New Opportunities Come at Linebacker

The switch from the 3-3-5 defense to the 3-4 that will be used this season has come with four players’ well-timed switch to linebacker, just as the new alignment will provide additional opportunities.

Cheyane Caldwell moves from fullback for his senior season. Ed Stansbury, a recruit at linebacker who instead made an aborted try to play quarterback, jumps to the defense as a redshirt freshman. The transition for Ryan Nece and Ali Abdul Azziz will at least be more natural--they were both playing safety.

“That was an area of real need,” said Marc Dove, the inside linebacker coach. “I think we developed a lot more confidence in it this spring.

“So many of them haven’t had a lot of opportunities to step out and play a significant role in the defense, so they’ve got to prove their worth.”

The biggest moves belong to Caldwell and Stansbury, who go from offense to defense, but at least have the experience of playing linebacker in high school.

“Those guys are really talented athletes and tough competitors and jumped right in and worked hard and made that transition much easier than I think we expected,” Dove said.

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The Bruins don’t start practicing in full pads until Wednesday, but the drills in the opening workouts that were supposed to be light contact in shorts came with such intensity that Coach Bob Toledo had to pull on the reins.

“I’ve never had to stop practice twice and tell them to slow down,” he said, an indication of the intensity that was not entirely unwelcome.

“I’d rather have to tell them to slow down than prod them to speed up.”

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Mark Reynosa, a walk-on tailback, and offensive lineman Jeff Wright, who is expected to redshirt, will both miss at least a week of practice because of injuries suffered Saturday. Reynosa has a strained hamstring, Wright a hip flexor. . . . Injuries are limiting four others to one practice during the double-day sessions: Andy Meyers (returning after knee surgery), Oscar Cabrera (returning after back surgery), Gabe Crecion (back) and Pete Holland (back). The decision is more out of precaution than necessity in each case and all four are expected to be at full speed in time for the Sept. 12 season opener.