The Best of: Defensive Line

[ilovetheoption]

I will never forget the D tackle from Maryland Joe Vellano in 2011, he was unblockable!

THAT's the guys name. He had talked all this mess, and then went out and backed 100% of it up.

 

[Sideways]

GT All-Time:

1. Favorite Defensive Lineman
2. Favorite Single DL Play
3. Best Opposing Defensive Lineman Performance

Favorite defensive lineman: Coleman Rudolph and Marco Coleman with honorable mentions to Rock Perdoni and Greg Gathers and Eric Henderson All great football players
Favorite Single DL play: MJ's pick six against Miami Honorable mention the Coleman Rudolph sack against Virginia in 1990
Best Opposing Lineman Performance: Boy this one is tough. I will go with Aaron Donald of Pitt, Luther Maddy of Virginia Tech and the guy from Maryland that made a gazillion tackles against us a few years ago. What was his name? Oh yeah, Vellano. He was really good too. All of them great players.

 

[GTonTop88]

1. Derrick Morgan
2. MJ and Robertson back to back sacks against Maryland to seal the game
3. Aaron Donald

 

[Boomergump]

I guess I would have to say my favorite DL was Gathers. It was such a shame he got sick. He would own the sack record by a large margin if he stayed healthy.

Although the game may not have been as high profile as some of the others mentioned, the back to back sacks by MJ to finish the Maryland game were probably the most "game saving" as anythng I can remember. UM was first and goal inside the 5 after a huge play and the game hanging in the balance with essentially no time left should they have scored. It was do or die. The only game I can remember where a goal line stand made the difference was Clemson 1990, but that was not the end of the game I don't believe.

There have been a lot of good games played against us by a DL player, but it is hard to pick one over Vellano's effort a few years ago. 20 something tackles, right? How often do you see a DL player have 5 tackles in a game, let alone 20 something? Admittedly, you have to consider where on the field some of those tackles were made (many after substantial gains), but the sheer level of hustle indicated is amazing.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

So hard to pick a favorite...Pat Swilling was one of my earliest heroes. Marco Coleman and Coleman Rudolf were some early faves...Kevin Battle too for that matter. But I think Gathers was the most dominant I've seen. Like Boomer said, if his health hadn't been an issue he'd have set a sack record hard to ever beat. NFL career could have been epic also.

As a unit, the goal line stand at UVA in 90 was pretty epic. Individual play, can't beat MJ back to back sacks. That wouldn't be believable in a movie much less real life.

Vellano had one of the best performances against us that I've ever seen from a DT at any level of play. He was the defense that day.

 

[MWBATL]

The only game I can remember where a goal line stand made the difference was Clemson 1990, but that was not the end of the game I don't believe.

FSU and the fumble at the goal line with 45 seconds left in 2008 to preserve a 31-28 win reminds you that it really happened too.