The defensive line has been a signature strength of the University of Cincinnati football team since Luke Fickell took over the program. That's fitting since the sixth-year Bearcats head coach was a standout defensive lineman at Ohio State.
But Fickell, Cincinnati defensive coordinator MIke Tressel and Bearcats defensive line coach Walter Stewart have had to shuffle the deck a bit on the defensive front this season.
Graduate defensive end Malik Vann was expected to be one of Cincinnati's leaders on the defensive line. But that changed when Vann suffered a torn pectoral muscle against Kennesaw State in the second game of the season.
"It's hard. It's difficult. I don't just feel bad for our team, I feel bad for Malik," Fickell said of the former Fairfield High School star. "I mean, it is a really difficult situation. To come back for another year and prepare really, really well, and then to have something like that happen. And it's not something you could've avoided. It's not like, 'Well, if I had done something different, I could've taken care of myself.' It's just one of those things that you've got no explanation for.
"So all around, it's a tough situation, but it's a part of the game. That's why we've been harping and hammering on those guys – I call them 'younger guys' – but guys that maybe haven't played as much ball. They're going to be a big part of this."
Those "younger guys" have been junior Eric Phillips, sophomore Justin Wodtly, junior Ohio State transfer Noah Potter and junior Ryan Mullaney. They have all responded with big plays as they've seen an increase in their respective snap counts due to Vann's absence.
Phillips, a Colerain High School product, had five total tackles (four solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in Cincinnati's 45-24 win over Indiana on Sept. 24.
"I knew it was going to be big for me," Phillips said. "When Malik went down, it was a tough loss for us. Coach Fick, Coach Tress and Coach Walt, they all talked to me and said it's a big opportunity for me and it's time for me to step up, and that's what I had to do."
The Bearcats also got a boost from Dominique Perry. After missing the first three games of the season with an undisclosed injury, the sophomore defensive lineman made his season debut against the Hoosiers and made an immediate impact. Following a strip-sack by Phillips, Perry scooped up the loose ball and raced 14 yards for a touchdown.
"He did a great job," Fickell said. "I'm so happy for him. He's had a tougher situation, just being out since camp. He got back on a Tuesday (Sept. 20) practice. I don't know if he played 30 snaps, 25 snaps (against Indiana). We were a little bit concerned with how many snaps they would allow him to play. But he went in there and played well. He practiced well all week. He's a guy we need. Actually, with him being out is where Dontay Corleone got a little bit more opportunities."
Corleone, another "younger guy" on the Cincinnati defensive line, is a 6-foot-2, 320-pound freshman who wears a size 18 shoe. The former Colerain High School standout used those custom-made Under Armour cleats to rack up 16 tackles (seven solo), 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack entering Saturday's American Athletic Conference opener at Tulsa.
"I feel like the game is slow for me, especially the second game," Corleone told The Enquirer. "The first game, I was hesitant. But I feel like it's really slow for me. Briggs (junior defensive lineman Jowon Briggs) and Domo (Perry) have supported me so much. They've been a huge help. I'm at the position I'm at because of them. Domo, I'll come to the sideline and he'll come talk to me about the plays. And Briggs, he's someone in film that I can talk to because we're kind of like the same player, style-wise, bull rushes and stuff. He breaks down film for me. So when I get to the game, it's a lot easier."
The penetration and production of Corleone, Briggs, Perry, Phillips, Potter, Wodtly, Jabari Taylor and the rest of the defensive line have helped fill the void left by Vann and created more space for linebackers like Ivan Pace Jr. to wreak havoc.
Pace, another Colerain product and a Miami University transfer, is the reigning AAC Defensive Player of the Week. Pace entered Saturday with an FBS-high 11 tackles for loss and a team-leading 4.5 sacks.
"I just can't do it without my team," Pace said. "I came here as a transfer, and then the brotherhood that we had just connected real fast. I just can't do it without them."