CEDAR CITY, Utah – With just under two weeks of fall camp completed, and just over two weeks until the 2021 Southern Utah football season kicks off, SUUTbirds.com sat down for a Q&A with defensive coordinator Robert Bala to get an update on camp and an overview of where the defense stands heading into the season.

Q: Overall, how do you feel about the defense's camp so far?

Bala: "We're really excited about year two in our system. You can definitely see the progress from year one to year two, and the confidence the guys are playing with. I'm really excited that we've been working hard to lay a good foundation heading into week one."

Q: What are your expectations for this defensive unit in 2021?

Bala: "A big emphasis for us is finishing. Finishing plays, finishing drives and finishing games. With the confidence these guys have built from year one to year two, and all the teaching points they have been getting through camp, it now comes down to being able to do it in a high-pressure situation. I think with our foundation, we're on the right path to being able to finish because they're learning how to execute their assignments. I have definitely seen that out here at camp. Our guys are finishing because they are reacting instead of thinking, which allows them to play faster."

Q: What does the defense need to improve upon from last season to win more games this year?

Bala: "A lot of the things that took us away from finishing games last year was position maintenance. We weren't getting the right leverage or understanding the checks. Obviously, we also need to play with more confidence to go attack the ball carrier or the quarterback as opposed to just surviving. Again, our guys are playing fast and confident these first couple weeks of camp, and hopefully that builds into us knowing what we're doing and letting our athletic ability take over. That should really help us out."

Q: La'akea Kaho'ohanohano-Davis is a returning All-American at linebacker. What makes him so great, and what does he add to your team?

Bala: "One of the greatest things about La'a is his humility. As good as he is, he is one of the most humble guys I have ever met. He gets all the accolades and all you hear from him is a lot of gratitude. From a physical standpoint, he brings us so much versatility. He does a great job as an off-the-ball linebacker, just reading and reacting. He led the conference in sacks last year, so he's obviously able to go get the quarterback, but he's also athletic enough to drop into coverage. He can cover a tight end man-to-man or cover a slot receiver and play man. He gives us a chess piece to do some different things and elevate the other guys around him. His teammates are inspired by his humility, which makes him a great guy for the rest of the defense to look up to."  

Q: What are some names on defense that people may not be as familiar with, but they will be by the end of the year?

Bala: "Up front, Aaron Romero has had a great camp for us on the defensive line. Everybody knows Francis Bemiy and Greg Rogers, but Aaron has played a lot of games for us and brings an attitude and nastiness up front. Quaid Murray has done a heck of a job moving from inside linebacker to outside linebacker. He is setting a precedent for us of what that position needs to look like. Another guy I'm really excited about is AJ Stanley. AJ has had a great camp in the defensive backfield. He's not necessarily a new name, but I think he has come back this camp refreshed and more in shape."

Q: We are just a few weeks from kickoff. What improvements need to take place for the defense between now and then?

Bala: "Through these first few weeks, we've put in our base foundation and done some situational work. Now it's a matter of making minor tweaks within the system we can use to attack offenses. Because our foundation is now built, we can install something new for specific game plans, and it's nothing foreign. Obviously, we just need to continue refining the basics of what makes us really good, and that will help set the precedent for us to play really solid football."

Q: When we look back at the end of the season, what do you hope to say your defense's identity was?

Bala: "We just want to finish. We want to finish plays, we want to finish drives, and we want to finish games. When we look back on every game, I want us to know that we gave everything we had in order to finish."

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