UMass center linebacker Jalen Mackie is offering senior management on a roster devoid of skilled upperclassmen.
The Mike linebacker instructions respect within the huddle simply by the character of the place, however Mackie backs it up together with his play on the sphere.
The 6-1, 240-pound redshirt senior from Miramar, Fla., would be the level man on the entrance seven when the Minutemen (1-4) host Liberty (4-1) in a battle of FBS independents on Saturday afternoon (3:30) at McGuirk Stadium.
“Obviously you want to do everything you can as an individual to win the respect of your teammates,” stated Mackie. “You play as well as you can to reach that team goal and I just do what I can to give our team a chance at success.”
Mackie is reinventing himself as a linebacker after two years of inactivity. Mackie performed three lackluster seasons at Dartmouth (2017-19) earlier than the Ivy League went darkish in 2020 because of the pandemic.
Mackie redshirted final season, which put him in place to ascertain a working relationship with new coach Don Brown, one the main defensive specialists within the FBS teaching fraternity. Mackie tailored to the brand new system and leads the Minutemen in tackles (36), tackles for a loss (6.0) and sacks (1.5) after 5 video games.
“I’m getting more comfortable with coach Brown’s playbook and people are getting more confidence in one another,” stated Mackie. “With more playing time you get a higher football IQ.”
UMass was a defensive backet case beneath former coach Walt Bell however has earned a measure of respectability beneath Brown. The Minutemen are ranked fiftieth in FBS, permitting 353 yards per sport and have held opponents to 17-of-55 on third down, the thirty third greatest proportion (.309) within the nation.
“I think defensively we have been steadily improving and the one thing coach Brown does a really good job of is when we sit down after meetings of bringing ups statistics,” stated Mackie.
“He says, ‘Guys, statistically we have been getting better game after game’ and that is important, especially to the younger guys. He is showing how we are pounding away and steadily getting better. That is important for a program in our position right now.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com