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| Robert Coury, left, and Thomas Coury hold the Academic Bowl trophy that goes to the winner between Carnegie Mellon and Case Western Reserve. Carnegie Mellon athletics photo |
By Joe Sager
D3sports.com
Robert Coury looks forward to graduating from Carnegie Mellon with a degree in mechanical engineering.
That field involves the study of anything that may involve force and movement. It seems like a natural fit for Coury, who has displayed both of those elements at the highest level on the football field for the Tartans over the past four seasons.
An inside linebacker, Coury was an All-America selection last season and named one against this preseason. He’s lived up to that hype for Carnegie Mellon.
“He’s been a program culture changer for us,” CMU defensive coordinator Ben Gibboney said. “I can’t imagine another other inside linebacker in the country being better at the job than him.”
Defense Week features
- Justin Blazek, UW-Platteville
- Robert Coury, Carnegie Mellon
- Owen Grover, Wartburg
- Caleb Harmel, Trinity (Texas)
- Rossy Moore, Mount Union
- Luke Schuermann, Johns Hopkins
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Coury leads the Tartans with 57 tackles, which includes 11 stops for a loss. He paced the team with 82 tackles two seasons ago and 99 last year. He ranks third in program history (263). That’s great production from the 5-11, 205-pound senior.
“If you go to straight-tape measurement stuff, I don’t know if Bobby jumps off the page at you,” Gibboney said. “There are other kids who weigh more, squat more or may be quicker. But, he is incredible in a phone booth. He has no problem taking on blockers 70-plus pounds or more. His footwork is spot on. He could do anything – he could play outside backer for us.”
Beyond the physical traits, the mental aspect is where Coury thrives.
“There is so much information to process in every single football play. Especially at that second level. You have to make very quick decisions and be right all the time. I have never seen a player so consistently do what he’s supposed to do. His reads are spot on; his slow plays are on and his triggers are always on. We have a large defensive line and then there are big offensive linemen in front of them. Somehow, he sees stuff develop in the backfield. He has his assignment, but he can adapt. I’ve never seen it at a more consistent rate than this.”
Coury takes pride in his football sense.
“Coach (Ryan) Larsen always says that football is a really simple game that gets more complicated because of coaches. For myself, it’s just a relentless pursuit of the football – doing whatever means necessary to get to the ball and do my assignment,” he said. “You might mess up a read and your instinct might be wrong, but you’re willing to have relentless pursuit to the ball. That’s definitely something our entire defense prides itself on.”
Coury’s football intuition is rarely wrong, though.
“Coach Gibboney puts a lot of trust in us and our ability to read different formations and tendencies and make certain checks. We are very thankful for a defensive coordinator to put that much trust in us as players,” he said. “I’ve always felt the ability to just sense that a run will go one way or a play will go this way, or being able to read and react. That’s due to intense preparation, though. We are very dialed into our keys and our film and seeing different things teams do to that lead us to that reaction. So, trusting our instincts and intense preparation are the big factors there. I am not the biggest guy, but we have a fantastic strength and conditioning program here that allows us to play a little smaller and allows us to rely on our speed a little bit. My strength coach back home does a great job of getting me ready for the season, too.”
Coury has the unique situation of playing alongside his twin brother, Tommy, who starts at outside linebacker.
“Those two are on a very unique level, in terms of being a college football player. Those kids love football, studying football and working out – every aspect of the game. I’ve never seen anybody enjoying it more than those two kids,” Gibboney said. “We’re very good on defense and have other kids that are monsters as well. All these guys have been playing together for a few years and their intensity and commitment they have toward program is incredible.
“While Bobby might walk out of here with the all-time tackles record, I think Tommy is walking out of here with the most defensive and special teams splash plays. He is a pretty special player, too.”
For Robert, he’s thrilled to line up beside his brother each Saturday.
“I can’t even put it into words how great it is. We’ve been playing football together since we were 5. I think there have been maybe two games we didn’t both play together due to injuries? I couldn’t ask for a better teammate and leader. Playing football with him represents some of the greatest moments of my life. Unless you experience it, it’s hard to put into words. I am thankful and blessed to have been playing with him for this long.”
Their familiarity – and maybe some twin telepathy – allows them to read each other.
“A lot of people like saying there’s that telepathic connection going on between twins. I think it’s just because we’ve played with each other so long that we know what each other will do,” Robert said. “We are able to play so complementary to each other. Our whole defense plays that way, though. It’s very unselfish and very complementary. I am able to play a littler quicker in the run game because Tommy and other guys play a little more behind me. He’s there to clean it up. It’s tremendous chemistry. There is just that chemistry and feel between each other that is unparalleled.”
Thomas Coury agreed.
“We’ve played together so long and we are very close brothers and friends. We always know what we’re thinking when we see a formation. We have a sense of what’s coming and know how to play it. We give each other a look and kind of know what the guy is thinking. It’s pretty special to be out there doing it,” he said. “Even with the other guys on the team, having played with them for three or four years now, we’ve all been able to gain a lot of trust. I know I can always rely on Bobby and the other guys to do their job. That lets you play at a much faster level because you don’t have to worry about anything other than doing your job, which allows the defense to be so special.
“It’s beyond fun. It’s the most fun you can have in the game of football. We really are a very close team. We love being together on and off the field. This defense has built an incredible bond and culture. I love being a part of it. I feel very lucky and blessed, especially to continue to play alongside my brother.”
Carnegie Mellon (7-1) is the two-time defending Presidents’ Athletic Conference champ. Despite a 21-14 loss at unbeaten Grove City, the team remains in the hunt for another title and playoff berth. The Tartans are off this week, but visit Westminster on Nov. 4 and close the regular season Nov. 11 at home against Case Western Reserve in the annual Academic Bowl.
“We took one loss early to Grove City. As a team, we didn’t think we played our best game. That’s nothing to diminish what Grove City did, though,” Robert said. “We’re aiming to get in the playoffs. We think we have the talent, preparation and focus. We’ll try to control what we can control and try to put ourselves in the best position. Everyone has same the mindset of doing whatever we can do to put ourselves in that position in this home stretch.”
