Midway through spring football drills, who better to state Morehead State's "case for the defense" than Zack Moore? Entering his second season as the Eagles' defensive coordinator, Moore is plotting a course that is intended to help MSU improve on last year's 4-7 record (3-5 Pioneer Football League). "I think like every other team in the country during spring, a big emphasis is just on individual positions, specific individual techniques," said Moore, himself a former MSU standout. "We evaluated what we did well from this past season and we also evaluated what we didn't do so well at each position. So it was very deliberate. And we're being very deliberate in the way we practice our individual skills. ... Because you can have the best blitz coverage or whatever you want to have, but if the guys can't execute it with technique it's going to be ineffective." Moore allows that Morehead may be a tad younger this season, but the Eagles also are more athletic. That, hopefully, will enable them to do something that they weren't able to do as well they would have liked last time out. Pressure. "The big thing has just been the ability to apply pressure in different ways," Moore said. "I'm not just talking about blitzing. That means tight coverage. That means showing different looks, and being able to play some things out of those different looks. So it's not just a pretty standard disguise that we're showing before each play. "The athleticism of our guys and their ability to cover ground has enabled us to be a little bit more creative in what we can do and let us match up, lock up, a little bit more one-on-one as well." Looking up front and working towards the secondary, Moore notes that one senior was lost at defensive tackle. Several returnees saw significant time last season, but three of those were in a season of transition from end to tackle. That translated to playing undersized and inexperienced. But the players grew - literally - over the fall and then through winter training. “R.T. Sutherland has added 30 pounds of "good" weight since last fall, now plays at 290-to-300 pounds, "and still has maintained his ability to move, which is the most valuable asset all these guys have," Moore said. Fifth-year senior Jeff Jones is expected to step up from a role-player situation and take added snaps. Patrick Rice, a redshirt sophomore out of Johnson Central "has impressed all of us thus far in the first six practices, maybe more-so than anybody has," Moore said. "Patrick has really good feet as well, which enables him to pursue the ball well. And right now he's shedding blocks well and getting to the ball-carrier - which, at the end of the day, is what every defensive player's goal is." David Devaughn may have a bit less size, but has what Moore calls "violent hands. Meaning that he has the ability to shed blocks quickly, and his lower body is starting to catch up with his hands as well." Add to the mix Nick Flores, a transfer out of junior-college power Lackawanna (Pa.), and redshirt sophomore Hunter Burdno. At end, no need to look further than Colt Briggs. "Colt was the most productive lineman in the entire league last season," Moore said. "Great student. Great player. Great motor. I mean, there's nothing you can complain about. He is just 'doing what Colt does,' as we say around here. And that's make plays." The other end spot will see redshirt junior Jamil Butler, who has added the strength necessary to expand from his role as a situational pass rusher. Jeremiah Draper, who transitioned from linebacker a year ago, also is expected to get valuable snaps. Leaders of a short-staffed linebacker crew at the moment are sophomore Kordell Brown and redshirt freshman Boaz Pogue. "This is probably where we've got the most versatility right now because they're athletic enough to do some stuff in coverage and still physical enough to play the run," Moore said. "So those are guys we're expecting not only to take a lot of reps for us, but also to produce quite a bit as well." Moore says he has three players capable of starting at cornerback: Braylyn Cook, Brandyn Duncan and Chauncey Johns. That enables the Eagles to play plenty of 'man' coverage on outside receivers. Sayyid Kanu is the lone returnee at safety, heading into his third year as a starter. Unlike his lineman teammates, Kanu has cut his weight in order to be more effective in coverage. Redshirts Terrell Dance and Jovon Cobbs have strong chances of helping out on the other side of the field. "We want to bring pressure as much as possible," Moore said. "We want to try to force the quarterback, who is the main decision-maker, to make plays on us. And we want to make life difficult on him." Activity culminates with the spring game on Saturday, April 22, at 1 p.m. Story provided by: Morehead State Athletics | 
