ROLLA, Mo. -- Missouri S&T's defensive line doesn't have a catchy nickname, like the “Steel Curtain” or the “Fearsome Foursome.” At least not yet. 
 
Head football coach David Brown does call the unit “Ozark Swarm,” because the scheme it runs is similar to the one run by the University of Arizona in the late 1990s, which it called “Desert Swarm.” It's one that's built for speed, and the Miners have plenty of speed along their front four.
 
“Our defensive scheme is unique — only a handful of teams in the country run it,” says junior defensive end Freddy Dugard (Queens Village, N.Y./St. Francis Prep). “It is a defense built mainly for athletes with various abilities as opposed to a defense that requires specific position players.
 
“I'm not the tallest, strongest or fastest player on the field, but with our defensive scheme I fit perfectly for the flexible athletic need,” says Dugard.
 
Where the Miners excel this season is in their ability to get to the quarterback and disrupt opposing offenses. S&T's defense is currently ranked second in NCAA Division II in quarterback sacks and is among the top 15 teams in the nation in total defense. It all starts with the work of first four players opponents encounter at the line of scrimmage.
 
Dugard, fellow juniors Eddie Rascon (Canutillo, Texas/Canutillo) and Jimmy Barnhart (Union, Mo./Union), and sophomore Josip Juric (West Des Moines, Iowa/Dowling HS) make up the starting group up front, while senior Quinton Robinson, sophomores Daleroy Davey (Kansas City, Kan./Turner), Geoff Correnti (Bowling Green, Mo./Bowling Green) and Dan Mauszycki (Gardner, Kan./Gardner-Edgerton HS), and freshman Steve Martin (St. Louis, Mo./Christian Brothers College HS) all have had a hand in the success of the defensive line this season, which is handled by defensive line coaches Brett Sykes -- who was a defensive lineman himself at Ohio University -- and Luke Rayfield.
 
That group is also aided by the flex linebackers – seniors Jordan Pulou (Magna, Utah/Cyprus) and Ryan Morse (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest), along with sophomores Jon Vance (Marshalltown, Iowa/Marshalltown) and Zach Melber (St. Louis, Mo./Oakville) – who play defensive tackles against the run and linebackers when opposing teams throw the ball.
 
As a unit, the Miners have recorded 34 quarterback sacks through the first eight weeks of the 2012 season, which has them well on pace to break the record of 38 set in 1983.  Of the 34 sacks posted by S&T, 30 of them come from defensive lineman. Also, in part due to the work of the front four, the Miners as a team have intercepted 16 passes which ranks second in NCAA Division II heading into this weekend's game with Urbana University.
 
“The pressure created by our front is a big factor in the number of interceptions that we have tallied,” says Brown.
 
“Coach Brown always says it's all about us, no matter what the other team is doing. If we execute our assignments, we can beat anybody,” says Rascon, whose 10 sacks rank as the 10th-best mark in NCAA Division II on an individual basis. “The emphasis on assignments at each position and the execution of each player's assignment is always a key focus.”

As in any defensive scheme, every player has an assignment.  The primary duties for the defensive ends such as Dugard and Barnhart are not only to rush the passer from the perimeter, but also to contain passing plays in the pocket and force running efforts outside to allow the Miners to utilize their speed to track the runners down. 

The interior defensive linemen like Rascon and Juric have the main job of tying up blockers at the line of scrimmage to keep the opposing offensive linemen from the linebackers – or in football terms, reaching the second level – and of course, rush the quarterback in passing situations.

Juric, who plays at the nose guard, explains his role.

“My primary responsibility at nose guard is basically to attack the center and maintain position of the A-gaps (the spot between the center and guards; the B-gaps are between the guards and tackles),” Juric said.  “During passing plays, however, I usually move around more freely and stunt into other gaps.”

“Our defense revolves around the ability to attack our opponent from all directions and hit them before they see us coming.  I like that,” Rascon added.  “I can live to rush the passer, work multiple gaps and create options – which is useful because it keeps me from being one-dimensional. 

“It also lets my aggressiveness and reckless abandon be used in a controlled environment that is our defense – taking the thinking out of the equation and all you have to do is play read and react,” he added.

Interestingly enough, nearly all of the current players playing on the defensive line have learned the Miner defensive system under Brown, who is in his third year as S&T's head coach.  Brown was the defensive coordinator at Cal Poly for two seasons prior to a four-year stint as defensive backs coach at Ohio University, but brought that scheme that produced 67 sacks at Cal Poly in 2005 and several other highly-ranked marks at the national level on that side of the ball to Missouri S&T.

“The guys up front have bought into our scheme,” Brown said.  “They know that if they execute their assignments they will be able to make more plays than they ever could have imagined.”

Being an undersized group does have its challenges, as one would think.  Juric feels that the toughest group he's faced in his season and a half was the offensive line at Midwestern State, which included current Carolina Panther Amili Silotolu.  But sometimes the challenges aren't always the offensive linemen, as Dugard felt his biggest test came from South Dakota quarterback Dante Wilson in last year's season finale.

“He was one of the fastest and shiftiest quarterbacks I've faced,” Dugard said. “I was finally able to sack him by sticking to the fundamentals, rushing deep shoulder and keeping outside contain.” 

Ask the Miner defensive linemen what their sack goal is and you'll get several different answers – “I think the whole defense can get 50,” according to Juric – but the key is continue to play steady football as the Miners continue their quest to post one of the best records in school history behind a unit that continues to disrupt offenses.

“Our coaches constantly remind us to always give 100 percent effort even if we make a mistake,” Dugard said.

That 100 percent effort is leading to big things for the Miner defensive line in 2012, even if it doesn't have its own tag line to go by.