2013 Defense

[BIG DAWG]

DE - new

DT - new

DT - new

DE - new

OLB - new

MLB - new

OLB - Akunne

CB - Jones

CB - Buyers

S - Lee

S - new

7 new starters...

Wow! Not that we don't have replacements, but when you have to replace 7 starters from the backbone unit of your team, that makes 2014 interesting to say the least

BTW...new QB too...fun times ahead

[UNTeagle88]

If we believe in the leadership of this 2013 Defense seniors and our Defensive Coordinator... then you shouldnt be worried. I'm not.

[MeanGreenGlory]

Who do you predict will fill those spots?

[Merle]

DE - Daryl Mason

DT - Austin Orr

DT - Lincoln Alexander

DE - Quentin Brown

OLB - JUCO or Sed Ellis

MLB - Anthony Wallace or Fred Scott

OLB - Derek Akunne

CB - James Jones

CB - Kenny Buyers

SS - Laramie Lee

FS - Zed Evans or Freddie Warner

I think will be fine on Defense next year IF we keep Skladany.

[BIG DAWG]

If we believe in the leadership of this 2013 Defense seniors and our Defensive Coordinator... then you shouldnt be worried. I'm not.

I'm not necessarily worried...because I do believe in Mac and the coaching staff, it's just shaping up to be a VERY interesting offseason

[BillySee58]

DE - Daryl Mason

DT - Austin Orr

DT - Lincoln Alexander

DE - Quentin Brown

OLB - JUCO or Sed Ellis

MLB - Anthony Wallace or Fred Scott

OLB - Derek Akunne

CB - James Jones

CB - Kenny Buyers

SS - Laramie Lee

FS - Zed Evans or Freddie Warner

I think will be fine on Defense next year IF we keep Skladany.

You got it. Although I would say Polk has the inside track over Brown at the moment. Polk has played very well at end. He will not be able to play a heavy percentage of downs due to his weight, but I think he has the inside track at starting.

We also are looking at bringing in some JUCO d-lineman. Some ends and maybe Max Martial could compete for starting spots

[GrandGreen]

I believe Akunne will be the middle lb.

Replacing 7 defensive starters is a lot more challenging that some of you think. McCoy, Boutwell, Orr, Wright, Trice were multiple year starters. You don't replace that kind of experience easily.

[emmitt01]

How much PT do we anticipate that Sir Calvin might get? I know he's seen the field a little this year.

[TheColonyEagle]

One can look at La Tech as an example of what we DON'T want to happen to us next year. They lost a lot of starters and really struggled this year. However they not only broke in new players, they broke in a new coach. A new system and new players can be a painful combination unless you're a big program with talent to spare.

That is why it is so important to keep this coaching staff and system in place. And also why I think if we do keep this staff in place (and this system) we'll be fine.

The players coming up have played this year and have been in this system that will have been here for 3 years now. That can be a huge benefit.

And I don't want to get into a DT debate but with our O Line coming back virtually intact, 2 solid RBs and the added wrinkle of a running QB, I think our offense may actually be better.

I fully expect to compete for the conference title again next year.

[EastTexasMG]

What about Sid Moore? He got a lot of attention over the summer but I haven't heard much about him since.

[ragpicker]

If I recall, we were very excited about our offensive line at the beginning of the year (and rightly so), but were a bit concerned about our defense. I agree that if we keep Skladany we will be okay.

[UNT90]

Of course losing that many defensive starters is a huge concern, and one we can go into in depth after the bowl game.

For now, just enjoy what we have.

[Harry]

90 is right, let's enjoy the moment -- plenty of time to discuss and debate these issues.

I will leave you with this...don't underestimate Mac and this staff. Prior to this season we thought the defensive line was a big question mark. Frankly we thought the only true strength of the team would be the offensive line. The defensive line turned out to be phenomenal. In the secondary Kenny Buyers turned out to be a big player as did Lee. Obviously we lose some great seniors but I see plenty of guys who are capable of making an impact for us next season.

[All About UNT]

90 is right, let's enjoy the moment -- plenty of time to discuss and debate these issues.

I will leave you with this...don't underestimate Mac and this staff. Prior to this season we thought the defensive line was a big question mark. Frankly we thought the only true strength of the team would be the offensive line. The defensive line turned out to be phenomenal. In the secondary Kenny Buyers turned out to be a big player as did Lee. Obviously we lose some great seniors but I see plenty of guys who are capable of making an impact for us next season.

I remember a certain die-hard fan who wasn't convinced by Buyers in the beginning of the season

[Army of Dad]

Of course losing that many defensive starters is a huge concern, and one we can go into in depth after the bowl game.

For now, just enjoy what we have.

Are you kidding? We had an off week before UTSA and there were more rediculous threads in that short span than this one and we could have a month before a bowl game.

I'd rather see threads like this than (another) uniform or marching band thread.