Keeping with this week's theme in the trenches, here is my evaluation on what to expect from BYU's opponents on the Defensive Line. I really believe that a good offense starts with an offensive line, and a good defense starts with a good defensive line. A team can have Peyton Manning or Walter Payton or Jerry Rice, but if they don't have a good OL, it won't matter. Ray Lewis and Ronnie Lott could be paired on the same defense, but if the front 4 (or 3) can't hold up their end of the deal, it won't matter. Without further ado, here are my rankings of the defensive lines that BYU will face:
1) Texas
2) Utah
3) TCU
4) Ole Miss
5) Hawaii
6) Oregon State
7) Idaho
8) UCF
9) San Jose State
10) New Mexico State
11) Utah State
Texas has the two best defensive linemen that BYU will face all season long in Kheeston Randall and Alex Okafor. They are both day 1 NFL Draft Picks next year (if Okafor leaves early). They will be breaking in two new starters opposite them, but they are certainly not bad players. Jackson Jeffcoat worked his way into the rotation as a true freshman last season, after coming in as one of the highest recruited DEs out of high school. They lack experience in their depth chart, but the back-ups are all big, strong, fast players that were highly sought after coming out of high school. The line averages 6'4" 275 pounds. That's a big (and fast) front four to deal with.
Utah has the biggest defensive line BYU will see all season, at 6'4 280 pounds. It's not just the size, but the depth that is impressive for the Utes. This group is kind of the culmination of years of experience, a lot of these guys have been injured over the past three seasons, so all of them have started and gained experience. They are mostly juniors and seniors, with the lone sophomore being the younger brother of (and potentially better than) NFL DE Paul Kruger, Joe Kruger. This group is going to surprise the Pac-12: they are big, they are fast, they are aggressive, they are well-coached, and they are good. If Texas didn't have BOTH Randall and Okafor, I would say this underrated Utah DL would be the best BYU will see all season long.
The TCU front four gets the hype that Utah deserves. Stansly Maponga had a great freshman season in the MWC. DJ Yendrey had a great season as a backup DT. They lack the star- and fire-power of previous TCU DLs. With that said, Patterson has a great scheme and the players will perform, as a result. However, this unit is a bit inexperienced, and doesn't bring the same potential for Tackles for Loss and Sacks that a typical TCU DL brings into a season. I'm not saying this unit won't be great, but they are getting way too much hype for their accomplishments to date. This is a rebuilding DL, building for a potentially special season in 2012 in the Big East.
Ole Miss has DE Kentrell Lockett, a 6th year senior, who leads the SEC in career TFL coming into the season, which is saying quite a lot. Wayne Dorsey is also a senior at the other DE spot. Up the middle, however, they are inexperienced and undersized, especially for a pair of SEC DTs.
Hawaii has a bevy of experience in the front four. With Hawaii, they always have size up the middle (top 4 DTs all between 285 and 305 pounds), and speed on the edge (Paipai Falemalu has 12 TFLs in two seasons). They don't have a lot of depth on the outside, but the interior DTs have experience, both in the program and in game-time experience.
Oregon State's biggest issue coming into this season defensively is the D-Line. They are smaller than a typical OSU front (only two players on the 2-Deep are over 270 pounds). With that said, Oregon State knows how to scheme around smaller defensive fronts with a lot of stunts that utilize their speed. Last year, Washington (the offense that Oregon State played last season most similar to what I expect from the 2011 BYU team) averaged 4.4 yards/carry against a bigger, better OSU front four. In 2009, Oregon State (again a bigger, better front four), held BYU to 3.3 yards/carry in the Vegas Bowl, with Unga and Tonga.
The remaining five teams are a bit tougher to compare (especially considering how little I watched of these teams last season, though I did see each of them at least once, UCF being the most watched at 4 games, but they are returning the fewest starters, which negates that to some degree). SJSU is the most experienced group, but is also the smallest. Utah State has the best defensive coaches, but the least depth (but run a 3-4, so perhaps the depth concerns are minimized somewhat). UCF, Idaho, and New Mexico State have about the same amount of size, experience, and depth. UCF gets the edge talent-wise, New Mexico State coaching-wise, Idaho aggregate-wise. UCF does have the biggest Defensive Lineman BYU will face all season, with 6'3" 371 pound Sophomore Jose Jose. However, he's a JC transfer that may or may not have an impact on the middle in that game.
I would slate BYU's Defensive Line probably right around 4th on the list. The expectations for BYU's DL are a bit different in the 3-4 system, but I think the fact that they are more experienced than Ole Miss, at least among the starters, gives them a slight edge. BYU's depth took a hit with Thomas Bryson being declared ineligible for 2011, however, if Jordan Richardson is, in fact, recovered from his knee injury, he can help hold up the second line that is crucial to BYU's success. BYU expects maniacal effort from their DL, based on the fact that the back-ups can go in with no drop-off. If Richardson can't go, Manumaleuna is essentially all alone. I expect Putnam to be more consistent this season. If Putnam plays that on-again-off-again D this season, then I would drop BYU down to 5 on the list, or maybe even 6 below Hawaii.
Now that I've given you my thoughts on the OL/DL which ultimately decide how good a football team is, I'll go to QBs next, which is the position nearest and dearest to BYU fans' hearts.
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