Southeast Missouri State football preview: Second-year coordinator says defense is improved

Southeast Missouri State's defense regressed significantly in 2011 after putting together one of its best statistical seasons in years during the Redhawks' record-setting 2010 campaign.

Quite a few factors played into that, including that Southeast's defense was under a new system led by first-year coordinator Brian "Moose" Mohnsen.

"That's the big thing, this is the second year in the system," said Mohnsen, who took over the unit last year after Tim McGuire switched sides to become Southeast's offensive coordinator. "Coach McGuire had a little bit of a different philosophy.

"The ability for the kids to understand the system, the schemes, is night and day compared to last year. We were better day one into the spring than we were at any time last year."

Southeast returns seven starters from a unit that ranked last in the nine-team Ohio Valley Conference in scoring defense and eighth in total defense. It allowed averages of 37.5 points and 433.9 yards per game. The Redhawks were 107th nationally in total defense.

That's a stark contract from the 2010 defense that gave up averages of 21.5 points and 317.1 yards, but Mohnsen believes 2012 will bring drastic improvement.

"We're making positive steps to be better as a group," Mohnsen said. "I think we will be."

A position-by-position look at Southeast's defense:

Line

Southeast lists eight returners up front, including five with starting experience.

Senior Joe Malolo started all but one game at nose tackle last year. His 48 tackles led Southeast linemen. He tied for the team lead with 1.5 sacks and tied for third with four tackles for loss.

Senior end Justin Love has been a starter for three years. He made seven starts, recorded 22 tackles and tied for second on the squad with three passes broken up last season.

Senior tackle Taylor Ramsey and senior end Alonzo Nevarez both made three starts while seeing action in virtually every game. They had 18 and 16 tackles, respectively. Nevarez led Southeast with four quarterback hurries.

Junior nose tackle Frankie Davis made one start while playing in 10 games. He had eight tackles and a sack.

Senior tackles Josyah O'Keefe-Lopez and Quinn Perry return after seeing considerable action. They recorded nine and eight tackles, respectively.

Sophomore end Trent Peterson is back after he redshirted due to injury last year.

Linebacker

Senior Blake Peiffer, a Jackson High School graduate, leads this unit after a sensational junior season.

Peiffer landed a spot on four All-American squads in 2011 after leading the OVC in tackles and ranking third nationally with a school-record 151. He also paced Southeast with 7.5 tackles for loss.

Peiffer, the OVC's preseason defensive player of the year and Southeast's only first-team all-conference pick last year, is among 20 players named to the Sports Network's Buck Buchanan Watch List that recognizes the nation's top FCS defensive player.

Senior Darrick Borum, like Peiffer, is entering his third season as a starter.

Borum was Southeast's fourth-leading tackler with 65 last year. He also intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble and blocked a kick.

Also returning with plenty of experience are junior Wisler Ymonice, sophomore George Neuhaus and sophomore Daniel Siehndel.

Ymonice played in all 11 games and had 23 tackles, including two for loss. Neuhaus also saw action in all 11 games and recorded 18 tackles. Siehndel, who is listed as the third starter following preseason camp, contributed seven tackles in 10 contests.

Senior walk-on Derek Walker, a Central High School graduate, is battling for playing time. He recorded six tackles, primarily on special teams, last year.

Among other possibilities are junior college transfer Dylan Flannery and sophomore David Smart.

Secondary

Southeast lost three of four players who began last season as starters, but this unit still has considerable experience.

Senior free safety Tylor Brock was Southeast's fifth-leading tackler with 64 and led the Redhawks with eight passes broken up. He earned All-American honors following a standout sophomore campaign.

Junior strong safety Ben Kargbo emerged after transferring from FBS Buffalo. He recorded 26 tackles, including two for loss, while playing in all 11 games.

Senior Branden Spann registered five tackles in 11 games. Also in the mix at safety are sophomore Matt Starks, who saw limited action last year, along with redshirt freshmen Sam Poole and Josh Freeman.

Sophomore Tim Hamm-Bey is the most experienced cornerback. He played in all 11 games as a true freshman. He led Southeast in interceptions with two, interception return yards with 62 and blocked kicks with two. He also recorded 19 tackles.

Junior Cantrell Andrews from Central High School and sophomore Reggie Jennings, who came to Southeast as walk-ons, ended preseason camp atop the depth chart at cornerback. Both redshirted last year.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker

Senior Drew Geldbach enters his third season as Southeast's kicker. He made 7 of 13 field goals last year, with a long of 50, and booted 23 of 26 extra points.

Punter

Junior Joe Vucic is back for his third year as the Redhawks' punter. He led the OVC and ranked 23rd nationally with a 41.1-yard average -- eighth-best in program history -- while pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line 15 times in 2011.

Returns

Sophomore wide receiver Spencer Davis, a member of the 2011 OVC all-newcomer team, was Southeast's top return man last year.

Davis averaged 20.5 yards on 37 kickoff returns and ranked third on the school's single-season list with 760 yards. He averaged 5.7 yards on 11 punt returns.

Kargbo averaged a team-best 23.3 yards on nine kickoff returns.