The football team began to get back into rhythm with the start of spring practice on Thursday, and with the level of experience that they are bringing into the year, the new starters will be in the spotlight.
One of these focal points will be on the defensive line, which lost All-American defensive end Justin Hickman from last season.
He will be replaced by Nikola Dragovic, who started four games in 2005 before injuring his ACL and missing the rest of the season. He will line up opposite All-American Bruce Davis, who racked up 12.5 sacks last season.
Dragovic is not expecting any drop-off from last season as Davis and Hickman were arguably the best defensive end tandem in the country.
“If not the same, then better,” Dragovic said. “A lot of people don’t realize that, yeah, I didn’t play too much (last season), but I was practicing every day, going full speed every day and working on my technique, and now it’s showing.”
For the D-line that’s comprised of Dragovic, Davis and tackles Brigham Harwell and Kevin Brown, expectations will be high. The four of them have been playing together for four years and Dragovic, Davis and Brown all are redshirt seniors with five years of experience.
When asked what his expectations are for the unit this coming season, Dragovic simply said, “Best in the country.”
Although Davis will almost assuredly face double-teams after his breakout season last year, he is not worried.
“That’s fine,” Davis said. “They’re gonna do that because now it’s just me, or at least they think it’s just me. I know (Dragovic’s) got a lot of talent. Just as much as Hickman does.
“They’re gonna double-team me for maybe a couple games, I’ll give it three. Then when he breaks out and starts having an All-American-caliber year, they’re going to have to pick and choose which player they’re going to block. They can’t just block one of us; if they do it’s going to cost them and if they don’t it’s going to cost them. So I guess they’re just all in trouble.”
The D-line will look to improve on last season when it held opponents to just 91.1 yards per game on the ground and totaled 40 sacks.
“We really just know each other so well that we really feed off each other’s energy and play off each other,” Davis said. “I feel like we’re the strongest we’ve been in recent years. We’re looking to be the backbone of the defense.”
Davis elaborated on what kind of player Dragovic is and his return to the lineup as a starter.
“He’s fast, he’s quick, he’s a big guy,” Davis said. “He’s got a lot of football smarts. So I think he’ll pick up right where (Hickman) left off.”
Davis will use this spring to improve on stopping the run, even though he has gained a reputation as primarily a pass rusher.
“Everybody knows I can get to the quarterback,” Davis said. “That just goes without saying.”
Coach Karl Dorrell knows his D-line is one of the most senior units on the team, but will withhold too much judgment until they practice in pads.
“You can’t really judge too much when you don’t have pads on, but I liked how explosive they were taking those first two or three steps,” Dorrell said.