Bowling Green-Frederick Douglass Defensive Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I was on the sidelines for Bowling Green-Frederick Douglass Saturday and came away impressed with both teams. If you missed my article on the offensive standouts, <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/08/bowling-green-frederick-douglass-offensive-standouts/">check it out</a>. In this article, I'll take a look at the guys on the defensive side of the ball who impressed me.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Frederick Douglass-Bowling Green Standouts: Defense</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It looked like the Douglass defense would be overmatched after allowing a long scoring drive to open the game, but the Broncos bowed up after that. The scoreline was deceptive in a 35-13 loss for Bowling Green, as the Purples simply got worn down on the defensive side of the ball by one of the best rushing offenses in the state. They had plenty of highlight plays, especially in the first half and a few players in particular who looked the part.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Bowling Green Defense</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In my opinion, the best player on the field was Bowling Green's <strong>Montez Trussell</strong>, who finished the game with five tackles for loss and two sacks. He lined up at linebacker, edge and even slot corner for a few snaps and was essentially unblockable everywhere. As the defense started to cramp and wear down, Douglass was able to finally get the best of him once or twice, but he was dominant. Somebody needs to step up and offer this young man.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fellow linebacker<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1175815' first='Malik' last='Coburn']</strong> took a while to get into the game, but had a stretch of dominance in the third quarter. Douglass did a great job of scheming against him, but his talent is obvious. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='738848' first='Jayden' last='Axson'] </strong>also flashed as a run defender. His size and speed are impressive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Edge rusher <strong>Brandon Gurley</strong> had a productive game as well, racking up two tackles for loss and a sack. He's not the biggest guy, but has a high motor and was relentless in pursuit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Safety <strong>Grayson Newman </strong>was all over the place in the secondary, making an impact as a pass-rusher early and as a run defender later in the game. His instincts impressed me.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Frederick Douglass Defense</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Frederick Douglass' defense isn't as star-studded as the offensive side of the ball, but there are some guys who really popped on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensive player of the game <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='735604' first='Logan' last='Busson']</strong> was all over the place, racking about about a dozen tackles and a sack. When Douglass needed a stop, Busson was typically the one to get it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The linebackers, in particular, grew into the game and dominated in the second half. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='735603' first='Kaden' last='Clay']</strong> had the game's only takeaway, a fumble recovery he brought back to the two-yard line in the first quarter that flipped the momentum and set Douglass up for its first touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defensive line wasn't bad either. The headliner wis <strong>Cedric Works Jr., </strong>who made some big plays and nearly had a sack. His size and quickness are truly impressive and he should have a bif year. It was obvious that Bowling Green was trying to run away from him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I was also impressed with undersized nose tackle <strong>Devaughn Elery</strong>. I don't he'll have gaudy numbers this year, but he had the most hustle plays on the field, three different times preventing [player_tooltip player_id='340071' first='Deuce' last='Bailey'] from getting anywhere on scrambles and displaying rare straight-line speed for an interior lineman. He held up in the running game to let his linebackers flow freely.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the secondary, sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1314812' first='Cionne' last='Conn'] popped. He flew to the ball and was all over the place, both in coverage and in the running game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defense doesn't have a ton of recruiting stars, but that could change after this year. This is a strong unit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->