2018 SMU Defense Preview

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Sonny Dykes remembers — not so fondly, it should be noted — the first time he saw his new team run an 11-on-11 inside run drill.

“We were not physical defensively at all,” Dykes said. “It was really kind of eye-opening.”

It also set the official tone of the spring: The Mustangs needed to get more physical. That meant 300 11-on-11 snaps with live tackling to get tougher.

“The mentality is better. The kids are trying to be tough, trying to play physical. They’re trying to play aggressive. I thought we really improved our tackling this spring,” Dykes said. “I didn’t spend a lot of time looking at last year, but that’s one thing that stood out. We didn’t tackle well. That’s why we made that decision.”

The linebackers should be the strength of the defense. Kyran Mitchell (15.5 tackles for loss in 2017) returns, and Texas A&M transfer Richard Moore, who made 39 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss as a freshman in 2015, was one of the stars of the spring. Jordon Williams, Matt McNew, Trevor Denbow, Delano Robinson and Ar’mani Johnson offer even more depth at the position.

Jordan Wyatt returns at corner, along with Christian Davis and safeties Mikial Onu, Rodney Clemons, Elijah McQueen and Kevin Johnson.

“They’re definitely trying to build that mental and physical toughness,” Wyatt said. “If you want to be a more physical defense and a better tackling unit, live is the way to go.”

Justin Lawler and Mason Gentry left big holes on the defensive line, but Delontae Scott, Demerick Gary, Pono Davis, Chris Biggurs and Tyeson Neals will be relied on to play larger roles.

Neals and Scott combined for 14.5 tackles for loss last season, and Gary added 5.5 more. However, the Mustangs ranked 119th nationally in defensive yards per play in 2017.

“When you haven’t been successful — and they struggled last year — there’s a bit of a ‘Here we go again’ mentality,” Dykes said. “We’ve just got to get out of that.”

If they can do that, it could be the defense that pushes the Mustangs to the next level.

 

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