Sycamore defense using off-season to improve

Indiana State football coach Curt Mallory said the off-season is what’s going to help the Sycamores’ defense.

“A year ago, we returned zero starters on defense,” Mallory pointed out. “[Of] course, that’s different this year. So with a year of experience and strength in the weightroom, coach [David] McMannus has done a great job. I expect a bigger, stronger, more experienced defense this year.”

Mallory also explained how the team’s offense and defense complement each other.

“We work together, our offense getting first downs, moving the ball, scoring points,” he told the Tribune-Star. “You’re a better defense when you’re on the bench.”

Mallory put an emphasis on the offense, saying he really likes the improvement there.

“The more they’re out there, the better the defense is,” Mallory said. “So I think it has a lot to do with all three phases.”

Those phases are offense, defense and special teams.

There’s a new defensive coordinator in town too in 54-year-old Birmingham, Michigan native Steve Morrison who comes to Indiana State from Bowling Green State University. He’s also made stops at Syracuse, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan. He and Mallory played together at the University of Michigan with Morrison also coaching at there. Morrison also played for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent.

“I’ve known Steve, we played together, we were teammates in college, [of] course we’re close, we’re very good friends,” Mallory said.

He explained he’s always wanted to work together and that when last defensive coordinator David Elson left for a job at the University of Louisville, Morrison was his first call and he didn’t even have to think about it.

But this was the first time it timed up to work together according to Mallory.

“I’ve always followed his career and I think we’ve got a great coach and an even better person,” Mallory said.

While Mallory and Morrison have been teammates and good friends, he said it’s Morrison’s character that makes him special. He noted the type of husband Morrison is to his wife and the type of father he is to his children.

“I knew him as a player and I know him as a coach,” Mallory said. “As a player I’d want to be coached by him and anytime I hire a coach, I want to always look at what I want my son or daughter to be coached under and that’s 100%.”

Morrison said it’s a lot about Mallory, whom he’s known for more than 30 years now and like Mallory said, it’s the first opportunity he’s had to work with him.

“We’ve talked consistently through the off-season, in-season and the one thing I knew about coach Mall is, the type of kid he’s going to recruit to come to school here,” Morrison said.

“It’s a heck of a lot easier to coach when you’re not coaching the little things as far as being on time, being disciplined as far as what you do and most importantly, getting a college education.”

He said it was a no-brainer knowing the kind of players Mallory would have at ISU.

“That made it an easy decision,” Morrison said.

As far as standout defensive players, Mallory mentioned redshirt senior defensive linemen Kolten Gajewski and Jayden Childers. He said those guys have really stepped up as well as redshirt sophomore defensive linemen Kaleb Harris and Mason Knipp.

“Those guys have all played a lot of football,” Mallory said.

He also mentioned redshirt senior linebacker Braxton Sampson, redshirt junior linebacker Alex Rose, redshirt junior defensive back Jorge Valdes and redshirt senior defensive back Xavian Andrews as experienced guys. Morrison mentioned his room with the linebackers who he said really impressed him.

“That goes globally, they’re a great group of guys, they really care about each other and I think when you look at that, it expands from the room to the defense and to the team in whole,” Morrison said.

He explained the players still have a lot to prove themselves first and foremost and then to the coaching staff.

“So I’m going to give those guys the opportunity here in the spring,” Morrison said. “But from top to bottom, I’ve been really impressed with their work ethic and how they go about their business.”

But Morrison isn’t necessarily bringing a new style of defense to the table as he said they’re going to use what fits their players. He said it’s not what they run, but how they run it.

Morrison explained it’s also about how they communicate as a defense, their effort to the football, toughness they display and their team chemistry. He said those are way more important than X’s and O’s.

Morrison said the has the framework there, but that they just have to build on it and explained they have a lot of guys that have played a lot of reps and now they have to take advantage of it.

“I watched them play last year more just to kind of a get a sense for what they were doing,” Morrison said. “I really have no interest as far as what happened last year.”

Last season, the Sycamore defense allowed opponents an average of 39.58 points a game. ISU ended up finishing 3-9 overall and 1-7 in Missouri Valley Football Conference play.

“I want every player on this team to understand they have a fresh start, which is a new opportunity for everybody,” Morrison said.

Morrison wants to see how they work and communicate with each other.

“Do I bring some certain things, yeah, but I also want to build on things they already have,” Morrison said. “They have a lot of really good habits here, so I want to build on those and then kind of create some new ones.”

Morrison said it’s been a really smooth transition for him.

“The people not just in the football program, but in the athletic department have been fantastic really making things easy,” Morrison said.

ISU’s spring game is set for May 2 with the season kicking off at home against Southeast Missouri State on Aug. 29.