This is the seventh in a series of previews, which will cover nine Ohio position groups ahead of the 2018 season. The Bobcats start the season Sept. 1 at Peden Stadium against Howard. For more, check The Post in the coming weeks.
Aug. 20: Quarterbacks | Aug. 21: Running backs | Aug. 22: Receivers | Aug. 26: Tight ends | Aug. 27: Offensive line | Aug. 28: Defensive line | Aug. 29: Linebackers | Aug. 30: Defensive backs | Aug. 31: Specialists
Today’s Position: Linebackers
Projected Starter: strong linebacker Dylan Conner (redshirt sophomore), middle linebacker Jared Dorsa (redshirt sophomore), weak linebacker Evan Croutch (senior).
Key backups: WLB Eric Popp (junior), MLB Austin Clack (redshirt junior), SLB Tyler Gullett (redshirt senior).
Newcomers: Ryan Grooms (freshman), Bryce Houston (freshman), Jack McCrory (freshman), Keye Thompson (freshman).
Breakdown: When the best player on your team is a middle linebacker, it typically speaks to the strength of the defense. When that same player is drafted after leading a defense that finished 10th nationally in yardage, it speaks to the strength of the individual.
Simply put, Quentin Poling was consistently the best player on the field for the Bobcats over the last four years. He’s gone, leaving Ohio to piece its defense — specifically the front seven — back together.
"At linebacker, we have Evan Croutch, who we feel is one of the better linebackers in the league, little overshadowed last year by Quinton and Chad (Moore), but we felt that he played at an all-conference level for us last year,” defensive coordinator Jimmy Burrow said. “All guys have played, in fact. There's a lot of speed there and a lot of athletic ability, and we feel good about that group going into the fall.”
The Bobcats are happy to bring back Croutch, the one returning starter inside the linebacker room. He’s started every game last season and saw time in all 13 in 2016. He’s experienced, he’s learned from two NFL draft picks and he knows what an effective linebacker needs to do.
In his career, he’s racked up 102 total tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble. He has 6.5 tackles for loss and was named a captain this summer. He’ll be the one Ohio turns to in times of need and will start at weak-side linebacker.
Jared Dorsa and Dylan Conner will join him in the 4-3 front the Bobcats play. The two saw time in each game last season, combining for 25 tackles.
Conner has shown he can be a force in breaking up the passing attack — he had an interception last year. Meanwhile, Dorsa will have his hands full at middle linebacker. In the 4-3 front, the middle linebacker is the true quarterback of the defense. He’s the Mike backer and the one responsible for communicating with the defensive line.
But Croutch has the most experience, and he hopes that some of it has rubbed off on them.
“A lot that I learned from those guys was playing smart football,” he said. “It’s what they do and did. They really understood what was going on and what was going to come. That’s what I’m going to bring to the field.”
Poling sat out last season’s game against Kansas, and Ohio responded by running a 5-2 front. It’s something that could happen again this season if Croutch has to miss time. It also just proves that the Bobcats won’t mix around the linebackers or the front seven if it will give them the win.
“With us replacing those guys, it's not going to be easy, so we're going to have to prove ourselves in terms of stopping the run,” coach Frank Solich said at Ohio media day. “Most teams last year got to where they get to throw the ball on us, probably for several reasons. One, because we weren't defending it very well, and, two, they weren't able to run the ball against us.”
Best-case scenario: The three starters starting week one stay healthy throughout the season and don’t disappoint. Croutch appears to be the leader that his teammates saw him as, helping the younger linebackers improve at a rapid pass. By late November, Ohio feels like it can roll out any linebacker, being six to eight deep.
Worst-case scenario: Croutch sustains a season-ending injury early on. The bit of veteran presence the Bobcats have vanishes, and Conner and Dorsa must lead while also adjusting to life as a starter. The rushing defense isn’t formidable, throwing all the pressure onto a secondary that’s already facing injuries.
