STARKVILLE — There is no middle ground in the Bob Shoop defensive front.
Mississippi State’s defense last year, under the direction of Todd Grantham, contained several elements in which outside linebackers and defensive ends were almost viewed as synonymous. Gerri Green was listed as a linebacker but spent a significant amount of time in a defensive lineman’s stance; Montez Sweat was once listed as a linebacker but changed that listing to defensive lineman, yet his duties didn’t change.
With Shoop in charge as the new defensive coordinator, the distinction will be clear. Linebackers will be linebackers.
MSU’s linebacker group — one of the Southeastern Conference’s youngest, with two sophomores and a junior expected to get most of the playing time — is taking in the new system as MSU opened spring practice this week with its third session on Saturday. It’s undeniably a different way to play the position than the one they played last season, but to date, no one involved seems over their head.
“As far as coverage-wise, we’re more zone concepts. The run fits are different,” sophomore linebacker Erroll Thompson, a All-SEC Freshman Team selection, said. “It’s really a whole different scheme, I can’t say too much.”
Shoop pointed out that given the turnover at his position, where he will be the fifth in as many years, his scheme may be new to them compared to last year, but he thought it likely that they have run something like it in their past. Three practices into the experiment, Shoop is pleased.
“The linebackers have really been a position of strength through the first few days,” he said. “I think Erroll has got some good football intelligence, has a feel for what’s going on; for me, Willie Gay has proven to be our most explosive athlete through two practices. Leo had an interception last week and Tim Washington had an interception last week. I think they’re all catching on well.”
The primary difference is the Shoop defense is likely to base itself in a 4-2-5 configuration — four defensive linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs — as opposed to the odd three-man front Grantham used. The extra defensive linemen in front of linebackers, and the higher expectations on those defensive linemen in run support, changes what linebackers will see when their opponents run and how they are expected to react to it.
“Last year we may be reading one thing, but this year we may be reading two or three different things depending on the play,” Thompson said.
MSU linebackers coach Tem Lukabu added, “It’s more single gap attack. Based on the coverage, we’re going to play one gap and be aggressive with it.”
Another difference in a system with four defensive linemen is that linebackers will be less relied upon in pass rush. Under Grantham, linebackers were often used as the agents of chaos in complex pass rush schemes, being the ones displacing themselves postsnap to charge an unexpected gap; now they can most often leave that to the defensive linemen in front of them and play coverage.
That change requires a noticeable change in body type: blitzing linebackers could benefit from extra pounds to combat offensive linemen, but those pounds won’t help linebackers in space with slot receivers. Coaches communicated that fact to them and Lukabu loved their response.
“We’re asking guys to be a little more DB mentality when it comes to the pass because you might be in space a little bit. More zone eyes, and the guys have done a good job of buying in,” he said. “They showed in the winter, the way they got their bodies to a point where they’re going to move more like DBs now, they’re going to be in space, so this is how my body has to be, this is how I have to train. Being 250 is not going to help me anymore.
“They’ve totally bought in, I’m really happy about those guys.”
Although Lukabu considers them more lean than they have been, they will still be expected to have a major presence in run stopping. Thompson got his All-SEC Freshman Team honors by racking up 46 tackles, which tied with fellow linebacker Leo Lewis for seventh on the team, and 5.5 tackles for a loss; Lewis had one tackle behind the line and forced a fumble. Even with last year’s top linebacker Dez Harris gone via graduation, MSU is certain is has the system, players and coaches to make a strong linebacker unit.
“With the guys we got up front, their eyes light up,” Lukabu said. “If they read their keys the right way, they’re going to be making a lot of plays.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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