Okay, time for the next installment on the path to the Rose Bowl. I was pretty sure where this would lead with defensive tackles and was not surprised at the information I learned in looking at the defensive tackles of both teams.
I was surprised, however, at the conference statistics of the two teams. Read through the Duck Sports Authority article and at the end you will see some interesting numbers in the rush defense for both teams.
Oregon: During the Ducks run to the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, defense played a very big role in the team’s success. Much of that success on the defensive side of the ball began with the defensive tackles. With the departure of Brandon Bair and Zac Clark to Graduation, the Ducks found themselves with another position that needed to be reloaded with new talent. Fortunately, the Ducks had rotated in a lot of reserve players getting just about everyone on the team important reps in meaningful games.
At the beginning of the year, the starters at defensive tackle were Taylor Hart (6-6, 283) and Isaac Remington (6-6, 286), a junior college transfer. Though they started, once again, Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Alliotti found himself…
The Badgers run out of a base 4-3 defense and are even more intent on occupying blockers and letting their linebackers make plays.
The defensive tackle group is led by Ethan Hemer (6-6, 300) a redshirt sophomore from Medford, Wisconsin. Hemer joined the Badgers as a lightly regarded defensive end. After adding 50 pounds to his frame, he has become a very good defensive tackle for Wisconsin. Hemer started out strong with 4 tackles against an over-matched UNLV squad to open the season. From there, Hemer was a little up and down, but closed out strong with 11 tackles over the final three games of the season. For the year Hemer leads the defensive tackle group for Wisconsin with 32 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against FCS opponent South Dakota.
Starting next to Hemer will be …
