SPRING FOOTBALL Porter feels YSU defense can be good

The senior defensive lineman said the Penguins must regroup.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Senior defensive lineman Matt Porter feels that he knows what his unit needs to do to get back to playing the type of defense that Youngstown State football has been all about over the years.
Porter is in his second season with the Penguins after transferring a year ago from American River Junior College in Nevada.
"What we need to do right now is to just go off by ourselves and take some time and learn the playbook and get mentally ready to play," Porter said.
"Right now we are just thinking too much out there and we are way too tentative on defense," he added. "We need to come out and starting playing defense like we've been taught to play it.
"We are a much better defense than we've showed thus far, but our biggest problem is that we are thinking too much and not just playing the game."
Two new coaches
The Penguins have two new defensive coaches this season and they've made some changes, but Porter says that's no excuse for their play.
"To a point that was a problem, but not any more," he said. "We just have to go out and do what we've been taught. We have to get back that fire and desire and start giving back some of the punishment that we've been taking out there."
The Penguins have had some injuries on the defensive front. In fact, a couple players have not even practiced this spring, including projected senior starter Ron John-Finn.
"That's something that we can't do anything about," said Porter. "There are going to be injuries, but you just have to make do with what you have."
Porter feels that the Penguins have more than enough talent on defense to be very good.
"There is a lot of talent here, guys who you would have no trouble going to war with," he said. "I just love playing with guys like Yancey [Marcum] and Nate [Baston], they just make you want to play the game."
Welcome
Porter has been very happy since coming to Youngstown. A native of Yuma City, Calif., he said that he was never made to feel more welcome in his life than when he came here.
"People talk about the Youngstown State football family. Well, I'm one of the biggest believers in that," he said.
"When I went to Nevada I was made to feel like a real outsider, but when I came here it was totally different," he continued.
"From the first day I stepped on campus, I had guys on the team who just wanted to hang out with me and I never felt more welcomed," he said.
"I know when the freshmen arrive this fall that I'll be one of the first guys to welcome them aboard and help them to feel like they are part of this family," he said. "Right now we're like brothers and it is just fun being a part of this family."
The Penguins had Thursday off, but were scheduled to return to action today with their second jersey scrimmage of the spring at 3:30 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium.
The offense won the first jersey scrimmage last Friday, 43-15, and retained the red practice jerseys.
mollica@vindy.com