2008 Woodie Awards
Linebacker leads RedHawks' defense
Mullins is MAC's Defensive Player of the Year as junior
By: Tim Ottusch
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
When a team is looking to shut down the best offense in the conference, it helps having the conferences' best defensive player to lead it.
Miami junior Clayton Mullins, named the Mid-American Conference's Defensive Player of the year Tuesday, leads the MAC's best defense to Ford Field on Saturday to face the Chippewas' MAC-leading offense.
"On paper, when you have the top-scoring offense against the top-scoring defense in the league, something's got to give," said Miami coach Shane Montgomery.
Mullins leads the RedHawks' bid to make the battle tilt toward the defense. Miami's defense comes into the game allowing 24.8 points per game.
As good as its defense has been, Miami's offense has not. Plagued by injuries, the RedHawks rank 11th in scoring offense in the MAC. Mullins knows it will be up to the defense to stop CMU if the game turns into a shootout.
"I would think that most defenses think that way," Mullins said. "To have that mentality of, 'if they don't score they can't win,' and we try to play that way."
While Mullins' dominance in the MAC has been impressive this year, his progression as an elite MAC linebacker has been made steadily every season.
After being redshirted his freshman year, Mullins played in just half the team's games his redshirt freshman season. His career really didn't take off until his sophomore year.
In that season, Mullins finished second on the team with 91 tackles and second with two interceptions and also had four tackles for loss. He had three games with more than 10 tackles, and his two interceptions came in consecutive games against Purdue and Kent State.
His junior year started out especially strong. In the first game of the season against Ball State, Mullins had 15 tackles.
A couple of weeks later, he followed up the performance with 13 tackles against Colorado. He steadily continued to be a force in the MAC as the season went along, and recorded a season-high three sacks Oct. 20 against Temple. His five tackles for loss Nov. 14 against Akron is tied for the most single game tackles for loss this season.
Mullins is tied with CMU linebacker Red Keith for total tackles by MAC players with 129. He also has 13.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.
He has at least nine tackles in all but two games, and in six of the games he has had 10 or more. Besides being honored as the Defensive Player of the Year by the MAC, he also was named All-MAC First Team defense.
While Mullins leads the team in tackles, he closely is followed by his two linebacking partners. Sophomore linebacker Caleb Bostic and junior linebacker Joey Hudson, along with Mullins, make up the foundation of the team's defense.
Bostic is second on the team in tackles with 94, while Hudson is third with 90. Hudson was named All-MAC Second Team defense.
"They're linebackers are very, very talented," said CMU coach Butch Jones.
sports@cm-life.com
Miami junior Clayton Mullins, named the Mid-American Conference's Defensive Player of the year Tuesday, leads the MAC's best defense to Ford Field on Saturday to face the Chippewas' MAC-leading offense.
"On paper, when you have the top-scoring offense against the top-scoring defense in the league, something's got to give," said Miami coach Shane Montgomery.
Mullins leads the RedHawks' bid to make the battle tilt toward the defense. Miami's defense comes into the game allowing 24.8 points per game.
As good as its defense has been, Miami's offense has not. Plagued by injuries, the RedHawks rank 11th in scoring offense in the MAC. Mullins knows it will be up to the defense to stop CMU if the game turns into a shootout.
"I would think that most defenses think that way," Mullins said. "To have that mentality of, 'if they don't score they can't win,' and we try to play that way."
While Mullins' dominance in the MAC has been impressive this year, his progression as an elite MAC linebacker has been made steadily every season.
After being redshirted his freshman year, Mullins played in just half the team's games his redshirt freshman season. His career really didn't take off until his sophomore year.
In that season, Mullins finished second on the team with 91 tackles and second with two interceptions and also had four tackles for loss. He had three games with more than 10 tackles, and his two interceptions came in consecutive games against Purdue and Kent State.
His junior year started out especially strong. In the first game of the season against Ball State, Mullins had 15 tackles.
A couple of weeks later, he followed up the performance with 13 tackles against Colorado. He steadily continued to be a force in the MAC as the season went along, and recorded a season-high three sacks Oct. 20 against Temple. His five tackles for loss Nov. 14 against Akron is tied for the most single game tackles for loss this season.
Mullins is tied with CMU linebacker Red Keith for total tackles by MAC players with 129. He also has 13.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.
He has at least nine tackles in all but two games, and in six of the games he has had 10 or more. Besides being honored as the Defensive Player of the Year by the MAC, he also was named All-MAC First Team defense.
While Mullins leads the team in tackles, he closely is followed by his two linebacking partners. Sophomore linebacker Caleb Bostic and junior linebacker Joey Hudson, along with Mullins, make up the foundation of the team's defense.
Bostic is second on the team in tackles with 94, while Hudson is third with 90. Hudson was named All-MAC Second Team defense.
"They're linebackers are very, very talented," said CMU coach Butch Jones.
sports@cm-life.com
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