For a variety of reasons, the defensive line has carried a stigma as the defense’s weak link over the past couple of season, and perhaps rightfully so. Sure there have been some standout performers, most notably Trevor Laws two seasons ago after he posted an eye-popping 112 tackles, including eight for losses with four sacks. But overall, the Irish defensive front has left a lot to be desired as they’ve struggled at times to both contain the run and put pressure on the passer while appearing undersized and overmatched.
However, that should change this season as a bevy of sophomores figure to step up and mature as contributors and playmakers in 2009.
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Lewis-Moore entered the spring as a starting defensive end despite not playing last year as a freshman.
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One such player is defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore, who should, at the very least, alleviate any concerns about size at his position with his 6-foot-4 and 265-pound frame. He also possesses plenty of talent, according to the praise of his coaches over the course of his first year with the Irish program.
In fact, had preserving eligibility not been so important, he likely would have earned some playing time late last season due to his efforts against the first-team offense as a member of the scout team.
“At this point of the year we’re going to try our best not to go in that direction unless we have to,” Charlie Weis said in late October at the season’s midway point when asked about the possibility of Lewis-Moore, among others, seeing action.
“At the end of the day, I’m really glad I red-shirted because I got to focus on my grades,” said Lewis-Moore. “I actually got to watch (Pat) Kuntz, Justin Brown and just learn the system and how it works. I’m glad they made that decision. In the long run it’s going to be for the better.”
Apparently, the coaches have long memories of what transpired between the first-team offense and the scout team defense last fall, because Lewis-Moore opened the spring as one of the starting defensive ends, even ahead of experienced players such as senior Morrice Richardson who has 29 games played to his credit.
As Weis noted at the outset of spring camp, the idea was to put some pressure on Lewis-Moore and find out what he was made of.
“I honestly don’t know,” the Texas native said about his quick ascent up the depth chart, “but there must be something that the coaches see about me. I think I’m a pretty hard worker, and maybe that’s what got me there. I just want to compete and win.
“I’m not going to lie – I was really excited about it. I know that Mo’s right behind me and I know he’s going to make me better and I’m going to make him better. If he ends up getting the starting spot, I’m going to be happy for him, I’m going to help him out, and I know he’s going to help me out. The depth chart can change tomorrow…so you really can’t base it on a spring season.”
Lewis-Moore sat out the final couple of weeks of spring ball with a foot injury and ultimately missed the spring game as well. However, it doesn’t appear as if anyone took control of the starting defensive end spot in his absence, leaving the door wide open for Lewis-Moore to contribute hefty minutes as a first-year player this fall, if healthy.
What’s A Good Season?
We’ve generally been safe when projecting “What’s a good season?” over the course of this series, but it would be nice to see someone have a breakout year this fall. Lewis-Moore certainly looks the part of “breakout player”.
When you look elsewhere across the NCAA landscape at what young defensive ends with similar builds and skillsets have been able to accomplish in their first seasons, such as USC’s Everson Griffen and Pitt’s Greg Romeus, it might be fair to follow Weis’ lead this spring regarding Lewis-Moore and put some pressure on him by throwing some lofty expectations out there.
Romeus recorded 41 tackles with 11.5 for losses and four sacks as a redshirt freshman in 2007, while Griffen posted 21 tackles with 5.5 sacks as a true freshman that same year. So with that said, a reasonable target for Lewis-Moore might be in the neighborhood of 25 tackles with eight tackles for losses and four or five sacks.
The Irish went from No. 96 in the country in both sacks and rushing defense in 2007 to No. 50 and No. 46, respectively, last year. If Lewis-Moore can do his part to help the Irish rank in the top-30 in each of those categories, at worst, in 2009, he’ll have done his part in restoring some dominance to an Irish defensive line that hasn’t been so in more than a decade and a half.
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