D-line pushes forward

With spring practice entering its final week, the Marshall University football team decided to prepare for next week's Green and White game with a scrimmage Saturday.

The scrimmage put the defense against the offense in a two-hour contest in which the offense tried to score touchdowns.

Too bad for the offense; it just couldn't get the ball past the defense as much as head coach Doc Holliday would have liked. 

"There was a winner and a loser today and as you can see the offense lost," Holliday said. "In everything we do there is a winner and a loser, and the losers have to do a little extra. And the winners drink Gatorade and enjoy themselves."

And the defense did enjoy themselves. As they watched from the sidelines, the offense ran sprints after practice.

For the defense, it was retribution after a little friendly trash talking between players earlier in the week.

"We live on competition and today coach Holliday presented us with an opportunity," said junior defensive tackle Vinny Curry. "We worked hard all week and the offense was talking a little trash saying we we're beating them because we were in shorts. So we knew today was going to be it, so we got after it."

Not only did the defense win the scrimmage, it was the defensive line that pushed them toward victory.

Whether it was tackling the running back in the backfield or knocking down multiple passes at the line of scrimmage, the defensive line were the key contributors on the field.

Senior defensive end Michael Janac, who had most of the blocked passes and a blocked field goal, said it was about knowing your assignment.

"Coach told us before practice that they like to throw the ball low," Janac said. "So I remember when I was coming around the corner I saw the tackle try to cut me so I just put my hands up so I knew they were trying to throw the ball low so I got it."

And as the defense continues to improve over the summer, it's defensive coordinator Chris Rippon who is behind the controls.

Throughout practice, fans could see Rippon jumping up and down and screaming after big plays from the sidelines.

Players said Rippon's emotion motivated them to go out there and just play.

"With coach Rippon, he's so emotional we play off of his energy," Curry said.

"We said he should be the one to get pads. He's really animated and he's trying to get us to have fun out there."

After spending time as defensive coordinator at Syracuse, Rippon enters his first season with the Herd with a challenge to get the defense where Holliday wants it.

But Holliday said that the defense's work under Rippon has been more than acceptable.

"They're starting to understand what coach Rippon and the defensive staff want them to," Holliday said.

As Rippon continues to push the defense, he is hoping that the defense will understand him more.

"It's still them trying to figure out what this bald little Italian guy is all about," Rippon said. "I love the game and they do too. And I want them to go out with great effort and just have energy in all they do on the field."

With the effort on the field, the defense can only get better as they go harder, and that not only benefits the defense, but in the end the whole team. 

"I go hard, run everywhere and hit and do what I can to help the defense get better," Janac said. "I know guys on the o-line if they can block me in practice they can block better in a game."

Kyle Hobstetter can be contacted at hobstetter@marshall.edu.