AMHERST — Practice No. 15 of fall camp is in the books for the UMass football team. The Minutemen finished up a somewhat chippy session at sunny McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Wednesday morning.
Linebacker Tyler Martin met with the media following practice. As a redshirt junior, Martin registered 103 tackles last season. He was 31st in the in the FBS with an average of 8.7 tackles per game.
Against Bryant, Martin returned an interception for a touchdown. The Minutemen ranked 127th in total defense last season, but the current linebacker group has some versatility.
“Probably the biggest thing is having a variety of guys that can do a lot of things,” Martin said. “From the top to bottom guys are really good at certain things athleticism wise, can run, can cover and got some really good blitzers too. There’s a wide range and everyone has their unique abilities. We all mesh really well.
The linebacker room gets a healthy Timmy Hinspeter, who played in seven games last season before a season-ending injury. Hinspeter had 69 tackles before his injury against Buffalo, including 17 against Missouri. Martin and Hinspeter have a leadership role in the defense. Joshua Iseah is another senior on the roster at linebacker.
“Me and him (Hinspeter) are really close on and off the field,” Martin said. “It’s definitely fun to have him back and he’s played coach H’s (Joe Harasymiak) defense his whole career. He’s always showing, even myself a fifth-year guy, similar to him, but only the second year in this defense. Picking his brain. Just really just trying to get to know everything about the defense.”
The goal for the UMass defense this season is violence, and Martin figures into that equation. But it doesn’t just come from the physical part of the game.
“Violence can come in all sorts of forms,” Martin said. “It doesn’t just have to be when you are striking a block, block destruction or finishing a tackle. Violence with your voice is huge in our defense. Making sure everyone knows the call and everyone is aligned.”
Senior safety Zeraun Daniel also met with the media following Wednesday’s practice. Daniel has lofty expectations for the secondary. The group includes cornerbacks T.J. Magee, Chris Stanley, Isaiah Reed and Raheim Sexil. D.D. Snyder is another safety for the Minutemen.
“I feel like we are going to be the real backbone of the team,” Daniel said. “I’m a safety, I have to believe in that. The secondary is really big on being the umbrella of the whole defense. Secondary is going to do what they got to do to keep the ball down, make communications, make checks…I feel like we are poised to be the best secondary in the MAC, in my opinion.”
Daniel posted 75 tackles in nine games last season. He registered 14 tackles on two occasions. Daniel has a violent nature, fitting in perfectly with the theme of this year’s defense. The senior enjoys his time entering the box in run support.
“I’ve always thought of myself as a more violent guy,” Daniel said. “Obviously as a safety I am in the box but also up in the sky. Coming down is my favorite part of playing safety. Coming down, making a big hit…if you’re not violent, you can’t be a good defense.”
The Minutemen have a scrimmage on Thursday, another important step in their progression toward the road opener against Rutgers on Sept. 3.
“We are focused on finishing up this camp the right way,” Martin said. “Big scrimmage tomorrow. Getting sort of that game feel going again…I couldn’t be more excited. I love this place; I love this team. I am really excited to see what we do this year.”
