Patrick Handy said he loves the aggressive style taught by defensive line coach Bert Hill (photo by Webmaster).

Looks can be deceiving.

Compile a list of the characteristics of an ideal defensive tackle, and size — as in something around 300 pounds — is likely to appear near the top of the list. Senior Patrick Handy enters the summer before his final season on the Hilltop at 260 pounds … maybe.

He does, however, have many of the other assets coaches want in a defensive tackle. He is among the strongest players on the team, joining defensive tackle Kyle DeGroat as the only Mustangs to bench press more than 500 pounds. He has the height (6-foot-2) and long arms to knock down passes, and pass rush skills honed by three seasons at defensive end.

But the Mustangs began the spring very thin at defensive tackle. Charlie Berry graduated, Ryan Leonard didn’t return and backup Mickey Dollens missed the spring because of injury. Serge Elizee and Chris Parham, regulars in SMU’s 2007 rotation, returned this spring, as did Zac Thomas, a 2007 backup with extraordinary strength and great potential who is still growing into his frame. But new SMU defensive coordinator Tom Mason and defensive line coach Bert Hill realized they needed to fortify the interior of the Ponies’ first line of defense, and slid Handy inside.

“I thought I’d be playing defensive end again this year — I was comfortable there,” Handy said. “At defensive end, you’re always outside the offensive tackle. Now I’m between the guard and the tackle most of the time — sometimes between the guard and the center, but mostly between the guard and tackle. I’m the tackle, Serge is the nose.”

Despite his relatively svelte (at least for his position) frame, the weight room warrior and former high school offensive lineman is not averse to mixing it up inside.

“I have to use my strength,” he said. “It’s not just bench squat — the squat gives you the knee drive you need for the bull rush.”

Handy has been studying the technique of another "undersized" defensive tackle: former Minnesota Viking John Randle (photo by Webmaster).

Handy admits that along with his quickness and understanding of leverage, it is his raw power that allows him to make up for his relative lack of bulk for the position, and said he has no intention of trying to strap on significant additional weight because of his new position.

“The biggest I’ve ever played at is about 265, in the spring of my freshman year,” Handy said. “I think if I get much bigger than that, I’ll lose my quickness. Even inside, part of my job is to rush the passer, so I need to be quick. But there are times when we also have to tie up blockers and let the linebackers run to the ball and make plays, so I have to be strong, too.”

The Mustangs will operate out of a base 4-3 alignment, although when situations dictate, they also will shift to 5-2 (for obvious running and short-yardage plays) or 3-3 fronts in clear-cut passing situations. Regardless of the alignment, Handy and his defensive line cohorts will be turned loose far more often to rush the passer than in the past.

“We love the new defense,” Handy said. “Coach Hill and Coach Mason have us doing what they call the ‘jet technique.’ All that means is we’re sprinting forward on every play. If we get tied up (by blockers), then we adjust and tie them up to help the linebackers, but every chance we get, we’re jetting upfield to get to the ball.

“Every defensive lineman likes that style. We’ve got a lot of Minnesota Vikings film. I’m watching John Randle – he was called a ‘smaller’ defensive tackle, and he made plays all day long.”

While Handy studies tapes of Randle and other undersized defensive tackles to learn technique, he also played alongside another undersized-but-stellar interior lineman for a couple of years, and he has sought out his former teammate for advice.

Handy overcomes a lack of bulk with quickness, technique and exceptional strength (photo by Webmaster).

“I’ve talked to Adrian Haywood about it,” Handy said. “He wasn’t the biggest defensive tackle, either, but look how many plays he made — he was always in the backfield.”

If the Mustangs operated in a 3-4 defense that required a massive anchor in the middle of the defensive line, Handy would still be on the perimeter at defensive end. But in the team’s 4-3 alignment, and with the emphasis Mason and Hill put on speed, even from the interior of the line, Handy’s speed and strength will allow him to remain an integral part of the defensive line rotation.

“People think you have to be huge to play defensive tackle, but that’s not always true,” he said. “If you play with good technique and good leverage, and you have quick hands and feet, and good strength, you don’t have to be 300 pounds.”

“Haywood used his quickness more than anyone we’ve had here, and I need to take advantage of my quickness, too. This defense is a lot better than we showed last year, and we’re going to show that this season. Everyone’s talking about Coach Jones’ offense, and with his record, they should be. But we’re going to have a pretty good defense, too. We’re going to surprise a lot of people.”