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Published Mar 30, 2023

DL room going through the offseason with a 'chip on their shoulder'

Raul Vazquez • BadgerBlitz

Staff Writer

@VazquezRivals

MADISON, Wis. -- New defensive line coach Greg Scruggs had a simple way of conveying to his room just how much they were losing with the departure of three-year starter Keeanu Benton.

During a position group meeting, he laid out the statistics of last season and how much was returning. A bulk of the production could be attributed to transfer defensive lineman Darian Varner, who is currently out with a leg injury.

"Just that we have a long way to go," Scruggs said of the message he was trying to send. "We can't rest on what we think we are, what we think we have or what we think we've done. We have a long way to go.

"Between (Nick) Herbig and Keeanu we lost a lot and I wanted those guys to see it. It was not an indictment on them, it was more so a call to action of this is what we have to do in case you wanted to get comfortable. Understand we have some things we have to get straight first."

What kind of production do they have to replace with Benton off to the NFL?

Through four seasons, Benton appeared in 45 games with 36 starts and totaled 80 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and nine sacks. This past season, he played 428 snaps and recorded 35 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and 27 run stops, according to Pro Football Focus.

Behind him, defensive ends Isaiah Mullens, Rodas Johnson, James Thompson Jr. and nose tackle Gio Paez combined for 68 tackles, three sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss. At Temple, Varner accumulated 35 tackles, 12.5 tackles loss and 7.5 sacks but is currently dealing with a leg injury and moving around on crutches.

"It definitely puts a chip on our shoulder," Paez said Tuesday morning. "We know we lost a big, big piece of our defensive line last year but I feel like guys are looking at that like an opportunity. Coach Scruggs kind of went through all of our statistics as a d-line and how we kind of fall into it, so we've got some plays to make, he's gone. This is where we're at now but I think it's exciting. We're all looking forward to it."

The group has some large shoes to fill but it certainly has the returning experience to be disruptive. Of the eight players up front to log a snap in 2022, each is back, except for Benton.

After getting their first taste of consistent playing time while trying to make up for the loss of Matt Henningsen, the duo of Thompson Jr. and Johnson return for their fifth and fourth years, respectively. Thompson Jr. saw 379 snaps this past fall and turned it on to close the season. Of his 13 pressures, eight came in the last four weeks and his three sacks came in the final two games. Johnson appeared in 492 snaps and recorded 15 tackles, nine pressures and a sack.

"You got to play football (with a chip on your shoulder)," Johnson said. "Even if you don't have it as a unit, you have to have it as an individual. You've heard many stories of Herbie like 'oh, a lot of people doubted me.' A lot of people that came here have some kind of hardship and they are fighting through it every day, so just coming out here and having fun, that means a lot.

"Yes, we have a lot to deal with with losing Keeanu but you lose people every year. We lost Henny the year before and you guys were asking the same questions as far as losing him. But the show doesn't stop, the world keeps revolving. You have to find your way through it and come out on top."

At nose tackle, Paez (fifth-year senior) and Curt Neal (redshirt freshman), both of whom went to the same high school, are in line to take over at the position. The two saw a limited role behind Benton in 2022, with Paez playing 165 snaps and tallying nine tackles and three pressures. Neal redshirted and saw 47 snaps in four games.

"Let's just call a spade, a spade. Here's where the numbers were at and here's what we have returning in the room," Scruggs added. "Let me know if this looks good to you and if not, cool. Let's go put on the cleats and let's go to work.

"There was more of that kind of a call to action as opposed to looking at them and saying we have to be lot better. That's just the reality of it and hopefully it motivates the guys to get better every day and not get comfortable with what we've shown."