Preview '08: DB

DB Depth Chart
LCB	SS	FS	RCB
Jasper O'Quinn Sr.	Keith Fitzhugh Sr.	Derek Pegues Sr.	Marcus Washington Jr.
Tay Bowser RJr.	De'Mon Glanton RSr.	Zach Smith So.	Damein Anderson RFr.
Jarvis Kyles RJr.	Charles Mitchell Fr.	Chris Nance RJr.	Louis Watson Fr.

2007 Stats
Name	Tkl	TFL	Sacks	Int.
Keith Fitzhugh	58	7	1	2
Derek Pegues	50	2	0	5
De'Mon Glanton	47	3	1	2
Marcus Washington	44	4	0	1
Jasper O'Quinn	37	2	0	1
Zach Smith	21	0	0	0
Tay Bowser	13	0	0	1

Derek Pegues is undoubtedly the star of this outstanding group of safeties. He is a touch smaller than your average safety but that didn't seem to hurt him one bit last year. Time after time he came up with the big play that the defense needed and was named the MVP of the Liberty Bowl. I don't know if you can say he is shutting down one half of the field, but it is getting close to that point. Quarterbacks are certainly making sure they know where he is at.

Keith Fitzhugh will get the other starting nod, but him and De'Mon Glanton are almost co-starters. You can switch them in and out with no dropoff. Fitzhugh primarily plays SS and will lay some big hits on the opponent. Glanton moves around alot. Mississppi State will play him at safety and will also move him up to the line of scrimmage, sometimes like an extra linebacker and sometimes like a nickel cornerback.

Zach Smith backs up Pegues after playing a key role as a true freshman last year. He didn't make alot of plays last year, but he didn't let anyone behind him either. Thats all you can ask of a true freshman. Chris Nance has been moved from corner to provide some depth and Charles Mitchell will likely be getting his feet wet right away. He is too good not to have on the field and gaining experience.

The corners aren't as strong as the safeties, but still a good group. Jasper O'Quinn started out last year as a backup but eventually took away the starting spot from Marcus Washington. He didn't make many plays on the ball but did keep everything in front of him. Not a standout but he won't get you beat either. Washington is a speedy corner and a very good tackler. The big problem last year was he got beat deep far too often. He was only a sophomore though so I have hopes he will have corrected, or at least improved in that area.

Tay Bowser is an unusual cornerback, standing at 6'3. Anything over 6 foot is extremely tall for your typical cornerback. 6'3 might as well be a giant. Bowser has been decent in the snaps he has played, but like Washington he has let receiver get behind him too often. Damien Anderson will back up the other CB spot. The coaches seem to like him, saying he has starter level ability. We'll find out very quickly.

Grade: 8.5/10

This group of safeties is one of the best in the country, and that isn't me being a homer. I have confidence in the two starting cornerbacks. The two reserve cornerbacks could be shaky but the play of the safeties should be able to mask some of that weakness. Everyone in this group can tackle, even the corners.