Fresno State’s defense this season will include veteran leadership on all three levels. Since it struggled last season, the team looks to regain its 2012 defensive form, when it ranked first in the league.
Secondary
Quarterback isn’t the only position that involved a tight competition this offseason for Fresno State.
The back end of the Bulldogs’ secondary will feature veteran safeties Derron Smith and Charles Washington, but the cornerback positions remain a mystery.
Candidates for the starting jobs include sophomores Bryan Harper, Stratton Brown, Jamal Ellis, senior Curtis Riley and junior college transfer Corey Ferguson.
Of the group, Riley and Ellis bring the most experience to the table starting 11 and four games for the Bulldogs last season, respectively.
“We’ve had some guys nicked up but our guys are competing,” Fresno State head coach Tim DeRuyter said. “We have some really young, talented guys that are pushing. If an older guy doesn’t have a good day, then we’re going to have one of those young guys ahead of him. The competition is going to be driving this thing.”
Junior strong safety Charles Washington has been keeping a close eye on the battle his fellow defensive backs are engaging in.
The veteran said he enjoys watching his teammates compete for the starting roles and also mentioned a few names who he feels could potentially blossom into starters.
“Everybody brings somebody different to the table,” Washington said. “Curtis and Malcolm [Washington] are both longer bodies, and they both have speed. Jamal is right there with them.”
Linebackers
Veterans Karl Mickelsen and Kyrie Wilson will patrol the middle of the field for the ‘Dogs in 2014 as the mike and will linebackers, respectively.
Mickelsen led the team in tackles last season with 97, while Wilson was tied for second with 87.
Donovan Lewis and Ejiro Ederaine are both returning as the outside linebackers in defensive coordinator Nick Toth’s 3-4 scheme. The duo lines up a lot of the time on the line of scrimmage, as one of their primary duties is to pressure opposing quarterbacks.
Ederaine broke out in his sophomore campaign last year tallying a team-high 10 sacks en route to earning a second-team All-Mountain West honor along the way.
Lewis, on the other hand, brings experience, as he is third on the team in career starts with 28. The former Clovis West star ranked second on the team in both tackles for loss (9) and sacks (5) last season.
Defensive line
Headlining the defensive line is fifth-year senior Tyeler Davison.
The Scottsdale, Ariz., native, who earned second-team All-Mountain West honors last season, originally played nose tackle but switched to defensive end this off-season.
“I don’t really have a preference,” Davison said. “I like them both. Nose feels at home for me since I’ve been playing there for so long, but there is a little more freedom at [defensive] end. They both have their pros and cons, but I like [playing] both.”
Others lining up alongside Davison include juniors Maurice Poyadue and Todd Hunt.
With being a veteran, Davison feels he needs to establish leadership and motivate the younger, less-experienced guys. He said he’s been trying to remind and convince his teammates that they can compete with the power teams, particularly USC.
“You just have to let them know that it’s about us,” he said. “We’re the ones out there grinding every day and getting ready for this game. The game is about us. It’s about what we do and how hard we play.”
Davison believes that as long as Fresno State plays with a good technique and keeps its faith, the game against the USC Trojans will be another W for the team.
“There’s all this talk about these guys being so much more athletic, bigger and faster,” he said. “But really to me, the only difference I see is that their players were rated higher coming out of high school, and their program may have a little more money than ours.”
Nevertheless, Davison is ready for retribution for the Las Vegas Bowl loss.
“I’m really excited and can’t wait [to play USC],” he said. “I’ve been thinking about this game since the last game ended. I’m excited to get another shot and for the season to begin.”