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Florida Atlantic University Athletics
A Look at the D Line
8/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 21, 2009
BOCA RATON, FL - A young defensive squad will be looking to provide some cushion for the offense of the Florida Atlantic Owls this year. It all starts up front with the men in the trenches, the offensive line.
The main thing Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger will be looking for is a leader on the defensive side. He has an obvious offensive leader in Rusty Smith, but the head man of the defense is a lot less clear cut.
One man Schnellenberger believes could step up into that role is redshirt senior Josh Savidge. As one of three senior starters he has, the head coach will look to Savidge to anchor a defense he hopes will stop opponents in their tracks.
"Josh gets to come back because of his injury, and he was one of the few we didn't redshirt as a freshman," Schnellenberger said. "He will now have a better year than he did last year and I think he will have a very solid year."
Another player the team is expecting big things from is redshirt freshman Kevin Cyrille. Not only was he praised by Schnellenberger, but by a fellow teammate.
Rusty Smith, the All-American candidate quarterback for the Owls, said he is impressed with Cyrille. He complimented him by saying he was the toughest he has faced and that Cyrille has helped him become a better quarterback.
With so many big men up front, Schnellenberger is not worried about filling the line with both talent and strength. He also praised junior Dino Cox, redshirt sophomore Jarvis Givens and redshirt sophomore Chris Newbold. Schnellenberger claimed they had "lots of talent" and were "big strong guys who can play."
With options on the defensive line, the Owls are in good shape to make a run at the Sun Belt Conference championship.
Mark Stankiewicz
Players Mentioned
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