In some ways, the DL has disappointed this year. BUT, there is a simple explanation:
injuries. Fitts and Anae have both been banged up all year.
Look at the depth we have behind them:
Tuapi, who is a freshman.
Repo, who is about 20 lbs too light.
Hart, who is a pass rusher only.
Heninger, who is a freshman.
We played Fotu at DE and while he has had some good moments, he also gave up the game winning run/TD to Love on what should have been an easy tackle.
Our DL is what it is: young. There is talent there. The coaches think Hamilton and Tupai and Repp have NFL potential. Heninger has played solid for a freshman. So has Tupai.
This year is what we thought it would be: a rebuilding year.
Look:
Huntley, Moss, DHC, Thompson, our OL minus Uhatafe are all playing in roles they’ve never played before. So is Anae, the DL names above, Blair, Ballard, Johnson, Guidry, Blackmon, Hughes, Afia, etc.
Good news is, we bring all these guys back next year.
Enjoy this year. Don’t let the downs get you down, look for improvement and imagine what these kids will look like in a year.
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