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| Brevon Gude and the DePaiuw defense have allowed just 14 points this season. DePauw athletics file photo |
By Joe Sager
D3football.com
DePauw has been bringing the defense this season.
After giving up a pair of touchdowns in a 17-14 win over Rose-Hulman to open the season, the Tigers have pitched three straight shutouts – 55-0 over Anderson, 44-0 over Hiram and 59-0 over Wooster.
“We’re having so much fun,” DePauw junior linebacker Brevon Gude said. “Team chemistry has never been better, especially on defense. It’s just a blast being out there.”
DePauw has been blasting opponents, especially in the run game. Foes are averaging just 48.5 yards rushing per contest. It’s not like teams are passing all over the Tigers, either. They are allowing 148.5 yards per game through the air.
“We’re a run-first defense. Want to make sure we can stop the run and make a team one-dimensional,” Gude said. “That’s when we start getting after the quarterback. We definitely are built on explosive plays. Once we stop the run, we have our whole playbook open.”
That DePauw is off to a 4-0 start is no surprise. The Tigers are the defending NCAC champs and were picked to repeat in the preseason poll as well. They don’t mind the pressure that comes with it.
“We love it. We were told in training camp that there’s a target on our back. Being the returning champs and preseason No. 1, everyone wants to beat us,” DePauw sophomore Jonathan Bruder said. “We have to continue to get better. We have to know going into every game we’ll get the other team’s best effort. That’s been a huge driving force for us.”
After winning the NCAC title with an 8-1 mark last year, DePauw won its first playoff game (26-21 over Rose-Hulman), but saw its season come to an end with a 45-0 setback to UW-Whitewater in the second round. The Tigers hope to build on that run.
“Our motto is we’re still hungry. We want to go deeper this year. We want to accomplish more,” Gude said. “I like being the hunted. We’ll get everybody’s best shot and that’ll make us a better team.”
The defense has benefited from practicing against its high-powered offense, which is averaging 43.8 points per game.
“We get after it with the offense at practice,” Gude said. “We have a fantastic offense. They run around and make plays and expose our bad habits and faults so we can play better against other offenses.”
“It starts up front. As a linebacker, going against our o-line and getting great looks on all different styles of offense is important,” Bruder added. “They do a great job. It’s great being able to play against the talented guys we have. It’s the iron sharpens iron aspect of it, which benefits both of us.”
DePauw has plenty of talent spread across its defense. But, it’s the unit, as a whole, that has been dominant. The Tigers have produced five interceptions and recovered two fumbles.
“We’re built on those big plays. We have a bunch of playmakers,” Gude said. “We get excited when we get a turnover because it helps change the momentum and our offense can go out with a ton of energy and get six points on the board.”
DePauw has had a chance to develop its depth on defense, too, thanks to some lopsided scores. There has been no drop-off with the different guys who have come into the lineup.
“It’s a blast being able to post all these shutouts, especially when we are able to get some of the second-team guys into games,” Bruder said. “Seeing those guys get in and excel is great. It’s just as important for us to have a shutout as it is for them. It’s an exciting feeling – whoever is in, we’re all going for the same goal of a shutout.
“We have a lot of young talent on and off the field; guys that are pushing us to be great. There’s a lot of competition,” he continued. “Whoever we put out there plays to the best of their ability. Everybody is studying film and knows what they’re doing, no matter when they get in. It doesn’t matter who we put in there, they will play at a high level.”
Despite the strong start, the Tigers know they have some things to fix.
“Effort has never been a problem for us. For some teams, it can be, but not for us,” Bruder said. “The minor things can be fixed. You can’t teach effort.”
“We get better every week. We’re not going to change what we’re doing,” Gude said. “We are just going to keep working on our technical skills and our energy and enthusiasm remains the same.”
That’s important for the squad as it begins the key stretch of its NCAC schedule. DePauw visits Denison this week and plays Wittenberg the following week. The Tigers trek to Ohio Wesleyan and Kenyon before closing the regular season at home against Oberlin and Wabash in the annual Monon Bell Game.
“Our guys are, of course, very excited knowing what’s at stake,” Bruder said. “We take every game as seriously as we can and the most important game is our next game. That gets us all on the same page. We can’t have any hiccups. For this week, it’s all about beating Denison and doing everything we can to make that happen. We can’t look past that. That brings a lot of energy to our guys.
“We have a lot of fire and unity as a group. We just have to trust the guys around us will do their jobs and we can focus in one thing and not try to do too much.”
