Three heavy-hitting linebackers return to give depth and experience to defense
It’s only April, but the linebackers are ready to go headhunting.
USU returns an experienced linebacking corps that features the WAC Freshman of the Year, four of the Aggies’ top 10 tacklers from last season and a healthy Jake Hutton at middle linebacker.
“Since I’ve been here, I think this is the best linebacking corps – not just us three, but everyone – we’ve had,” Hutton said.
The “us three” Hutton refers to are Paul Igboeli – last season’s WAC Freshman of the Year – Devon Hall and himself. This trio accounted for 166 tackles, three sacks, an interception and four forced fumbles – and all of this with Hutton only playing in four games.
But it isn’t just those three. The Aggies have depth and experience beyond Hutton, Igboeli and Hall.
“It’s important to have good depth so you can have quality throughout your ranks,” Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach Mark Johnson said.
This depth includes two players who started games last year for the Aggies and were among the top 10 tacklers for USU last season. Derrick Cumbee, who will back up Hutton at middle linebacker, recorded 48 tackles last year and forced a fumble. The other linebacker, Daryl Fields, finished the season right behind Cumbee with 45 tackles.
Johnson said this experience is the biggest strength of the linebacking corps.
“Experience is the key, especially in the Western Athletic Conference, where every week you’re seeing explosive offenses that present different problems,” he said.
The Aggies gained more depth with the addition of Deshon Benton, a junior college transfer. Benton was a two-year starter at Modesto Junior College. Igboeli said Benton was a “really good addition.”
Johnson said the Aggies also have two red-shirt freshman practicing this spring and three true freshmen coming in this fall.
Experience isn’t the only thing the Aggie linebackers can rely on. Igboeli said their speed is a key as well.
“We’re not the biggest backers out there, but our speed and agility helps us a lot,” he said.
Johnson agrees. He said the linebackers need to be athletic so they can do well in pass coverage and get to the point of attack quickly.
“We’re not playing in the Big Ten, so it’s not important for us to have a 6’3, 255-pound linebacker,” Johnson said.
Hutton, one of the biggest linebackers at 229 pounds, isn’t worried about their size either.
“We’ve got a perfect sized dude for every position,” he said.
With speed, depth and experience taken care of, there are other things the linebackers are working on.
Igboeli said the linebackers are looking to become better tacklers and create more turnovers.
Johnson also mentioned tackling and turnovers, but he added being better on third down, understanding the defensive scheme and executing it better and creating more negative yardage plays, to the Aggies’ spring to-do list.
But that’s what the spring is for.
Spring is a time for “perfecting the craft,” Igboeli said.
It is also a time to work on chemistry, Hutton added. And, he said the chemistry is starting to get there.
Hutton will be a big part of the workings of the entire defense, not just the linebackers. He is the middle, or Mike, linebacker. Although other players on the team make defensive calls, Johnson said it all starts with the Mike backer.
“Every guy’s important, and we need all 11 to be successful, but the Mike backer gets our fronts set and gets our calls made,” he said.
Igboeli said Hutton does a good job of leading on the field.
But Hutton isn’t a “rah-rah guy,” Johnson said. He leads by example, and is what Johnson would call a “hardworking, lunch pail” guy.
Hutton may be the leader on the field, but it remains to be seen if he can be the team’s leading tackler. He faces some stiff competition from Igboeli, Hall and last season’s leading tackler, safety Antonio Taylor, who had 74 tackles – five more than Igboeli and six more than Hall.
“There’s going to be a little competition out there, we’re not going to lie,” Igboeli said. “We’ll see who ends up on top.”
It will be a while before people see who ends up on top, but Hutton and Igboeli are anxious to start the competition.
“(Spring practice) is still fun, but it’s more fun when you get the prize at the end of the week,” Hutton said, referring to the games.
“When you get to go hunting for some heads,” Igboeli added.
“There will be some hits,” Igboeli said. “If you’re looking for some ‘Ohs’ and ‘Ahs,’ look for 53, 45 and 31.”
-dabake@cc.usu.edu