MOORHEAD, Minn. (8/27/08)-- Concordia defensive line coach Tony Reno is feeling just the opposite of old Mother Hubbard for the 2008 season. Reno and the Cobber defensive line cupboards are far from empty, they are overflowing.

The defensive line is probably the deepest position on the team for Concordia. The Cobbers have a wealth of talent who can all make plays and all have the ability to come up with a key stop. They might very well hold the key to the CC defensive fortunes during the season. With more and more MIAC teams going to a wide open passing game, the defensive line has the capability of shutting down the better quarterbacks in the league. That will allows the Cobber linebackers and defensive secondary to not get exposed and be able to play tighter on passing situations.

The leader of the defensive line is senior end Clinton Strother. Strother had his best season in 2007 when he finished second in the MIAC in sacks and had at least one sack in six games with a career-high three sacks against Hamline. His combination of speed, size and non-stop energy make him one of the top returning defensive players in the league. Joining Strother on the outside of the line will be junior Justin Hensch. As fast as Strother is, Hensch is faster – clocking a 4.5 time in the 40 last year. He also has outstanding size at 6-5, 250 and has a chance to be a real force. He came on at the end of last season and gives the Cobbers a tough defensive end tandem.

The middle of the line will feature a returning starter and a promising transfer. Ryan McKay returns for a second season as the squad’s starting nose tackle. Last year he used his size and technique to help Concordia allow just over 100 rushing yards per game. The one unknown for CC will be junior transfer Travis Aufderheide who sat out last season after transferring from DII MSU Mankato. He will be slotted into the starting tackle spot as the preseason rolls around and his size at 6-2, 280 will help hold up opposing offensive lines so that so that the second tier players can make plays on both the run and the pass.

No less than 10 players will have a chance to fill key reserve roles for the defensive line. Leading the way for that group is Mike Christensen who started nine games last year at tackle and will make the move to defensive end to start the season. He finished last year with 21 tackles and will lay a huge role for CC in 2008.

Horan Says: “We have great personnel there. We have guys that can run and they have worked really hard on putting on some weight in the offseason because when we played teams with the heavier offensive lineman they would get pushed around a little. They have worked hard on making sure that won’t happen this year.”