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Position Analysis: Defensive Line
UHND.com - Ian Scott, WFVI and UCSN Irish Football Broadcaster
8/28/2003

The 2003 Irish feature one of the most promising defensive line units since their National title bid in 1993. Ranked tenth nationally in rushing defense a year ago, this year's defensive front will once again be called upon to shut down some of the nation's top offensive acts with the likes of Michigan, Pittsburgh and Florida State highlighting another brutal schedule. The unit will return three starters, along with a great deal of game experience, with Ryan Roberts being the only loss from the 2002 two-deep depth chart.

The interior line will feature two fifth-year seniors who both put up huge numbers for the Irish in 2002. Cedric Hilliard, an all-American honorable mention and 2003 Gator Bowl Player of the Game will try to build upon his thirty-one tackle campaign from a year ago. Hilliard came up big when it counted last season, as he blocked a field goal and had five tackles for a loss in an upset over Michigan. This season, the biggest questions surrounding Hilliard are not over his ability but rather his health. He missed three starts due to injury last season, however rebounded nicely at the end of the year. If Hilliard can stay healthy, he will once again cause serious problems for Irish opponents this fall. Alongside Hilliard will be fellow fifth- year senior Darrell Campbell who started all thirteen games in 2002. DC came up with thirty-three tackles (eight for a loss) as well as six sacks last season. Campbell proved to be a constant last season, making key plays late in the games against Pittsburgh and Stanford. He will once again provide a great deal of leadership and experience for the Irish defense.

At the end position, Kyle Budinscak will continue to improve upon a monster season. Budinscak started every game except Rutgers in 2002, seeing 251:40 minutes of game time. He recorded twenty tackles (six for a loss) to go along with three sacks. His durability and game experience will be important to the success of the Irish in 2003. Also earning a starting position at end will be junior Justin Tuck. While given the task of replacing Roberts, Tuck has already had plenty of game experience. He saw 180:24 minutes of action in 2002, including a start against Rutgers. In that period, Tuck came up with a mere thirty-eight tackles (six vs. USC), five sacks, and eight tackles for a loss. He also forced one fumble. Tuck continued to improve immensely as the season went on, recording six tackles (2 for a loss) in the Gator Bowl. Recently seen wearing a sling around the ND campus, there is no official word yet on any possible health concerns surrounding Tuck.

Senior interior lineman Greg Pauly will back up Hilliard in 2003, and should see increased playing time from 2002. Pauly recorded nine tackles in 98:34 minutes of game time last season. Plagued by injuries during most of his ND career thus far, Pauly was ranked 17 out of the Chicago Tribune's Top 100 Prospects in 2000. However, a preseason knee injury during his High School All-Star game may now finally be subsiding enough to give Pauly the opportunity to seriously produce for the Irish. Junior Brian Biedatsch could also see a significant increase in playing time this season. Biedatsch played in all thirteen games in 2002, and recorded tackles against Pittsburgh and FSU.

Rounding out the Irish depth-chart at defensive line will be two Seniors and former OLB's in Jason Sapp and Jerome Collins. Sapp is expected to back-up Justin Tuck at DE. He saw action in five games last year, and recorded tackles against Maryland and Rutgers. Collins will most likely back-up Budinscak. Seeing action in eleven contests in 2002, Collins came up with a tackle against Maryland as well. Both Sapp and Collins have primarily been on special teams in game situations.

With such depth at the defensive line position, the freshman may find it tough to gain a significant amount of playing time this year. However, Victor Abiamiri comes in as the top defensive line prospect in the country. Due to a potential NCAA violation surrounding his commitment to Maryland, the Irish got lucky and snagged Abiamiri late during the signing period. The coaches thus far have all issued rave reviews of Abiamiri, and his size and raw ability could land him on the field towards the mid-to-late parts of the season. Also coming to the Irish is Trevor Laws. Laws is roughly in the same boat as Abiamiri, in that playing time will likely be limited early on. However, Laws also has impressed the coaching staff this summer and could raise a few eyebrows late in the season as well.

As 2002 proved, stopping the run is one of the biggest keys to pulling off the big victories. Nothing provides more evidence of this than the mere fact that the Irish won their first two games in 2002 without an offensive touchdown. Once again, the Irish will face some of the top rushers in the country. However, there is no question that they have the ability. This is effectively the same unit that shut down Air Force's Chance Harridge, Pitt's Brandon Miree and Michigan's Chris Perry (just to name a few) only a year ago. With added depth and experience, the Irish are poised for a monster defensive campaign in 2003!