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Defense is name of game for Penguins
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
Two keys to any good defense are communication and trust, which is why Youngstown State junior linebacker Dubem Nwadiogbu took time after Wednesday’s practice to communicate jokes about sophomore linebacker Jaylin Kelly’s hair and trust that he wouldn’t get (too) mad.
“He looks like a female and his name is Jocelyn,” Nwadiogbu said.
Kelly, looking offended, shot back, “And what’s YOUR name?”
For the record, Dubem’s last name is pronounced WADDY-a-boo. And yes, his teammates make fun of it.
(If you’re wondering about YSU’s other starting linebacker, senior Travis Williams, the answer is his age. They make fun of his age. Williams turns 24 in December, which means he is 15 months older than Kyrie Irving.)
Anyway, back to Kelly’s hair. It’s ... well, it’s Al Sharpton-esque, particularly when it’s spent the last two hours tucked away inside a helmet.
“Every time someone sees me, they tell me to cut my hair,” Kelly said. “I just tell them it’s concussion-proof, that it makes me play better.”
That’s good news for the Penguins, who could use a Samson (or a Clay Matthews) at linebacker. Kelly may have played in every game as a true freshman last season, but it was always as a reserve. He finished with seven tackles, which is 74 fewer than YSU’s previous middle linebacker, Teven Williams, who led the team in tackles each of the last three seasons before getting kicked off the team before spring practice.
“I’ve got big shoes to fill,” said Kelly, who hails from Washington, Pa. “I just want to do my job as part of the defense. Everybody just needs to do their job.
“We’ve got no big-name people on this defense.”
Maybe not, but they at least one long name. Nwadiogbu, who earned the nickname “Bam” while playing at Peachtree High outside Atlanta, started the first three games of the 2012 season before tearing his ACL. He appeared in eight games last season but clearly wasn’t himself, recording six tackles while he struggle to regain his knee bend and ability to change direction.
“Being hurt ... you get depressed, you have highs, you have lows, you have days where you don’t want to do anything and you tend to want to quit,” he said. “I just had a big support class. My mom and dad helped me a lot and Coach [Mike] Cochran helped me in the weight room.”
Nwadiogbu said he now feels better than he did when he was a sophomore starter and he (along with Kelly) will look to improve what was (to put it tactfully) a disappointing defense in 2013. The Penguins gave up 425.4 yards per Missouri Valley game, which ranked last in the conference ... by 55 yards.
“Last year, we didn’t focus on what we needed to do,” Nwadiogbu said. “We just focused on making plays. I think we were a little bit selfish last year.
“This year, I feel like we’re all together. We all trust each other and are trying to do our own assignments.”
If YSU improves, much of the credit will go to new defensive coordinator Jamie Bryant, who has simplified the same 4-3 scheme utilized by last year’s DC, Joe Tresey.
“Everybody knows what they’re doing,” Kelly said. “People are communicating more and when you communicate, you’re more confident in the guy next to you and in what you’re doing, too.”
YSU gets its first test on Saturday at Illinois. Outside of a disastrous spring game, the defense has played well through the spring and summer. For the past four years, YSU’s offense has been good enough to compensate for some (but not all) of the defense’s weaknesses. But with a new quarterback and a young offensive line, that’s no longer an option.
“We have a lot of room to grow and a lot of potential,” Nwadiogbu said. “It’s a gap-sound defense, so if everyone does their job, there’s gonna be someone there to make a play.”