Indeed, with Miami holding onto a 27-20 lead over Bowling Green last week, Coniglio could be found thwarting the Falcon’s final drive with a sack of quarterback Tyler Sheehan.

 

“There is nothing like getting to the quarterback,” Coniglio admitted after a recent Miami practice.

 

Be that as it may, the senior from Rockford, Illinois is nonetheless intent on being a player who is adept at defending both the pass and the run.

 

“I like to look at myself as an all-around defensive end,” Coniglio said. “I definitely take pride in my pass rushing, but I also take pride in being physical and being able to play against the run, as well.”

 

As they look forward to the remainder of the 2008 campaign, Coniglio and his RedHawk teammates know defending both pass and run will be critical. This week’s matchup against Kent State, for instance, once again will challenge Miami’s ability to stop a very mobile quarterback.

 

"There is nothing like getting to the quarterback" Photo: Mike Smith

“We’ve had our struggles chasing around a running quarterback. That is something we really emphasized again this week,” Coniglio said. “We’ve got to play our gap and do our job. That is going to be the biggest thing when it comes to Saturday and defending Julian

Edelman and Eugene Jarvis.”

 

Edelman, a  quarterback, ranks third among MAC players in rushing with an average of 89.0 yards per game.

 

Thus far, Edelman has picked up 623 yards in 116 rushing attempts for an average of 5.4 yards per carry. In his most recent game action, Edelman rushed for 136 yards (6.5 ypc, 2 touchdowns) while completing 15 of 25 passes for 200 yards (one touchdown) in a 26-19 loss to Ohio.

 

“He’s a very explosive player. Just watching him on film, he can make something out of nothing,” Coniglio said.

 

Jarvis, meanwhile, returned to action to pick up 50 yards on 14 attempts against the Bobcats.

 

“We know they have a good O-line and the great back. We know he is very explosive, it’s a challenge that presents itself to us, and we’re excited about it,” Coniglio said.

 

He continued, “The biggest thing for our defense is stopping the run. If we stop the run, that takes a lot of pressure off of our secondary. It takes a; lot of pressure off our linebackers …. It puts the odds in the defense’s favor.”

 

Neither Miami (2-5 overall, 1-2 MAC) nor Kent State (1-6 overall, 0-3 MAC) brings a winning record into the contest, but in the wacky MAC East, where the top four of seven teams have two conference losses, plenty of teams have reason to remain optimistic as they enter the heart of their MAC schedules.

 

“The bottom few teams in our league have really stepped up their game,” Coniglio said. “You don’t know who is winning every week. Every game seems like it is coming down to the fourth quarter. You don’t see many blowouts …. You’ve got to bring your ‘A’ game every week, or anybody can beat you.”

 

Finding that “A” game is what practice is about, and Coniglio feels his senior class has maintained a focus despite a 1-5 start leading into last week’s victory over Bowling Green.

 

 “Getting that first win was enormous, (but) we know we’re going to have to fight for every single win,” he said. “The seniors we have out here are not going to let anybody get complacent about anything.”

 

Maintaining a good work ethic is a key, according to Coniglio.

 

 “I think we were a little bit immature last year. We’d go on a two or three game win streak, and we’d think we had arrived. That is when you lose games,” he said. “It’s a very hard thing to do to come out and practice with the same intensity every single week – no matter who you are playing. But it is something that a mature football team does. It is something that championship football teams do.”