UMaine soccer must restrict opponents’ massive performs this season
Because the first-year head soccer coach of College of Maine’s soccer staff final season, Jordan Stevens watched his protection give up 54 performs of 20 or extra yards, which was a serious contributing issue to his staff’s 2-9 marketing campaign.
Opposing quarterbacks accomplished 64.4 % of their passes and UMaine allowed 31.6 factors and 412.5 yards per sport.
The Black Bears had their first official observe on Thursday and Stevens mentioned they will’t afford to surrender massive performs if they’ll make important progress. To make {that a} actuality, the staff is specializing in being extra environment friendly and holding issues easy whereas enhancing on the fundamentals.
“You’ll be able to’t win should you quit massive performs,” mentioned Stevens, a former All-Colonial Athletic Affiliation third staff defensive finish at UMaine. “That’s one thing we will’t have. Now we have to chop that down. It comes again to teaching and tackling and getting ourselves higher.”
At left: UMaine quarterback Derek Robertson prepares to throw a cross throughout the first soccer observe of the season; at proper: UMaine defensive coordinator Jeff Comissiong pictured on the Thursday observe. Credit score: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN
Stevens mentioned the staff must be “extra environment friendly” in first and second down conditions to maintain the opponent from transferring the chains or being in a 3rd down and quick yardage set-up.
It will likely be essential to maintain issues easy, he mentioned, so gamers can “simply line up and play.”
“There are going to be loads of schemes and formations,” Stevens added. “We should be easy and get the fellows to play higher essentially and sort out higher. Now we have to maintain [the opponents] in entrance of us.”
Former UMaine linebacker Jeff Comissiong is the brand new defensive coordinator and has a formidable and in depth teaching resume together with seven totally different faculties: Bates, UMaine, Cornell, Hampton, Boston School, Harvard and Outdated Dominion.
“We’re going again to fundamentals,” mentioned Comissiong, who’s one among 5 new coaches on the workers. “Everybody has to grasp what their duty is. They must do their jobs and so they must work collectively as a unit. That’s the way you play cohesive protection and cease massive performs from occurring.”
UMaine returns 4 starters from final 12 months’s defensive unit.
Junior cornerback Kahzir “Buggs” Brown, a Phil Steele All-CAA preseason second staff choose, mentioned loads of the long-yardage performs in opposition to the Black Bears got here on busted performs, like when a quarterback scrambles and is ready to discover an open receiver down the sphere.
“Now we have to give attention to our eyes, the place we’re presupposed to be and who we’re presupposed to be guarding,” mentioned Brown, who’s recovering from a November knee surgical procedure however practiced with the staff in a restricted position on Thursday. “Our approach wasn’t as sharp because it was presupposed to be final 12 months.”
Brown is the staff’s main returning tackler with 59 in 10 video games and he led the staff in cross breakups with 9. He was tied in interceptions with two.
He mentioned the protection must put extra stress on the quarterback and extensive receivers and work on one factor at a time.
Clockwise, from left: UMaine’s Blake Thomas #85 is tackled after receiving a cross at Thursday’s observe; Kahzir “Buggs” Brown, who had surgical procedure for a knee harm in November, practices on Thursday; UMaine’s first soccer observe of the season on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. Credit score: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN
“As soon as we grasp one thing, we transfer on to the following factor. You don’t wish to be a jack of all trades and grasp of none. We wish to grasp all of our trades,” Brown mentioned.
One of the skilled Black Bears is graduate pupil defensive tackle-nose guard Josh Lezin.
He has performed 40 video games in a Black Bear uniform.
“Now we have to be higher within the inside,” Lezin mentioned. “Now we have to do a greater job stopping the run all throughout the board. We labored on that so much within the spring and the offseason and, going into the season, we’re undoubtedly going to be prepared for that.”
UMaine was picked thirteenth within the 15-team league’s coaches preseason ballot.
UMaine allowed 166 dashing yards per sport, which was 68th amongst 123 Soccer Championship Subdivision groups.
Comissiong was the linebackers coach at Cornell final season and the Massive Purple restricted opponents to 126.2 dashing yards per sport, which was twenty seventh greatest within the nation.
If the Black Bears can cease the run, they will power opponents into predictable passing conditions that can be simpler to defend.
Lezin, who had 21 tackles in 9 video games final fall, mentioned if he does his job, it’s going to assist the staff “make performs and win video games.”
He’ll play an essential position, as will Brown, in keeping with Stevens.
“Josh is such a robust, sturdy defensive lineman,” Stevens mentioned. “We want him to maximise day-after-day. We want him to be a power inside for us. He doesn’t must do something spectacular, he simply must be constant for us.”
Stevens mentioned Brown is doing nice bouncing again from knee surgical procedure.
“He’s in such nice form and he works actually arduous within the weight room and classroom. He’s forward of schedule,” mentioned Stevens, who hopes to have Brown within the lineup by the Coastal Athletic Affiliation opener in opposition to Rhode Island on Sept. 16.
UMaine will open the season in opposition to Soccer Bowl Subdivision staff Florida Worldwide College in Miami on Sept. 2 earlier than taking over FCS powerhouse North Dakota State within the Fargodome on Sept. 9.
At left: UMaine quarterback Derek Robertson on the first soccer observe of the season; at proper: Kahzir “Buggs” Brown (middle), who had surgical procedure for a knee harm in November, at UMaine’s first soccer observe of the season on Thursday. Credit score: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN
Lezin and Brown anticipate Comissiong making a giant distinction this season.
“He’s a fantastic coach,” Lezin mentioned. “He’ll lead the protection the proper manner. He preaches loads of good issues. We’re going to be a troublesome, bodily protection due to him.”
“He jogs my memory loads of my dad,” mentioned Brown, referring to his father Siher Brown. “He’ll push us to be higher on and off the sphere. We wish to hold getting higher day-after-day.”
