Providing the Coverage

Cornerback Emani Fenton is good, but we may never know how good. It is difficult for the 5-9, 169 pound junior to showcase his skills when opposing quarterbacks refuse to throw the ball in his direction, but this year they may have no other choice. With no identifiable weak link, the secondary appears to be a strength for the defense this season, as Ivy League signal callers will soon learn.

Senior Frank Morand has made a smooth transition from cornerback to strong safety while a pair of juniors, Ben Heller and Dempsey Quinn, will fill the void left by first-team All-Ivy free safety Tim Bax ’09. Sophomore Rashad Campbell capitalized on the playing time he received in Cornell’s final four contests last season and has secured the other starting cornerback position.

“We just have to have trust and be unified together; make sure everybody is on the same page,” Fenton said. “Coach has kind of set some goals for us. One is stopping the run. One is stopping the big play. We also want to get some more turnovers and be tough in the red zone. We want to put up that ‘Big Red Wall’ as they say.”

Fenton and Campbell provide the lockdown speed required to blanket opposing wide receivers while Morand, Heller and Quinn provide the pop to intimidate would-be pass catchers. Continuing in his role as the Red’s shutdown cornerback, Fenton is excited to put the shackles on the best receivers in the Ancient Eight.

“I love it,” Fenton said. “I embrace it. Everybody kind of has their role and I’m not going to try to do [senior linebacker] Chris Costello’s role, I’m just going to do my role. My role is obviously to make plays in the secondary and that’s what I’m going to do. And, when it’s Rashad’s turn, he’s going to make some plays for us as well this year.”

In 2008, Fenton accumulated 47 tackles in nine games while Campbell tallied nine tackles and one interception in the team’s last four contests. Heller has the highest ceiling among the secondary starters as his tremendous range and hard-nosed style of play best characterize his game. As for Morand, the transition to strong safety has been seamless.

“We still pretty much run the same defense, a 3-3-5,” Morand said. “When you’ve played defense that long and have practiced so much, everyone pretty much knows what to do.”