MOORHEAD, Minn. (8/17/06)-- The 2006 Cobber defense will have an entirely new look. Only die hard Cobber fans will be able to recognize anyone beyond the line of scrimmage. Concordia, and newly appointed Defensive Coordinator Scott Lucier, will have to replace the entire starting linebacking crew as well as three of the four starting defensive backs. Despite the fact that only three starting players remain from a unit that once again completely shut down the run and allowed a scant 74.2 rushing yards and 16.9 points per game, optimism abounds in camp because of a group that saw plenty of game action and are now ready to step to the forefront. The biggest holes to fill will come in the middle where Lucier will have to play his third different middle linebacker in as many seasons and have a group that will not have much playing experience as a unit.

Last year the trio of Mark Halley, Matt Kleber and Ross Hebrink stepped in and helped Concordia continue their dominating run stopping ability. The Cobbers finished first in the MIAC against the run and were second in overall defense. Concordia was first in the league in “red zone” defense for the second consecutive season. The Cobbers also carried on the tradition of being extremely stingy on third down situations. After leading the league in 2004 in third down situations, Concordia finished second in 2005, allowing teams to convert on only 35.3 percent of their third down opportunities. Halley and Kleber went on to grab conference postseason honors and Halley led the team in tackles with 76 and finished his career by being named to the D3football.com All-Region Team. Kleber earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Region status and provided the perfect compliment of smarts to Halley’s smashmouth style.

The Cobbers will also need to find three key players to fill the gap in the defensive backfield. Lost to graduation were all-conference cornerback Eric Svobodny and strong safety Tanner Radermacher. The pair helped Concordia slow down even the most vaunted aerial attacks and allow the Cobber front four to have enough time to pressure any quarterback.

The good news for the Cobber defense comes up front where they return the team’s sack leader and the anchor in the middle. Tyler Ledyard had a breakout season in 2005 as he was credited with 9.0 sacks and had 13.5 tackles for a loss. The 13.5 tackles for a loss is the third best in Cobber program history and the 75 yards totaled on those tackles put Ledyard third on the list of total yardage from tackles for a loss. Ledyard will be joined by starting nose guard Matt Martinson who played in 11 games and was named the Concordia Defensive Lineman of the Week for his performances against St. Thomas and Carleton. Lucier will have plenty of options to pull from in rounding out the other two starting defensive linemen. “Our defensive line is by far the deepest pool of talent on the team. We traveled with 11 defensive linemen out to Linfield (Ore.) for our playoff game and we have nine of those back so we feel very confident for this season,” stated Horan.

Lucier will have to find the right mix from the very start of the season as Concordia will face two of the top players in the league when they square off against Bethel’s All-American running back Phil Porta and St. John’s All-Conference quarterback Alex Kofoed who is still carrying around the four leaf clover he found on his own 26-yard line at Jake Christiansen Stadium last season. Those two early season tests will tell if the new look Cobber defense is ready for another run to the top of the MIAC.