Scouting the UTC Defense

USF will bring their firepower into this game looking to rack up the yards against the Mocs. 

The USF offense, loaded with a ton of talent and skill players up and down the depth chart, faces it's first challenge of the 2012 season with the UTC defense. The Mocs, running a traditional 4-3 set defense, has a lot of speed and will look to slow down the Bulls and contain B.J. Daniels. Let's see who they will be facing in this game.

At the left defensive end position, UTC starts senior Josh Williams (6-2 235-pounds) who was named 1st team defense in the Southern Conference last season after recording 42 tackles with 10 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, and 7 QBH. He will be attacking Daniels blindside in the game, posing a challenge for Darrell Williams. Behind him is sophomore Zach Rayl (6-3 230-pounds) who recorded 10 tackles, 4 TFL, and 1 sack as a reserve last season. 

At the right end position is sophomore Davis Tull (6-3 230-pounds) who was named Southern Conference all freshmen team last season after recording 30 tackles, 8 TFL, 5 sacks, 6 QBH, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. Quineterrius Eatmon has the huge size advantage in this match-up. Behind Tull is Rayl as well, showing the Mocs lack a lot of depth at the edge position. 

 At the nose tackle position, UTC is led by sophomore Keyon Reed (6-1 260-pounds) who was named Southern Conference all freshmen team last season after recording 18 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries. Splitting time with him is Josh Freeman (6-0 285-pounds), not the Buccaneers quarterback. He made 10 starts last season, recording 23 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries, but missed the spring due to off-season shoulder surgery. Behind him is red-shirt sophomore Chris Mayes (6-3 295-pounds) who is a former Navy transfer and was forced to sit out last season (with his size, he could be an issue to face). Junior Michael Slowey (6-5 335-pounds) will also be in the mix as well. He played mostly on special teams last season (PAT). 

 At the defensive tackle position, sophomore Toyvian Brand (6-2 260-pounds) returns after making 5 starts last season with 15 tackles and recorded a half tackle for loss. Behind him is sophomore Devin Scates (6-2 260-pounds) who made 11 tackles last season and 1 TFL. Looking at this front 4, the Bulls have the big advantage on the offensive line. 

At the ends, Williams and Lang should be more than a challenge for their pass rush, but they are young and facing veterans, so it could be a challenge for them to keep up. UTC doesn't have depth, so they might get tired trying to get around the USF tackles and with Daniels's legs, it makes it harder. The biggest weapon they have is at nose tackle and defensive tackle where they have some depth to put pressure. The Bulls are replacing center and one guard position from last year with Austin Reiter at center and possibly Lawrence Martin on the line. The Bulls will have the size and skill advantage, but there could be a few holes due to miscommunication to start the game that Daniels will have to keep an eye on. 

At the SAM linebacker position is senior Shane Heatherly (6-4 220-pounds) who played in 20 games last season, recording 11 tackles. Behind him sophomore Muhasibi Wakeel (5-11 220-pounds) who played mostly on special teams last season, racking up 13 tackles (not much starting experience at all for the SAM position). 

At the MIKE linebacker position is junior Wes Dothard (6-1 238-pounds) who was named 1st team All American (in the D2 level) and 1st team Southern Conference. Dothard is the heart and soul of their defense and came up huge last season, totaling 98, tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 INT, 6 PBU, 3 QBH, and 5 FF (had 7 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss vs. Nebraska in their season opener last year). He is a big time hitter and will be all over the field in this game. Behind him is red-shirt freshman AJ Hampton (6-1 240-pounds) who redshirted last season. 

At the WILL linebacker position is junior Gunner Miller (6-1 225-pounds) who recorded 51 tackles last season, including 4 TFL, 1 sack, and 2 QBH. Behind him on the depth chart is junior CJ Murrell (6-0 195-pounds) who played on special teams last season, recording 3 tackles. The leader of this group is Dothard. He is a tackling machine and will be flying around in the middle of the field. USF needs to attack the him with their speed and use angles and lanes to attack the weak SAM linebacker position with the running backs. The Bulls also need to get all the tight ends involved during this game and use their size to create mis-matches all over the field and get big yards. In the secondary, starting at the left cornerback position is junior Kadeem Wise (5-10 180-pounds) who was named 2nd team All Southern Conference after recording 45 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 INTs, and 5 PBUs last season (playmaker on the edge, will cover top USF receivers). Behind him is junior Dan Cope (5-11 185-pounds) who recorded 6 tackles and forced a fumble last season as a reserve. 

At the right cornerback position is junior Chaz Moore (5-10 165-pounds) who recorded 20 tackles last season, 1 TFL, and 2 INTs (need to get the bigger receivers like Landi on him for the size advantage). Behind him is red-shirt freshman Semaje Kendall (6-0 175-pounds) who redshirted last season. 

At the free safety position is sophomore Zach McCarter (6-3 200-pounds) who had 7 tackles last season and 1 interception as a reserve (real good size for the secondary). His back-up is redshirt Cam Montgomery (6-1 195-pounds) who was a 2-star recruit coming out of high school. 

At the strong safety position is junior DJ Key (6-0 195-pounds) who was named 2nd team Southern Conference last season after recording 77 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks, 3 INTs, and 6 PBUs (very active). Behind him is sophomore Keith Mayes (5-10 200-pounds) who recorded 10 tackles on special teams last year. The two big players in the Moc secondary are Wise and Key. Wise will cover the top receiver on the field (Griffin, Davis, etc.) while Wise can come up and help cover the tight ends or in run support.