Although the Owls’ defense is young, this season has proven that linebacker Dez Billingslea and defensive end Tonarius Potress are forces to be reckoned with.
While the Owls haven’t seen much of Billingslea who has been nursing two different foot injuries, coach Brian Bohannon knows Billingslea, when healthy, has the power to make plays.
“When he’s doing what he supposed to and playing hard, he makes plays,” Bohannon said. “I think Dez will tell you that he has to learn to play every snap that way and not just the few you get to see. It’s the ones you don’t see. And I think that’s where he’s got to get better. I think he can be an impact player for us on defense, there’s no question.”
With continued rehab on his foot injury, Bohannon is hopeful that Billingslea’s “big play mentality” could be ready for next Saturday’s matchup against Duquesne. Billingslea has been limited practicing with his foot injury.
Billingslea’s ability to make big plays was seen in the Owls’ season opener against East Tennessee State when he had two sacks, but Billingslea gives all the credit to the Owls’ strength and conditioning coach Jim Kiritsy.
“(Kiritsy) does a good job in the weight room with getting us ready to be on the field and it just comes from the intensity and emotion from the game,” Billingslea said. “I like to feed off the energy of my teammates as well so it’s just football. You’re out there on the Field and it just happens.”
One of Billingslea’s defensive teammates who’s shown defensive prowess is Portress, a junior from Newnan, Ga.
Portress won Big South Defensive Player of the Week honors for his eight tackles and five tackles for loss he racked up against ETSU, but ironically coaches struggled to find a position for Portress last season.
“The thing about TP is he’s very strong, probably one of the strongest kids on our team,” Bohannon said. “He’s really explosive and when we do the five technique it’s a perfect fit for him for what we’re trying to do. I think he’s comfortable with it, he likes it and I wasn’t totally surprised the way he played in that first game to be totally honest with you. He’s a hard worker he’s very businesslike, so I expect that and more as we move forward for him.”
Quarterback Chandler Burks is usually the Owls’ backup quarterback, but is the most likely starter for the Owls’ next game against Duquesne.
Burks thinks that going against a defense with forces like Billingslea and Portress every day is making him a better quarterback.
“Our defense is top notch, they can compete with anybody,” Burks said. “Being able to play against athletes as those guys prepares us for the guys that were going to see in our conference. It’s something that helps us on the offense of side of the ball.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
