Defensive Line

Five years ago defensive end Zach Davidson was being courted by Purdue, Colorado, Ball State, Western Michigan and NIU.

Sadly for the Huskies, the 6-foot-2, 239-pound lineman was ultimately wooed by the WMU Broncos. Now, NIU will have to face a senior, who has 30 games started under his belt.
Davidson, a 2007 Second Team All-Mac Defense selection, recorded 6.5 sacks last year. That number was good enough to lead that defensive stat for WMU.

But the senior isn’t the only lineman with experience for the Broncos. Left defensive end Greg Marshall, nose guard Cory Flom and defensive tackle Nick Varcadipane are all seniors. Marshall has the least experience, only starting 16 games over the past three years.

However, WMU needs to prove that experience can be successful against the run. The Broncos let opponents average 4.6 yards per carry in 2007, ranking them No. 83 in the country. In its 2008 season opener against Nebraska, WMU allowed 138 rushing yards on 31 carries, for an average of 4.45 yards per carry.
Grade: B-

Linebackers

If he wasn’t red-shirted, middle linebacker Dustin Duclo was starting.

The senior has started all 37 games WMU has played since his red-shirt freshman season. And Duclo has been providing trouble for offenses in all 37 games.

In the Bronco’s 2008 season opener, the 5-foot-10 linebacker had five tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble. Then there’s the memories of last season, when Duclo had 10 stops against NIU – eight solo and recovered two fumbles.

Fumbles are key for the WMU defense. The Broncos gained 14 possessions via stripping the ball from the offense last season, good enough to rank them No. 17 in the nation in the statistic.
But Dulco isn’t doing it alone. The linebacker works alongside fellow senior Boston McCornell on the weakside, and sophomore Harrison Porter on the strong side. Last week, against Nebraska, McCornell recorded 1.5 sacks, while Porter added a sack of his own.
Grade: A-

Secondary

What’s better than being on one preseason watch list? How about being on two?

WMU cornerback Londen Fryar is on both the Jim Thorpe Trophy Watch List and the Bronco Nagurski List for the 2008 season. The Thorpe Trophy goes to the top defensive back in the nation, while the Nagurski award is for the best defensive player in the country.

And to think, Fryar may have never been a thought for these awards.

That’s because the 5-foot-11 senior started as a wide receiver, only converting to defense prior to the 2006 season. Two seasons later, Fryar broke up 16 passes and was named a 2007 First Team All-MAC defensive player.

The comebacker is joined by three other seniors in the defensive secondary. Fellow cornerback E.J. Biggers, and safeties Louis Delmas and C.J. Wilson all bring multiple years of experience to the group.

Although WMU only had 10 interceptions last year, ranking No. 90 in the country, the secondary limited opponents to a 51.8 percent passing completion. Overall the Broncos put up the No. 46 pass defense in the nation in 2007.
Grade: B+

Special Teams

Huskie fans might recognize a familiar face on the sidelines in Kalamazoo this year.

After 24 seasons as an assistant coach at NIU, Mike Sabock has found a new home with the Broncos. Primarily serving as the runningback coach, Sabock also added the duty of special teams in his new job.

In his first game with WMU, Sabock had his kick retuners average 27.8 yards per return, with a 57 yard long return by freshman Aaron Winchester. Running back Brandon West also returned four kicks, for 82 yards against Nebraska. West averaged 25.9 yards per kick return last season, ranking him sixth in the MAC.

On the other side, true freshman John Potter is kicking for WMU. Potter made his first field goal of the season from 19 yards away last week. With five kickoffs so far, the freshman is averaging 60.6 yards per kick. To compare, NIU kicker Mike Salerno, with six kicks, is averaging 61.7 yards per kick off.
Grade: B-

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