Sept. 13, 2004

Charleston, SC - "The most exciting group on our defense."

Those are the words from the first-year head coach John Zernhelt when he describes his linebacking corps of James Greene, Shawn Grant, and Julian West.

Greene, a senior from Conway, and Grant, a junior from Sumter, provide the experienced Bulldog defense with good strength, big-time hits, and tons of speed. Returning from an injury-plagued junior year, Julian West, a senior from Florence, brings senior leadership to an already talented group. West explains, "It feels good to get through camp at 100 percent. I feel really good about the season and with God willing we will be alright. I feel the best I've felt since I have been here and hope that I can stay healthy throughout the season."

The Citadel's first game against Charleston Southern on September 4th was postponed due to the threatening weather of Hurricane Frances. After school officials made the decision, the Bulldogs knew that they would not step onto the field until September 18th, four weeks into the college football season.

Grant, who finished second on the team in tackles last season, said, "Our anticipation for the first game is high. We are very anxious to see what we are capable of doing. The postponement was a big setback, but we cannot lose our focus and we have to keep practicing hard every day. Being the leaders on defense we have to keep everybody positive and upbeat. The coaches told us that the greatest power of leadership is influence and we have worked hard to instill that into our younger players. "

The Citadel will not see live action until this weekend when they travel to Appalachian State, who The Citadel beat 24-21 in Charleston last year. That game starts a tough stretch of six games with two being on the road against Division-I teams, Auburn and Duke, followed by the top four teams in the Southern Conference, at App. State, at Furman, Georgia Southern (Parent's Weekend), and at Wofford.

Senior defensive captain James Greene exclaims, "That stretch is going to test how strong we are right away. We are on the road a lot and that really tests our mental toughness. Coaches have instilled in us that we can't look down the road, but we have to stay focused on one play, one game, and one day at a time. We have a lot of young players that will get introduced really quickly to college football. It is going to be a fun season and the stretch will definitely make us better in the end."

These three linebackers know that to be successful again in 2004 they must improve on their run defense. Last season the Bulldog defense allowed 2,256 rushing yards equaling 188 yards a game. That mark ranked The Citadel eighth out of a nine-team conference.

West testifies that the 2004 defense is doing nothing different to prepare for the upcoming campaign. "The defense has been doing a lot of work on the inside, but nothing major has changed from the previous off-seasons. We have the same work ethic and focus, but we are still shooting for our ultimate goal: Number one in the SOCON. In everything we do we would like to be the best and anything less than that is a big disappointment."

The Bulldog football team, especially this exciting trio, is ready to get the 2004 season started.

Covy's Cove is written by junior outfielder Matthew Covington an English Major at The Citadel