Miami Hurricanes Defensive Line Ready To Dominate
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The 2009 Miami Hurricanes defense finished near the middle of the pack in the ACC last season, which is not good enough for a team with national championship aspirations this season.
How good the defense becomes will have a strong correlation with the play of the big boys on the defensive line.
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Freak. Beast. Animal.
All words that have been used to describe standout Canes’ defensive end Allen Bailey. Bailey’s physical features are absurd. The 6’4," 285-pounder who ran a 4.65 40-yard dash is more than just an imposing force on the eyes.
The leader of the Miami defense had a team-leading seven sacks and 11 tackles-for-loss in 2009 and passed up a chance to be a first-round pick last April.
Bailey will play predominantly at defensive end this year after spending most of last season on the interior as a tackle. He will fit in better on the outside and will have more opportunities to get after the quarterback.
Opposite of Bailey is end Adewale Ojomo, who missed the entire 2009 season with a shattered jaw after a former walk-on teammate sucker-punched him in the preseason.
Ojomo, the 6’4,″ 265-pounder, hasn’t shied away from making bold predictions.
“This line reminds me of when Vince Wilfork and those guys were here in 2001,” he said. “We could be just as good as those guys.”
Manning the interior line is Marcus Forston and Micanor Regis, both rather large human beings at 300-plus pounds.
Forston, one of the nation’s top recruits three years ago, has had the tutelage of some former Canes stars.
“He’s understanding a lot,” said Coach Randy Shannon. “He has been talking to Cortez [Kennedy] and some other guys that have been around.”
Regis, although not as hyped as the other guys, has looked great this Summer and seems to be settling in nicely inside after losing a few pounds in the offseason.
The key to the line will be the depth.
As many as eight players figure to be in the gameday rotation, meaning fresh bodies will always be on the field.
Josh Holmes and Curtis Porter are the backup tackles, while Marcus Robinson and Andrew Smith figure to be the reserve ends.
This line is rather monstrous, with not many college football players the size of Bailey able to play outside. It doesn’t stop with size, as all of these kids have major explosiveness out of their stance.
If the Canes can get a consistent pass rush with just the front four, something the all-time great Miami teams were able to do, Miami will have a special defense in 2010.
They hope to get back to the swarming, speedy Canes’ defenses of years' past, and the demolition crew up front will be a major factor.
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