EVANSTON, Ill. — Nobody loves the first day of full pads quite like a defensive line coach. Marty Long is no different.
"I want to hear those pads pop," Long shouted to his group during individual drills Thursday.
Always vocal, Long has plenty to be excited about for the 2019 season. His unit returns six key contributors from a group that held opposing teams to less than 130 rushing yards per game last season, the third lowest total in the Big Ten. In 14 games, just two opposing players rushed for over 100 yards against the Wildcats defense.
Junior Samdup Miller started all 14 of those games at defensive end last season, posting a single-season career high 53 total tackles with 6.5 tackles for loss.
"Full pads today really picks up the intensity," Miller said after practice Thursday. "It's the closest you get to a real game outside of a game so it's really beneficial for the team as a whole."
Now a junior as well, Earnest Brown IV finished second on the team with four sacks in a breakout sophomore campaign.
"We haven't put on pads since I want to say March," Brown IV said. "I mean, we've been waiting for this day all year."
"It's a big evaluation day," added sophomore Trevor Kent. "Everyone has been working to get stronger and bigger, but you can't really see how that correlates to the football field until we get out here and do it."
Miller, Brown IV and Kent are part of the group of linemen tasked with replacing the production of Jordan Thompson, who Pro Football Focus dubbed the Big Ten's second highest rated interior lineman last season. But Marty Long's group features tremendous depth, so much that Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald felt comfortable moving Trent Goens and Tommy Carnifax to the superback position.
"We've got some good young guys," Brown IV said of his group's depth. "We're teaching them the way, trying to make them better so they can be where we are."
The defensive line returns four of its five leaders in sacks and its three leaders in tackles for loss. But with the departure of three seniors, including Thompson, and the insertion of three true first-years in the 2019 recruiting class, the roles of returning contributors - like Miller, Brown IV and Kent - inevitably change.
"This is the first year that we're upperclassmen so we've got to step into leadership roles," Miller said. "Kind of like older guys did for us, they really helped us develop. I remember when I first got here guys like Lanny [Tyler Lancaster], Fred [Wyatt] and Jordan [Thompson] were so good at taking younger guys and teaching them the playbook, so we really got to step up and take on that role."
Now in each of their third seasons with the program, the responsibilities have heightened for Miller, Brown IV and Kent. There's an expectation on the defensive line, set from the indelible impact that guys like Thompson and Lancaster have left.
"We're definitely not taking a step back, that's for sure" Kent said. "The guys before us set the tone, so we got to hit that and keep getting better."
"We've just got to do our job and stay physical always," Miller added. "If we keep taking it week by week, and day by day, I think the sky's the limit for us."
"I want to hear those pads pop," Long shouted to his group during individual drills Thursday.
Always vocal, Long has plenty to be excited about for the 2019 season. His unit returns six key contributors from a group that held opposing teams to less than 130 rushing yards per game last season, the third lowest total in the Big Ten. In 14 games, just two opposing players rushed for over 100 yards against the Wildcats defense.
Junior Samdup Miller started all 14 of those games at defensive end last season, posting a single-season career high 53 total tackles with 6.5 tackles for loss.
"Full pads today really picks up the intensity," Miller said after practice Thursday. "It's the closest you get to a real game outside of a game so it's really beneficial for the team as a whole."
Now a junior as well, Earnest Brown IV finished second on the team with four sacks in a breakout sophomore campaign.
"We haven't put on pads since I want to say March," Brown IV said. "I mean, we've been waiting for this day all year."
"It's a big evaluation day," added sophomore Trevor Kent. "Everyone has been working to get stronger and bigger, but you can't really see how that correlates to the football field until we get out here and do it."
Miller, Brown IV and Kent are part of the group of linemen tasked with replacing the production of Jordan Thompson, who Pro Football Focus dubbed the Big Ten's second highest rated interior lineman last season. But Marty Long's group features tremendous depth, so much that Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald felt comfortable moving Trent Goens and Tommy Carnifax to the superback position.
"We've got some good young guys," Brown IV said of his group's depth. "We're teaching them the way, trying to make them better so they can be where we are."
The defensive line returns four of its five leaders in sacks and its three leaders in tackles for loss. But with the departure of three seniors, including Thompson, and the insertion of three true first-years in the 2019 recruiting class, the roles of returning contributors - like Miller, Brown IV and Kent - inevitably change.
"This is the first year that we're upperclassmen so we've got to step into leadership roles," Miller said. "Kind of like older guys did for us, they really helped us develop. I remember when I first got here guys like Lanny [Tyler Lancaster], Fred [Wyatt] and Jordan [Thompson] were so good at taking younger guys and teaching them the playbook, so we really got to step up and take on that role."
Now in each of their third seasons with the program, the responsibilities have heightened for Miller, Brown IV and Kent. There's an expectation on the defensive line, set from the indelible impact that guys like Thompson and Lancaster have left.
"We're definitely not taking a step back, that's for sure" Kent said. "The guys before us set the tone, so we got to hit that and keep getting better."
"We've just got to do our job and stay physical always," Miller added. "If we keep taking it week by week, and day by day, I think the sky's the limit for us."