. He has all of the physical talent and the benefit of 20 career starts under his belt; he'll just need to turn it into production on the field. Next to Moala is new starter Averall Spicer who actually replaced Ellis as the SC nose guard. Spicer doesn't have the national recognition of his fellow linemates, but should be a tough run stopper in the middle. Kyle Moore returns on the edge, where at 6'6" 270 pounds he's a big defensive end who's still quick enough to get into the backfield on passing downs. The lastest Trojan to be predicted for star status is sophomore end Everson Griffen. Combining exceptional quickness and a 6'3" 265 pound frame, Griffen is still making a few mistakes borne out of inexperience but has an extremely bright future and should get better from game to game. Depth: Splitting time with Spicer is sophomore Christian Tupou. He hasn't played much (four games as a backup) and at 6'2" 280 is a bit light for the nose guard spot, but has played well enough in practice to earn a co-starting tag. Both backups at defensive tackle are completely inexperienced in redshirt freshman DaJohn Harris and freshman Armond Armstead. On obvious passing downs, redshirt senior Clay Matthews will spare Everson Griffen as the former linebacker has better passing rushing skills at this point.
2008 Opponent Defensive Line Analysis and Ranking
Well, it certainly seems that the ND offensive line has their work cut out for them this season. Unlike the opponent offensive positions, the opponent defensive lines are filled with experience, depth, and star talent. Team after team returns battle-tested veterans and even some of the new starters are either transfers with all-conference honors to their name (MSU's Anderson) or highly regarded recruits on the cusp of likely star careers (UNC's Austin, Pitt's Romeus, USC's Griffen).
With the move of left guard Mike Turkovich to left tackle, it's taking another look at the defensive ends he'll be expected to slow down. Like the rest of the line, he'll have a steady stream of experienced starters looking to race by him and sack Clausen. Michigan and Southern Cal have perhaps the most fearsome pass rushers, as usual. But the list only starts with those teams. Pitt, Michigan State, North Carolina, Washington, Stanford, Boston College, and even Purdue have quick and talented ends that will look to use their speed to slip by Turkovich. All the more reason to rely on the run in 2008.
As for running the ball, the increased size of the ND OL will certainly help, but they won't be playing many undersized and inexperienced linemen. Only Washington and North Carolina have to replace both of last season's starting defensive tackles. And in UNC's case, the replacements are extremely talented and just for good measure there are a few 300 pounders ready to rotate in and give the starters a few breathers. Michigan, Purdue, Pittsburgh, and Boston College all return both starting tackles including some of the better players ND will face in the Taylor/Johnson combo for Michigan and Raji/Brace duo at BC.
BGS reader Erik'04 had the idea to look at how many of last year's 58 sacks were caused by guys who return to the Irish schedule for 2008. The answer is 15 players who were responsible for 20 sacks. Among the defensive line, here are the returning players who have already tasted success against the Irish OL:
- Alex Albright (BC DE)
- Ron Brace (BC DT)
- Pannel Egboh (Stanford DE, 2 sacks)
- Brandon Graham (UM DE, 3 sacks)
- Tim Jamison (UM DE)
- Justin Kershaw (MSU DT)
- Fili Moala (USC DT)
- Kyle Moore (USC DE)
- Matt Walsh (Navy DT, 2 sacks)
1. Michigan - Plenty of NFL talent across the board.
2. Boston College - A veteran unit with two of the top defensive tackles ND will face.
3. Southern Cal - They will only continue to get better as the year goes on.
4. Stanford - An underrated unit with enough size and speed to be effective.
5. North Carolina - Some new faces, but a lot of sizable depth and promising new players.
6. Pittsburgh - Romeus will get the press, but the tackles are quality players in their own right.
7. Michigan State - Will need Trevor Anderson to come up to speed quickly.
8. Purdue - Not much star power, but veteran players who play tough.
9. Navy - Walsh and Frazier give Navy two solid returning lineman.
10. Syracuse - Jones is a solid player, the rest will need to help him out.
11. Washington -It's Te'o-Nesheim and a whole lot of inexperience.
12. San Diego State - Experience is there, but they haven't been very effective at all.
