Long before their multimillion dollar deals and signing bonuses Dwight Freeney, Julius Peppers, and Jevon Kearse struck fear into the hearts of quarterbacks.
In the world of college football these men kept offensive tackles up for nights, gave offensive coordinators nightmares, and made tight ends and running backs fret endlessly over their max protect assignments.
In 2008 there is an incredibly talented group set to terrorize backfields all over the country:
- Massive 6-foot-5, 292-pound beast Tyson Jackson at LSU
- The returning SEC sack leader Greg Hardy of Ole Miss
- Speedy Brian Orakpo of Texas
- The prototypical, yet often injured, Tim Jamison of Michigan
The two names that have been bandied about as the most impressive defensive end talents heading into 2008 are George Selvie of South Florida and Maurice Evans of Penn State. They boast two very different styles of end play that both produce tremendous results on the field.
Selvie and Evans, the 2008 Defensive End Battle at the Top.
Maurice Evans (6'2", 264 pounds)
In 2007 Maurice Evans led the nation's most sack-happy defense with 12.5 sacks, and in his 2008 junior campaign he looks to increase that number. Although the Nittany Lions will miss Sean Lee (the outside linebacker is out for all of 2008 with a torn ACL), Evans and the front seven return enough talent to truly wreak havoc on the Big Ten.
While the glamorous 12.5 quarterback sacks won Maurice his national recognition, his dirty work in the trenches is what has solidified his status among the elite.
He is a guy who is extremely stout in the run game.
For the Nittany Lions, Evans is not only capable of holding his edge to keep containment against sweeps and zone blocking schemes, but the junior also does a great job of closing down on the inside power run.
Maurice is powerful enough to push tackles back, getting separation, and quick enough to disengage from the block and make a sure tackle at or behind the line. This was evidenced in his 21.5 tackles for loss in 2007.
In the pass game, Evans is able to use that same combination of power and quickness to get to the quarterback. He has a good repertoire of pass rush moves and is reasonably adept at using the swim move, rip, and straight speed rush to force the issue.
Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley does a great job in his use of Evans as well as the rest of PSU's front with his stunts, games, and blitz packages. Bringing Evans inside from the end position creates gaps the junior is able to exploit for sacks and tackles.
Evans' most spectacular play came on an inside slant against Indiana. He slanted left, inside from his right end position, getting a clear path to the quarterback through the A gap. He pushed up-field for the sack, forcing a fumble, which he promptly scooped and carried 55 yards into Hoosier territory.
Although the statistics are there in his tackles for loss (21.5), sacks (12.5), and forced fumbles (five), the junior is not without deficiencies.
4 comments Last one added 12 months ago — Leave a Comment
Tim Pollock 12 months ago
Great call; despite USF's success, Selvie never really got the national attention he deserved.
It will be interesting to see if the loss of Dan McCarney (and the Bulls' stud db's, who no doubt aided some of Selvie's sacks) will affect Selvie's production...
Edit Comment Cancel
Michael Felder 12 months ago
I thought about the d-backs leaving hurting him but I think he'll be ok. With two experienced safeties coming back and 5 of the 7 up front returning, including Buie his bookend, I think Selvie should have another solid year.
The biggest task is going to be Burnham getting him open looks at the quarterback. Offenses adjusted to him late in the season and that slowed him down drastically. I'm looking to see Selvie changing sides a lot more this year, lining up at a stand up end, getting more freedom to roam so that OC's can't get an accurate bead on sending the double team his way.
Selvie was the victim of the most egregious snub in terms of post season awards. A clear defensive end, leading the nation in TFLs and 2nd in sacks, left off the list. Meanwhile a linebacker, Butkus award finalist in Laurinaitis, was invited to the ceremony because sometimes he plays Sam in an under front.
Ridiculous
Edit Comment Cancel
Lisa Horne 12 months ago
I totally agree! I have him as my fave as well. He doesn't get a lot of press, but mid-season, everyone will know his name. Excellent article!
Edit Comment Cancel
Paul Salman 12 months ago
Its great to see people take notice of Mo Evans...gonna have a great year.
Edit Comment Cancel
Leave a Comment
You must register to post a comment.