Since the day he first walked into the University of Montana’s football program, Grizzlies’ defensive line coach Barry Sacks has known how he’s wanted his charges to play.
“It’s quite a few things … getting off blocks, playing with great pad level, being violent when they play, and then chasing the ball, [even if] it’s up in Tacoma. Chase the ball to Tacoma,” Sacks said. “We’re going to chase the ball with a purpose. Not chase the ball because coach told me to chase the ball, chase the ball as if you’re going to make a difference in the football game.”
For a veteran defensive line, that effort could be the difference between living up to their potential — and blowing way past it.
To Sacks, and Montana head coach Bobby Hauck, the problem isn’t physicality, talent or skill. It’s just the simple act of pursuing every play.
“I think we have a real physical presence in terms of the ability to hold the line of scrimmage,” Hauck said. “The big part we need to continue to improve on is running to the football and being able to chase people down. I don’t think there’s any doubt those guys are strong enough to play off of offensive linemen. Now it’s about running to the football.”
To get them to do that, Sacks, an intense dynamo of a coach who joined the Griz in the offseason from Humboldt State, is channeling one of his old professors from Montana.
“It’s an emphasis, and they’re reminded as they’re doing it, and they’re reminded on the field,” Sacks said. “Then we take it in and watch the film … and remind them again. I go back to Vince Wilson. He was a teacher of anatomy and physiology here at the University of Montana, way back in the ‘70s. Vince Wilson used to teach us anatomy every single day, and pound it into our heads until it was part of our fabric.”
Sacks has a good foundation on the defensive line, with several returners looking to lead the group, a rarity this year on the Grizzlies defense.
Redshirt junior Chris Favoroso had six sacks last year, and his classmate Jesse Sims had 3.5 from defensive tackle. Senior defensive tackles David Shaw and Reggie Tilleman also return.
Monday at practice, the group lived up to Hauck’s comment about their physicality, with Sims, Shaw and Tilleman, all listed as defensive tackles, lining up with their hands on the ground for the first string. Sims, a Stevensville native, lined up at end. All three are listed at least 6-foot-4 and 272 pounds, with Shaw tipping the scales at 6-foot-5, 319.
That’s a lot for any offensive line to deal with, and the Griz can make it work because all three also have the agility and speed needed to provide a good pass rush.
“We’ve been doing good,” said Sims, a prep defensive end who has started at tackle for two full seasons. “Practices are very intense, very upbeat the whole time. We’re getting a lot done, so I think we’re improving every time we’ve come out here.”
Redshirt freshman R.J. Nelson rounded out the starting group Monday, complementing the three down linemen by lining up on the outside in a standing position. Nelson, a top recruit from Hillsboro, Oregon, is listed at 6-foot-4, 221 pounds, and is more of a rangy athlete than his linemates.
Sacks, who attempted to recruit Nelson to San Jose State back in 2015, raved about the youngster Monday, saying he was “going to be a good football player for the Griz for a long time to come.”
Like all the linemen, Nelson has been internalizing Sacks’ instructions.
Asked about what he needed to improve on, he sounded like a carbon copy of his coach.
“I feel like, for me, it’s really about some simple things, keeping my pad level lower, being more violent, just having fanatical effort to the ball every play,” Nelson said.
Focusing on the fundamentals has made the defensive line look like a dominant unit at times this spring.
Monday, they blew up the first two plays of the scrimmage portion of practice, forcing an interception on the second play that junior safety Josh Sandry returned for a touchdown, causing a stampede on the defensive sideline.
Later in the session, they did it again, gifting Sandry a near-identical pick.
“We definitely come out and have the mindset that we’re going to set the tone for the day,” Sims said. “We want people looking to us for intensity during practice, and we’re trying to lead the charge.”
Sacks has been generally pleased with his players’ effort this spring, but he believes that they have another level to reach — and that a few good plays in spring practice aren’t where they want to be quite yet.
His goals are a little more interstellar.
“I think that they’re starting to understand that their boundaries are further than they were,” Sacks said. “The sky is the limit right now, so they’re not being restrained by any mental boundaries. They’ve pushed themselves through some so far, we just have to push to places that they have not been yet. Like the Starship Enterprise.”
Andrew Houghton is a freelance journalist living in Missoula. Photos by Jason Bacaj. All Rights Reserved.
