Normally, after a lackluster season, a football team will look to address its problems with some changes. Maybe they show up in practice or on the coaching staff.
So, what did Durant do to get so much better? Well, here’s the thing: It sounds like the Cougars didn’t really change anything.
“That’s pretty accurate,” head coach Mike Gottman says.
Ask Gottman or any member of the coaching staff, and they’ll say that the only thing that’s really changed about this defense is the fact that the players have finally grasped it. Even the practices haven’t been overhauled.
“It’s just more of a point of emphasis than different drills,” Gottman says. “We’re still doing the same pursuit drill. Tackling drills are pretty much the same. … We’re trying to really concentrate on pursuing the football.”
Last season, asking Gottman questions about the defense often led to answers involving a need to get better with fundamentals. This season, his answers aren’t terribly different. His tone, however, has changed completely, and his energy carries over to the coaches and players alike.
It’s tough to call a Durant practice “loose,” as Gottman has always stuck with strict scheduling. But this year — especially with the defense — the sense of urgency has been replaced with a sense of confidence, and hunger.
“It’s like I told (the players) today: It’s not about looking ahead and patting ourselves on the back; it’s looking at the film,” he says. “How can we get better, each and every day? And, if we do get better, then how much better can we be?”
For starters, this year’s Durant team is making a significantly greater number of tackles per game — up to 55.8, compared to last year’s mark of 42.9. That’s also being done without any standout efforts along the D-line, such as Dontriel Perry’s 10.5 sacks in 2013.
Gottman’s not in a rush to name any one defensive MVP for his squad but points to several players who have made a big impact. Look at junior linebacker Blake Moody, who is on pace to beat Mason Bridges’ 51-tackle total from 2013 before the end of this season. Or, look at cornerback Xavier Walden, who already has three picks (two last week against Strawberry Crest) in his first year on the varsity squad. And there’s Jaden Garrett, a name heard often. The sophomore defensive back has been locking it down in the secondary this season, drawing plenty of praise for his overall defensive efforts.
“For the most part, we’ve had pretty good team pursuit,” Gottman says. “Knock on wood, we haven’t given up a bunch of big plays, which is positive. That’s what we really try to emphasize — not giving up big plays.”
If a big play is considered any gain of more than 25 yards, then the Cougars have only given up six in the past five games — two in the Gaither game. And, besides the opening 80-yard touchdown pass in the Sickles game, there was nothing bigger than Deon Cain’s 42-yard run in the Tampa Bay Tech game.
This week, they’ll take on a Newsome Wolves team currently riding a three-game win streak.
“Last year, we only scored three points, and we had opportunities to score 14,” Gottman says. “It was a tight ball game. It was 9-3 and we threw a touchdown pass, but they called our tight end out at the back of the end zone.”
Coincidentally, Newsome was the opponent that Sickles got to take its anger out on the week after the Durant win. Following that 27-14 defeat, Newsome beat Alonso, Jesuit and Wharton by a combined 32 points. However, 28 of those points came in last week’s win at Wharton.
The Wolves’ successes are largely dependent on running backs Bruce Anderson III and Nate Simmons, who have ran for a combined 830 yards and eight touchdowns (seven of which were scored by Anderson). They completed eight of their 11 pass attempts last week, but ran the ball 45 times for 265 total yards and four touchdowns.
Stopping those running backs would be ideal for the Cougars, who now have Erick Davis and Crispian Atkins back at 100% on offense. This year, those Newsome Wolves may not be so pesky.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
MATCHUPS
PLANT CITY
Generally speaking, Plant City has played well on the road. (That 9-7 loss to Durant could have easily been a win, had that field goal gone differently.) That’s good news for Raider fans, as the team will travel to Tampa Bay Tech for the Oct. 10 game.
It’s been a mediocre year for the Titans (2-3; 1-1 district), who haven’t looked terrible against teams that are not Plant, but they haven’t won too often, either. They are, however, coming off of a 30-15 win over Steinbrenner, a team that Plant City (2-2-1; 1-1 district) couldn’t complete its home-opener with because of the weather.
It was a good all-around effort for the offense, but the Titans’ defense actually saved the day. Sophomore Jaisen Randolph and junior Marchalo Judge picked off Steinbrenner quarterback Quentin Poteralski three times, helping to kill the scoring effort that he and running back Jayquese Dantley started in the fourth quarter.
Plant City, meanwhile, picked up its first district win with a 21-6 win over East Bay. That one was all about the run game, thanks to Markese Hargrove’s 269 yards on 18 carries. He didn’t score, but he certainly did set up touchdowns for quarterbacks Corey King and Austin Carswell.
The Raiders don’t throw the ball nearly as often as Steinbrenner, which should limit Randolph’s and Judge’s effectiveness, and a win here would bode well for Plant City going into next week’s matchup with Spoto.
STRAWBERRY CREST
Last week’s 37-7 home loss to Durant was probably one that the Chargers and their fans would love to forget about sooner than later. Crest (1-5; 1-1 district) would love nothing more than a win this week, but they may have been given a gift.
This week’s opponents are also having a rough season. The Riverview Sharks (1-4; 0-2 district) did get a big 35-0 win over lowly Middleton two weeks ago, but are coming off of a 46-16 beatdown at the hands of the Plant Panthers.
Strawberry Crest has played its best football on the road, going 1-2 and losing by a combined eight points.
This one has all the makings of a slugfest, one of those scrappy games played by a couple of teams with a chip on their shoulders that could very well be worth a look if you’re a Charger fan with the will to travel.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
All games begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted:
OCT. 10
Newsome at Durant, 4748 Cougar Path, Plant City
Plant City at Tampa Bay Tech, 6410 Orient Road, Tampa
Strawberry Crest at Riverview, 11311 Boyette Road, Riverview
OCT. 17
Durant at Brandon, 1101 Victoria St., Brandon
Spoto at Plant City, 1 Raider Place, Plant City
Strawberry Crest at East Bay, 7710 Big Bend Road, Gibsonton