The primary concern coming into the season was how a very young secondary would fare in defending the pass. And midway through the season, those concerns were realized as the passing defense was ranked 83rd in the country. Meanwhile, the rushing defense was sparkling, holding opponents to under 80 yards per game on the ground which was good for 6th in the nation. However, by the time the season concluded, the passing defense ranked 36th and the rushing defense was 60th. This turn of events likely had little to do with the passing getting markedly better while the run defense got significantly worse. No, it was more likely due to the schedule. The Golden Rams faced pass happy teams like Gannon, Kutztown, California, East Stroudsburg and Shippensburg early in the season, and run oriented offenses like Bloomsburg (twice), American International, Shepherd and Lenoir-Rhyne in the latter half of the season. Unfortunately, the fall of rushing defense was greater than the rise of the pass defense as the total yards surrendered increased from 309 yards per game at the midpoint to 350 yards per game by season's end. Scoring stayed fairly flat throughout the year - yielding 21 points per game and ranked 32nd in Division II in the final statistics.
Defensive Line
The four down linemen had a healthy rotation to keep fresh legs on the field. Starting ends
Eric Edwers (75 total tackles, team leading 7.0 sacks, 1 pass breakup, 2 QB hurries) and
Chris DiValentino (48 total tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 1 pass breakup, 2 QB hurries) got support from
Kayo Bakare (27 total tackles, 2.0 sacks) and
Barry Lyons (11 total tackles). Edwers received second team All-PSAC East honors.
Starting tackles
Anthony McCloskey (45 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss) and sophomore phenom
Andrew Cohen (41 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 4 pass breakups, 4 QB hurries) were backed up by big
Demrick Cook (43 total tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, 1 interception) and R-Fr.
Shaquil Ryder (10 total tackles, 2.0 sacks, 1 interception). Even
Jamiel Sims (11 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss) made contributions when he wasn't a lead blocker on offense in short yardage situations. Cohen received second team All-PSAC East recognition.
Linebackers
It's no surprise that in this defense the two leading tacklers were the starting linebackers. But the two starting linebackers were also the best players on the Golden Ram defense.
Ronell Williams (110 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 3 pass breakups, 4 QB hurries) led the team in tackles again this season and made plays in the opposition's backfield as well as in the passing game.
Mike Labor (105 total tackles, team leading 13.0 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 1 pass breakup, 1 QB hurry) racked up huge numbers despite sitting out the Cheyney game. Williams was named first team All-PSAC East, first team Daktronics All-Super Region 1, and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year. Labor received second team All-PSAC East recognition.
With Williams and Labor staying healthy for the entire season,
Mike Culbreath (22 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 pass breakup, 1 QB hurry) saw most of his action in three linebacker sets against running teams and
Drew Persa (5 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 fumble recovered for a touchdown) saw most of his action on special teams.
Secondary
Shawn Krautzel (86 total tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 6 pass breakups) was everything that was expected as he rotated between strong safety and rover and received second team All-PSAC East honors. Sophomore
Drew Formica (63 total tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, 1 interception, 6 pass breakups) had a very good year in his first season as a starter. Sophomore free safety
Brandon Pepper (53 total tackles, team high 5 interceptions, 7 pass breakups), playing his first full season on defense, will be best remembered for his four interceptions in the playoffs including his pick six at Shepherd, but needs to improve on his tackling abilities.
Cornerback
Al-Hajj Shabazz (53 total tackles, 4 interceptions, 8 pass breakups) played at a high level and was named first team All-PSAC East, ECAC Division II All-Star and first team Daktronics All-Super Region 1. In the season preview, it was known that someone new was going to be at the other corner spot and it was R-Fr.
Blaise Schieler (72 total tackles, 8 pass breakups) that was thrown into the fire. True freshman
Pete Galiano (13 total tackles) and R-Fr.
Nasheed Parker (13 total tackles) also saw playing time in the secondary.
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