Zach Minter eyes a tall task against Portland State's FCS-leading ground game
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Minter, Defensive Mates Look to Slow PSU's Pistol
10/6/2011 11:59:00 AM | Football
Trust issues? Not on the Bobcat defensive line
In the popular mythology of college football, defensive linemen are characterized as play-with-their-hair-on-fire zealots whose existence centers on crushing opposing quarterbacks and bringing offensive linemen to their knees, if not to tears.
That's why it's so striking to hear Montana State junior tackle Zach Minter talk about a concept as simple as trust, especially when discussing the Bobcats' approach against the nation's top rushing team in Portland State this weekend.
“We love the challenge, we love when a team (MSU is playing) has momentum coming in running the ball,” said Minter, who earned Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against Sacramento State last weekend. “It's up to us, the front seven, to stop the run. As long as we stay assignment sound and trust each other to do our own job then we'll do pretty well.”
Listen to Minter talk about his craft and his position-mates in the trenches for long, and the concept of trust arises often. “We really emphasize doing your job, so as long as all 11 of us do our job, stay in our gap, stay low, stay assignment-sound, trusting each other, I think our defense will do well.”
Much of the emphasis on trusting teammates resides in the nature of MSU's scheme, says Bobcat defensive line coach Bo Beck. “It's (an issue) for the whole defense more than just the defensive line,” We're a single-gap defense, so you'll hear coaches tell players all the time to stay in their gap and trust the guy next to them. We have to break young guys of the habit of trying to do too much. It's easy to spin out of your gap and think you're going to make a play like you could in high school, but backs at this level are so good if they cut it back into your gap we're going to get burned.”
That brings Minter and his teammates to the task at hand, which is slowing down Portland State's FCS-leading ground game. The Vikings average 312.8 yards a game on the ground, and running back Cory McCaffrey (218 yards) and quarterback Connor Kavanaugh (212) each rushed for more than 200 yards last week at Idaho State.
“The challenge is stopping the run, containing this quarterback, because we know they both rushed for 200 yards apiece last weekend,” Minter said. “Getting after the quarterback, containing them, stopping that run play will eventually make them throw the ball, and that's where we want them at.”
Minter says the tie that binds Montana State's defense is, again, trust. “As a defense we have a really good group of guys,” he said. “We trust each other, we practice hard for each other, and we don't want to let each other down. When you face a good run offense it's a very, very, very important rule to do your job and not let anybody down.”
The 'each other' part of the statement is what motivates him, Minter says. “When you feel tired you think about the 10 other dudes on the defensive side of the football trying to win this football game.”
That's why it's so striking to hear Montana State junior tackle Zach Minter talk about a concept as simple as trust, especially when discussing the Bobcats' approach against the nation's top rushing team in Portland State this weekend.
“We love the challenge, we love when a team (MSU is playing) has momentum coming in running the ball,” said Minter, who earned Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against Sacramento State last weekend. “It's up to us, the front seven, to stop the run. As long as we stay assignment sound and trust each other to do our own job then we'll do pretty well.”
Listen to Minter talk about his craft and his position-mates in the trenches for long, and the concept of trust arises often. “We really emphasize doing your job, so as long as all 11 of us do our job, stay in our gap, stay low, stay assignment-sound, trusting each other, I think our defense will do well.”
Much of the emphasis on trusting teammates resides in the nature of MSU's scheme, says Bobcat defensive line coach Bo Beck. “It's (an issue) for the whole defense more than just the defensive line,” We're a single-gap defense, so you'll hear coaches tell players all the time to stay in their gap and trust the guy next to them. We have to break young guys of the habit of trying to do too much. It's easy to spin out of your gap and think you're going to make a play like you could in high school, but backs at this level are so good if they cut it back into your gap we're going to get burned.”
That brings Minter and his teammates to the task at hand, which is slowing down Portland State's FCS-leading ground game. The Vikings average 312.8 yards a game on the ground, and running back Cory McCaffrey (218 yards) and quarterback Connor Kavanaugh (212) each rushed for more than 200 yards last week at Idaho State.
“The challenge is stopping the run, containing this quarterback, because we know they both rushed for 200 yards apiece last weekend,” Minter said. “Getting after the quarterback, containing them, stopping that run play will eventually make them throw the ball, and that's where we want them at.”
Minter says the tie that binds Montana State's defense is, again, trust. “As a defense we have a really good group of guys,” he said. “We trust each other, we practice hard for each other, and we don't want to let each other down. When you face a good run offense it's a very, very, very important rule to do your job and not let anybody down.”
The 'each other' part of the statement is what motivates him, Minter says. “When you feel tired you think about the 10 other dudes on the defensive side of the football trying to win this football game.”
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