LA Tech Defense Looks to Bounce Back
That 2014 defense was led by six future NFL players in Houston Bates, Vernon Butler, Vontarius Dora up front and Kentrell Brice, Xavier Woods, and Adarius Barnes in the secondary. What set the defense apart was the 42 turnovers forced – first overall nationally.
The defense was certainly loaded, but it was young. Four of the above players were juniors and one was a sophomore. They added junior college linebackers Tony Johnson Nick Thomason.
Defensive Coordinator Blake Baker took over the defense in 2015 and the Bulldogs finished 48th in Total Defense and 43rd in turnovers forced. 2016 saw a larger decline after Butler, Dora, Barnes, and Brice all moved on to the NFL. The Bulldogs were 78th in turnovers forced and 71st in Total Defense in 2016. The Bulldogs were 97th in scoring defense, giving up 33.6 points per game.
LA Tech has not seen a drop off in wins since 2014. The Bulldogs went 9-4 in 2015 and 9-5 in 2016, including a return to the conference championship game. The 2016 team did it through the offense, with Ryan Higgins, Trent Taylor, and Carlos Henderson torching teams through the air.
2017 brings a new quarterback for the Bulldogs as well as several new linemen and receivers. It’s time for the defense to lead the way once again. “I told the defense after practice today that we are headed in the right direction,” Baker said. “I love their effort, their attitude and toughness, but we are a long way away from where we need to be. We still have to improve communication and get better fundamentally every day.”
That 2014 team was led up front by Dora, Bates, and Butler. The 2017 Bulldogs will look very similar with defensive ends Jaylon Ferguson and Delrick Canty up front. “On the line, Deldrick and Jaylon have picked up where they left off last year and improved dramatically,” added Baker. “That is what you want to see going into their fourth year.”
Canty, a senior, joins Ferguson, a redshirt junior, as the main pass rushers for Baker’s defense. They will be backed up by veterans Matt Ydarraga and Immanuel Turner, with second year players Eric Kendzior and Willie Baker pushing hard for playing time. The depth and size up front has been lacking in Ruston for the last two years, but the Bulldogs are big and deep this year.
Inside, KeDarrion Mason (6-3 289), Jordan Bradford (6-3 284), LaDante Davenport (6-3 272), Keonatye Garner (6-4 270) , Cedric Johnson 6-2 306), and Courtney Wallace (6-2 320) give Baker six experienced options inside.
The defensive line is not only deep with plenty of size, they are also young. Canty is the only senior in the group so they will continue to grow in maturity and in the weight room. Canty had 5.5 tackles for loss last season and Bradford added 4.5 of his own. Jaylon Ferguson was a sack machine, piling up 14.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss.
Tech brought in a junior college linebacker, Randy Hogan, to add depth and competition. Brandon Durman and Russell Farris bring back experience and are joined by Reggie Cleveland and Collin Scott. Cleveland had 60 tackles, including 10 sacks, in his senior year of high school. The converted safety is likely to backup Farris outside this season. Scott had six tackles in the bowl game against Navy last season and is the leading candidate to start at middle linebacker.
The secondary has several players with experience coming back with some really exciting new players joining in. Junior cornerbacks Trey Spencer and Aaron Roberson return as well as second year players Zach Hannibal and L’Jarius Sneed. Hannibal, a 6-0 corner out of Ouachita HS and Sneed, a 6-1 corner from Minden, add some much needed size to the field.
Newcomers Michael Sam (6-1 200) and Amik Robertson (5-9 170) have been a big story in camp and could be the starters at corner. Sam is very physical and Robertson was Tech’s biggest get in recruiting.
Seniors DaMarion King (5-11 203) and Elliot Blankenship (6-0 200) are both vying for the strongside linebacker/safety postion.
Secdrick Cooper is back at one safety and is the leader of the secondary. Junior College transfer Jordan Baldwin looks to be the other starting safety. True freshmen Jaiden Cole and Jacorion Andrews, both from Neville HS, are in the mix for backup sots. Veterans Ronald Lewis, Daryl Lewis, and James Jackson all return.
Ronald Lewis and L’Jarius Sneed are the only returners with an interception under their belt. It will be vital for the secondary to force turnovers. Robertson is a ball hawk and should help improve the defense in that regard.
It all starts up front with the big guys creating chaos in the backfield. If Canty, Dradford, and Ferguson can stay in the backfield, then the secondary should get plenty of opportunities.
The defense is rebuilt, loaded and ready to go. They are excited about the opportunity to get back on the field and reclaim the swagger that was there in 2014 and 2015.