Despite Losing Three Starters, Plenty of Potential on Defensive Line
4/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Demetrius Cooper is looking to step up as a starting defensive end in 2016 for the Spartans.
By Steve Grinczel, MSUSpartans.com Online Columnist
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- If Michigan State still had Shilique Calhoun, Lawrence Thomas and Marcus Rush the defensive line might be the least of Coach Mark Dantonio's worries. Rush spent last season on the San Francisco 49ers' practice squad after setting a school record for starts in 2014 and Calhoun and Thomas will likely embark on promising professional careers later this spring.
Nevertheless, fourth-year junior Demetrius Cooper is trying to make sure their influence continues to be felt through his play.
"With me sitting behind those three for so long, you would look at me thinking I was a starter at the same time," Cooper said. "I watched what they did on the field and went out there and tried to do the same things.
"So my expectations are for you to see in me a lot of what I watched in them for years and keeping that train rolling with the way they did things."
The production defensive line coach Ron Burton has to replace in '16 along the front four is staggering.
Calhoun had 15 tackles for loss including 10.5 quarterback sacks from his defensive end spot to earn All-America and first-team All-Big Ten honors. At the opposite end, Thomas had three sacks, led the linemen and was third on the team with six pass-breakups and impressed NFL scouts with his workout at MSU's Pro Day last month. And, fifth-year senior tackle Joel Heath blossomed as an inside anchor and 12-game starter with 5.5 tackles of his 31 stops taking place behind the line.
Cooper knows he can't play three positions at once, but he's ready to shoulder more of the load after recording 6.5 TFL (five sacks) and 22 tackles overall in 13 games, including one start.
His goal isn't to make fans forget about Calhoun as much as it is to prevent them from lamenting about his absence.
"People try to compare us but there's really no comparison because we are really the same type of players," the 6-foot-5, 252-pound Cooper said. "Last year, teams actually mistook me for Shilique and Shilique for me a few times. Shilique is always going to be the bigger guy and I'm always going to call him big brother because he taught me so much.
"But when I go out there I'm always trying to make more plays than him and do better things than him because he set the stage for me to show people what I can do. Because those guys taught me a lot, when I go out there and play I feel everything they told me is finally coming together and I can do what I have to do."
No single player can replicate Calhoun's outsized personality, but Cooper is carrying on his mentoring role.
"After three years of sitting behind those veterans like Shilique, Marcus Rush and L.T., it feels good to be able to step into that scene," Cooper said. "We're trying to get the younger guys like Raequan Williams more reps to give them the feeling of the game so by the time camp comes and the first few games of the season come people will be ready to play.
"We're trying to get them used to the emotion of the game so they won't be shell-shocked by their first experience on the field and they'll be able to go out there and take over."
Furthermore, it's not like there isn't plenty of veteran experience on hand to take up the slack along the line.
Tackle Damon Knox plans on applying for a sixth year of eligibility and Malik McDowell appears to be on the cusp of transitioning from an outstanding true sophomore season to becoming one the nation's top players regardless of position.
Damon Knox (No. 93), who plans on applying for a sixth year of eligibility, has been one of the leaders on the defensive line this spring, according to defensive line coach Ron Burton.
Burton said Knox is like having another coach on the field and McDowell, who could supply some of Calhoun's star power, is getting used to the sound of his own voice.
"You're talking about a sixth-year senior," Burton said of Knox. "He had some injury issues and over the last two years he's gotten some starts. It's really been a teacher-like atmosphere with us, being able to lean on him with all the young cats we've got in our room at the defensive tackle position. So the maturity level has really kicked in for Damon and where we're going right now.
"We're only as good as our weakest link and he's helping us coach the kids up. We call him Coach Knox by trade. He's been great in the room, great on the field and we want that to continue in the fall because it's going to be necessary to get ready for the season."
Despite playing a position that generally isn't judged by statistical output, McDowell was second on the team with 13 tackles behind the line, including 4.5 sacks, and was second with 146 production points during the regular season. His dominant play earned him second-team All-Big Ten honors and has positioned him to expand his repertoire to the point he could line up anywhere on the line.
"They're trying to play me everywhere and I'm doing whatever they ask," McDowell said. "I don't have any discomfort playing any position. (I'm watching) a lot of film, taking a lot of coaching and talking to the people who actually play that sole position. I'm trying to learn and be willing to learn.
"I'm starting to get the plays down at D-end and starting to understand it a little better. It's a lot more complicated than noseguard. There's a whole lot of different things you can do, so I'm just trying to get everything together."
McDowell's growth will continue, "No. 1, because of his experience," Burton said. "He played 600 snaps for us last year and that's necessary. He can lead by example, that's what he's doing right now. His voice is starting to pick up in our room also because he understands the defense. When you play 600 snaps, you're expected to be a leader and it starts with your actions, and then we'll bring the other things forward."
