Page 30 - Toledo Football Media Guide - 2012

30 2012 OUTLOOK

With Coach Campbell

another great blocker who can line up at tight end or fullback.We also recruited a couple of tight ends who might get a chance to show what they can do.

Q: You are los ing t hree sen i o r s on the offensive l ine, including two tackles who were four-year star ters. Br ing us up to speed on the development of the ofensive line.

Campbell: We knew going into last season that we would be losing three seniors, so we made sure to give ample playing experience to our reserves. (Senior right tackle) A.J. Lindeman played probably close to 400 reps last year. I almost count him as a returning starter. He’s played both tackle spots and played in a lot of critical situations. He brings a big, strong, physical presence there. I think he is an all-conference level player.

Our two young pups are (sophomores) Jef Myers and Josh Hendershot. Jef played about 300 snaps last year and was very productive. We’re counting on him to hold down the left guard spot. Josh played around 200 snaps last year. He has the ability to play inside at ofensive guard or outside at ofensive tackle so he gives us fexibility. Of course, it helps to have (junior center) Zac Kerin and (sophomore guard) Greg Mancz, two guys who were exceptional as starters last year. They’ll be the foundation of the ofensive line. Other guys who will be competing this year are (sophomores) Rob Lisowski, Chase Nelson, (redshirt freshman) Ethan Wirth, (junior) Erik Carlson and (redshirt freshman) Colin Perchinske.

Q: On defense, you’ve lost eight of your top 11 tacklers from last year. Is this a concern?

Campbell: I look at the guys we have coming back and I see so many veteran players on the defensive side of the ball. The talent level is very deep. A couple of our best players we lost to injury last year, guys likeT.J. Fatinikun and

Mark Singer, who are back this year.We lost some good players but I’m just excited about the guys we have coming back.

Q: Your defensive l ine is simi lar to your ofensive line. You are losing some startersbutyouhave a lot of experienced guys back, too.

Campbell: We’ve got a lot of defensive lineman who can do a lot of things. We have skill and depth at both defensive end and defensive tackle. Coach (Eli) Rasheed’s done a great job developing this group. We have a bunch of defensive ends who can really rush the passer. (Senior) T.J. Fatinikun is as good a player as there is in our conference. He should be 100 percent for training camp after missing the second half of last season. Backing him up is (junior) Jayrone Elliott, who has really come into his own. He made a ton of big plays in the bowl game. (Junior) Christian Smith doesn’t get a lot of pub, but when you break the flm down he might be one of the most consistent players on our team. If you ask our defensive coaches who holds our defense together, they would probably say Christian Smith. (Senior) Hank Keighley and (junior) Ben Pike will also play. Ben can play defensive end or tackle. He was very productive last season, making some big sacks in crucial situations.

At defensive tackle there are guys like (senior) Danny Farr and (junior) Elijah Jones who were key to howwell we played defensively in the second half of the Military Bowl. They turned that game aroundwhen they came in. Another player who doesn’t get mentioned much is (senior) Phil Lewis. Phil is a junior college transfer who sat out a year so he’s in his third year for us now. He’s just a solid worker who I think we’ll see good productivity from this fall.

Q: The linebacker positionmay be the strongest part of your defense. You’ve got two senior starters back and some other guys who could be a factor.

“We have a great mix of juniors and seniors in leadership positions on our team. I think we are a young football team in a lot of areas, but we have great talent and great leadership so I think we have an opportunity to be a really solid football team. I am really excited about how our coaching staff is meshing, too. It’s an exciting time in our programandwe look forward to taking the next step. “

- Matt Campbell