By Michael Hollingshead
Reggie Ball felt it, along with the rest of the Georgia Tech offense.
Matt Leinart and USC felt it for nearly three full quarters.
The Lobos knew it was coming and they still couldn''t stop it.
Even the fans at LaVell Edwards Stadium felt it.
Thing is, it''s not an it; it''s more of a they.
They are a hard-hitting, blitzing mass of intensity that love to confuse quarterbacks while giving offensive lines nightmares.
They are the BYU defense.
For the fourth game in a row, it was the Cougars'' menacing D that kept Crowton''s army in the fight Saturday, Sept. 20. Unfortunately, it wasn''t enough against Stanford and the BYU offense, which, time and time again, dug deep holes for the defense.
And if it wasn''t for a late interception from Beck, the defense may have pulled it out in the end.
'I''m happy about our defense,' said Crowton. 'We would''ve got blown out a year ago the way we gave up the ball.'
The Stanford game was another exclamation point for a defense that is climbing the spotlight ladder. They held the Cardinal to 56 yards passing, and 200 yards overall and are now ranked 12th overall in the nation.
They''re holding teams to 18 points a game; much of which can be blamed on offensive mistakes (turnovers led to the majority of both Stanford''s and USC''s points).
They punish quarterbacks. Just ask Stanford''s Trent Edwards, who was constantly facing the blue sky Saturday as he lay on his grass-stained back.
They shut down the pass.
They hurt people.
They confuse offenses.
And all they need is a little help from the offense and this team, Crowton insists, could go the distance.
With the high-powered Air Force wishbone coming to town, the defense will be tested for 60 grueling minutes. Last year, the Falcons racked up 52 points and 463 yards of offense against a tired and undisciplined Cougar defense.
The game all but killed the 2002 season.
'Ever since that game, we''ve been sort of an error-oriented team,' Crowton admitted. 'We''ve got to stop that.'
The defense will face a similar challenge this year, as Air Force comes into the game leading the nation in rushing, with an average of 338.0 yards per game.
So far this year, the defense has been virtually error free, aside a personal foul or two.
Against Air Force, the defense knows they need to keep their cool, as the rivalry has heated up over the past two years. In 2001 the Cougars dumped 63 points on the Falcons in Provo, and in 2002 Air Force had their way with a hapless BYU team.
The plan for 2003?
'What we have to do is shut down the perimeter,' Crowton said. 'We''ve got to be aggressive. If not, it''ll be like last year, which was very frustrating.'
Whatever the plan may be, the defense will be counted on once again. And, truth be told, they wouldn''t have it any other way.