Linebacker Armond Staten growing into leadership role; Nystrom says injuries are affecting unit

• Tweet
• 

Former Central Michigan linebackers Nick Bellore and Matt Berning led the defense for multiple seasons, but the pair is gone and the torch has been passed.

On the receiving end of that torch is senior linebacker Armond Staten. As a junior last season, he was fourth on the team with 78 tackles, but was often hidden behind the play of Bellore and Berning.

Now that the all-conference linebackers are gone, it’s his turn to be the No. 1 guy at the linebacker position.

Kyle Nystrom, assistant coach and special teams/linebackers coordinator, said he has saw some good things from Staten and a few other guys this spring, but injuries are affecting the unit.

“We’ve got five healthy linebackers in a system that plays three,” he said. “We need to get through spring ball with the numbers we got because we know the picture will be a lot different in the fall.”

Senior Mike Petrucci and sophomore Shamari Benton have been other guys who have stepped up in the absence of the two former leaders of the defense.

In 11 games last season, Petrucci recorded 48 tackles, good for seventh on the roster.

Benton made an appearance in 10 games as a true freshman, forcing a fumble in his first collegiate game against Hampton.

He said he believes the linebackers will get to where they need to be and he thinks the linebackers are holding themselves more accountable because of the key losses.

“We’re starting to get the defense, but we want to learn it more comfortably,” Benton said. “The linebackers are holding themselves more accountable this season. They were leaders and we’re going to take what we learned from them and use it on the field.”

Staten and Petrucci are the favorites to land two of the three starting positions at linebacker come fall, but Nystrom said he wants to see some more improvement with the leadership.

“It’s not where we need him yet,” he said of Staten’s leadership abilities. “The group of linebackers were dominated by two guys, but it’s different now. Gaining leadership qualities isn’t something that happens overnight. Staten and Petrucci will be those guys, but it doesn’t happen overnight.”

Because of the amount of injuries at linebacker, a lot of different guys are getting the opportunity to prove themselves, including junior Jake Bentley and redshirt freshman Mike Kinville.

Nystrom is seeing production from both this spring, but understands this isn’t where the team wants to be because of the amount of injuries.

“The guys are learning the system and how to communicate,” he said. “We got true freshmen running with the one’s and two’s. It’s not where we want to be, but that’s where we are. There are a lot of growing pains right now, but it’ll be a lot different in the fall.”

First-year defensive line coach Vinson Reynolds said that he hopes none of the defensive line will make an attempt at a linebacker position, but did say that these injuries are affecting his group of guys.

“It puts more pressure on us to be productive,” Reynolds said. “We have to be more productive anyways, but it does put more pressure.”