Defense Appreciation Thread

[Bull Dozer]

Since we have about eleventy billion threads about the same thing (the offense/BJ/Eveld/Gunsby) i decided to switch it up and give some love to the defense which has been pretty ******* outstanding if you consider the lack of help they have got from the offense in the form of T.O.P. and turnovers/field position.  Let's use this thread to show the D some love! Obviously the whole unit deserves some love but these guys in general have stood out to me. 

Skinny Raymond-This guy is probably the best tacking corner we have ever had at USF.  He's always in good position and brings the hammer whether it's in the run game or getting there as the ball arrives against WR's.  Switching him to corner has definitely been the right move!

Terrell "The Dancing Bear" McClain-It's night and day when this guy is on the field against the run (2nd half of the Syracuse game anyone?).  He eats up the double team while holding his ground and flashes the ability to collapse the pocket against the pass.  He doesn't play a flashy position but he has been a huge key to our defense this season. 

Craig Marshall-He's picking up where Selvie and JPP left off when it comes to wreaking havoc off the edge.  He's a terror when it comes to rushing the passer and doesn't run himself out of plays very often against the run, hes great at hunkering down and holding the edge.  He will be playing on Sundays for sure and could be playing himself into a 1st 3 round slot with what he's been showing so far. 

Dede Lattimore-Yes, i know some here may not have the same level of mancrush that i do when it comes to this kid but hes going to be a great one for us over the next few years.  He's a great tackler that can make plays from sideline to sideline and has great speed for a kid his size (he's 240ish).  He shows the ability to diagnose the play quickly and get down hill on the ball carrier and bring the lumber to the party.  He has 3 more years to live up to my prediction of being the best LB we have ever had by the time he leaves here, and he's off to a great start as hes on pace to set the tacking record for a freshmen player. 

Ill limit myself to these guys but other guys such as Bedford and have played good as well.  Lets show some love for a unit that we thought would be the one with the growing pains this season and not the offense. 

[swamprat]

I'm with you. Outside of the opening drive, they played great.

[Triple B]

I mentioned Mistral in another thread ... His tackling has stood out big time.

[DELdaBull]

They had 3 bad plays. The long td. Corner got roasted and the 2 long 3rd down conversions. I will take that percentage every game. Imagine if Mistral had a capable corner on the other side.  I am very happy with the defensive play.

[kdawgy_orlando]

+1

[cmhatter]

I mentioned Mistral in another thread ... His tackling has stood out big time.

mistral has played incredibly well. Props to him making the transition from safety to corner and playing even better than ever.

[Ghostofbigworm]

Hopefully the guys on D see this as a challenge to win games by themselves.  Too bad the great performances from the past 2 games have been squandered.

[pmcbri2]

After the last game, I realized our D is better than I thought it was. We just need to CREATE some fumbles. Overall, they are solid.

[lotsofbull99]

Great job D, we're lost without you.

[commbull]

Obviously, the big problem with our D is that they aren't scoring a couple of TDs each game.