Defensive switch has paid dividends for Cougars

PROVO — Prior to the start of spring football practices last year, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall abandoned his 3-3-5 defensive scheme and installed a 3-4 alignment.

That move paid huge dividends. The Cougars finished No. 10 in the country in scoring defense — yielding 14.7 points per game — No. 16 in passing efficiency defense and No. 38 in total defense.

Can the BYU defense continue its stellar play in 2007?

"Defensively, I think we're going to be great," said senior linebacker Bryan Kehl. "We lost a few starters, and we'll miss them, but we've got guys who are ready to step in and play. I think we will be better than last year."

One of those graduating starters is linebacker Cameron Jensen, who served as the heart and soul of the BYU 'D' for two seasons. What quarterback John Beck was to the offense, Jensen was to the defense.

In Jensen's place, Mendenhall is turning to senior Kelly Poppinga, who is being switched to inside linebacker. "It's a leadership position," Mendenhall explained. "We think Kelly's cut very similarly as to Cameron. Nobody will ever be Cameron. We moved Kelly there because of his leadership and his presence."

Jensen's absence has taken some time to get used to.

"It's been different. He's a very good leader," Kehl said. "He's very vocal, and you feel his presence. But we're playing well. Our defense is going to be great."

For BYU, the good news is that the nucleus of its defense returns. Once again, linebacker is the Cougars' deepest position, with Kehl and David Nixon manning the outside linebacker spots. While Nixon suffered an injury last week and will be sidelined for the rest of spring drills, he is expected to be fully healthy once fall camp opens in August.

"They're a blend of size, speed, and they're great young men in terms of being responsible and assignment-sound," Mendenhall said of Kehl and Nixon. "They just have a knack for making plays. When the defense has those two players on either edge, it's difficult to get around us. They're excellent in coverage. They're really the most athletic players in our front."

Kehl's aim during spring ball is to master the entire defense. "Last year, I knew what I was supposed to do at my position," he said. "Now, my goal is to learn the whole defense. If we can have everyone do that, with everyone having that collective knowledge, we'll be hard to beat."