Nicholson, defense plan to stay healthy

By Pete Mollica

Last season, he missed at least half of the season with injuries.

YOUNGSTOWN — A year ago Torrance Nicholson was coming off an outstanding redshirt freshman season, and he, along with defensive line teammates Mychal Savage and Luke Matelan, just couldn’t wait for the 2008 season to begin.

They would get up early every day in the summer and work out regularly, preparing for a season they felt would be one of the toughest Youngstown State’s football team had had in a long time.

Little did they know at that time just how tough the season would be.

The 6-3, 305-pound Nicholson, a Columbus native from Marion Franklin High School, was schedule to team up with Savage and Matelan to form three-fourths of the Penguins’ defensive line.

Then the season began, and Savage went down with a season-ending injury in the opener with Ohio State, and the following week Nicholson had a freak injury and broke his foot at South Dakota State, and Matelan would follow with a fracture soon after.

With those three standouts out of action, the Penguins’ hopes for a successful season quickly went down the drain, especially when those three injuries were followed by several others that depleted most of the YSU defense.

Nicholson did come back and played the final four games of the season, which by that time was already headed for destruction, and the Penguins did win their final two contests.

This season Nicholson is looking for bigger and a lot better things for the team.

“Everybody is back, healthy and ready to go,” said Nicholson.

“I’ve been ready to go right from the start this spring, while Luke is going to take a little longer and Mychal could probably have practiced, but the coaches just don’t want to take a chance. We’ll all be ready for fall games,” he added.

“Although last year was a disaster for us, there were a lot of younger guys who really got a lot of playing experience, and it’s is going to make us just that much stronger this year,” Nicholson.

“We were just talking the other day about how this spring when we go from one group to another, you can hardly even notice any difference, and that’s great,” he said.

“Last season was the longest and hardest that I’ve every gone through,” Nicholson said. “And I hope I never see anything like it again. Although it probably did make us into a better football team this year.”

Nicholson came to YSU and was redshirted his freshman season in 2006.

In 2007 as a redshirt freshman, he played in all 11 games, started nine and was named to the Gateway Conference All-Newcomer team as well as earning honorable mention All-Gateway honors.

He was credited with 42 tackles, 28 solos, four for losses, two sacks and a fumble recover.

His best game was against Southern Utah when he had eight tackles and recovered a fumble at the Southern two-yard line that set up a YSU touchdown.

He was named the Defensive Player of the Game against Southern Utah and was twice named the Jermaine Hopkins Defensive Lineman of the game, against Ohio State and Southern Illinois.

Last year in the six games he played, although he was injured in the first half of the South Dakota State game, he still finished with 32 tackles, 15 solos, six for losses and two sacks.

In his first game back after the injury against Northern Iowa, he registered a season-high 12 tackles and was named defensive lineman of the game.

Nicholson said that another big difference in the defense is the addition of Coach Heacock as the defensive coordinator.

“We heard rumors that he was going to take over, and when he did, he certainly let us all know just how things were going to happen and that he was in charge,” Nicholson said. “It’s been a big improvement, and we’re all excited to have him back running the show.

Nicholson and the Penguins will have their final workout of the spring Thursday at 7 a.m. and then get ready for the annual Red and White Game on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium.