After practice on Thursday, even though Mike Bugar, new defensive line coach, liked what he saw out of his group, the d-line ran sidelines. It wasn't to punish them, but to make them faster and mentally tougher.
Last season, the d-line, also known as "D-Block," was one of the most reliable parts of the Texas State defense. While the secondary struggled to stop air, the lineman held strong in the trenches. The group had seven of the team's 16 sacks last season.
This season, the Bobcat line is senior laden, with Donovan King, Ray Parker and Wellington Deshield all returning. Travis Houston is the lone underclassman on the starting grid. More than nine months into the new 4-3, they are truly buying into the system.
"We're looking good," Parker said. "We have a lot of leadership and seniority on the d-line. We had a lot of guys from the previous years who just weren't used to the change from (David) Bailiff to (Brad) Wright, but now we have a full year under Wright. We understand what we need to do."
Ultimately, the success of a defense in a 4-3 comes down to the defensive line. Should the group up front give way at any moment, the offensive lineman can break into the second level and lay a block on a linebacker, freeing up running room.
D-Block knows it needs to hold its ground and make up for what happened last season. It's their motivation.
"Last season we kind of turned around and started striving to get better," Houston said. "We wanted a new attitude for the team. We had a real hard offseason to get ready, but a lot of what we do now is because of last season."
For more on Parker, be sure to check tomorrow's Daily Record.
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