43
YSU defenders poised to show off depth
Zaborsky is ready for big season
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
Late in Saturday’s practice, after watching senior defensive tackle Steve Zaborsky blow through a gap to “sack” Youngstown State quarterback Hunter Wells, Penguins exasperated offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo looked over at offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery and yelled, “Just run the ball, Shane. We can’t pass block.”
After years of watching YSU’s offense dominate the defense in practice, the Penguins may finally have a defensive unit that can compete with the best teams in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
“There’s definitely a lot more depth,” said Zaborsky (6-foot-2, 275), a Fitch High graduate. “Some of that comes from us [younger recruits] coming up and getting older, and also Coach [Bo] Pelini adding depth to the back end.
“It’s also a different mentality [than in previous years]. You learn on the fly. There’s a lot less patience. New guys are expected to learn quick and they get a rude awakening, especially the freshmen coming in. It’s not high school football anymore. It’s college football and you’ve got to pick up the pace.”
Zaborsky is one of the most experienced defenders on the team, having played in 33 games with nine starts over the past three years. He didn’t play much last fall — he got hurt early in the season and was stuck behind Octavius Brown — but is expected to start inside this fall next to senior DT Emmanuel Kromah (35 career games, 24 straight starts), senior DE Terrell Williams (33 career games, 24 straight starts) and junior DE Derek Rivers (22 career games, 11 starts).
“He’s followed up a good spring and summer with a good start to camp,” Pelini said of Zaborsky. “He’s a good leader out there. He plays hard and he plays the right way.”
Added Wells: “He’s always getting extra work in, he’s always doing the right thing. He does a good job leading everyone.”
Taking control
Wells has also had a good start to training camp, impressing Pelini with his poise, confidence and leadership so far.
“I think Hunter’s looked really good,” Pelini said. “He continues to grow, he’s a competitor and he’s a leader out there. He’s got to keep learning to take his checkdowns, take what the defense gives you and not try to force the ball downfield too much, but he’s had a good first week. He’s very, very confident, which I think at the quarterback position is very important.”
A true freshman last fall, Wells played in 10 games with seven starts, including the final six. He threw for 1,772 yards and 14 TDs, finishing second in the MVFC’s voting for freshman of the year.
“He’s got a stronger arm this year and lot more poise in the pocket,” Zaborsky said. “He’s a lot more mature. Last year definitely helped him and we’re looking for big things this year.”
(Zaborsky then turned to Wells and said, “The only reason I said that was because you were standing right there.”)
Easing into it
Saturday’s practice was YSU’s fifth of the spring and the first with full contact. While Pelini doesn’t hold back in the meeting room, he’s eased into things physically, trying to avoid soft-tissue injuries (i.e. pulled muscles and the like) so his players can stay fresh and healthy. Pelini ends every practice with a stretching session — something Eric Wolford never did — and has a yoga session scheduled for today.
“People say we’re babying guys, but it’s not about that,” Pelini said. “It’s about being smart and getting your work done but understanding the body can only handle so much. You can be in the best shape possible going into camp but you’ve got to give the body time to adapt. To a certain extent, you learn that the hard way [as a coach] and you adjust.”
College football teams are allowed 29 practices before the first game and Pelini said he only has 28 scheduled, with no two-a-day practices.
“I think there’s a time for it,” he said of practicing twice in one day. “It all depends on how the calendar sets up. If you can do 29 practices without beating your team, and you get enough meeting time and enough time to process film, that’s an advantage.
“I’m not worried about our guys being in shape. I think they’re showing that they’re shape and if you practice the right way, you’re gonna get in better shape as camp goes.”