It used to be that I could simply say "Hey we've got Vontae Davis, who cares who's at Saftey"  Well the only people who can say that now are Dolphins fans. I am stuck here sifting through what is left of a defensive unit that has alternatively shined and looked haggard.  Even Vaunted Vontae had his moments of seeming merely human in pass coverage, especially against Minnesota and Eric Decker, a receiver that frankly should not have been a problem for him to handle. (He ran Joe Mcknight down in the open field, I mean come on!) This whole post could become me just crying about how the best player on defense left early for  the NFL, or I could actually do my job. So today we review the defensive  backfield, the unit that won the Ohio State game in 2007, and may or may not shoulder a heavy amount of blame for last year's sub .500 season.

 

So,  Who will Start? For better or for worse, this is an easy question. Outside of Vontae, the rest of the backfield should be familiar. Donsay Hardeman is by far the most important returning starter at Free Safety. He runs a sub 4.4 40 yd, and hits like Mike Tyson. He recorded an interception that kept the Illini in the game against Minny last fall, and were it not for off season neck surgery, he would be considered a good bet to make All Big Ten this season. If he returns to Camp Rantoul 100%, he will more than likely be the key piece to the DBs.

Another very talented player returning this season is CB Miami Thomas. He suffered a season ending ACL tear last season in the Eastern Illinois game, but had an INT in the Ohio State game the year before that all but sealed the game for the Illini. He is a personal favorite player of mine, and I believe that if he has recovered and hasn't lost any of his speed, that he is the natural replacement for Vontae.

Dere Hicks will be coming back for his senior season and is most likely going to be starting all 12 games again this year. Bo Flowers returns as a Jr, but given some of the play we saw last year, he may not retain his starting job. As of last year this was where most of the experience ended. Garrett  Edwards was playing as a RS Freshman, and Tavon Wilson as a true. If Bo Flowers does has not shown improvement, but Edwards has, it would not surprise me if he takes the starting job in camp.

So, my predicted 4 starters for Mizzou will be Donsay Hardeman at FS, Garret Edwards at SS, Miami Thomas and Dere Hicks at CB.

 

 

Possible Star: You have to go with Donsay here. He was very highly touted coming to the Illini, and even though he had to work through multiple injuries last year was still one of the best players on defense. Supposedly his neck is healed from last year, and if he can stay injury free all season, he should be near the top in tackles. He only played in  8 games, and had to come back from a leg injury last year but still finished with 44, a forced fumble and an INT. At full strength he should be a monster.

 

What to Expect: Rivals said this group could be "special" and Phil Steele predicts "significant improvement" I believe it will be better, even with out Vontae, Sure no one will be shutting down half of the field, but the overall improvement in experience and the return of Miami Thomas should result in a more well rounded secondary.

Last year, before Donsay came back, the problem seemed to be at safety, so much so that Zook even said he would consider moving Vontae over if it would mean plugging a hole. Against Penn State it seemed like Vontae was the only one who could cover his man. He is gone now, and we just have to hope that the inexperienced players who saw a lot of time last year have gained enough from the experience to become a stronger overall unit. I think the secondary should be better, and that overall, the defense should be better from last year, In the Big Ten, defending the run is most important, and that is where the strength of the defense should be.