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A great deal of attention has been paid this spring to the change the SMU defense is undergoing as it switches from a 4-3 base last year to a 3-4 as its base alignment in 2009. Several linemen have moved from one spot to another, and former defensive ends Youri Yenga and Patrick Fleming are now outside linebackers. But one change that has received little fanfare but might prove to be significant is the move of Pete Fleps from outside linebacker to inside linebacker.

In a 2008 campaign in which the SMU defense endured its share of struggles, Fleps quietly put together a stellar season. His 106 tackles were 32 more than anyone else on the team. He also had 6.5 tackles-for-loss (second-most on the team), a half a sack, four passes broken up, a fumble recover and two fumbles forced. His 8.83 tackles were the fourth-highest average in all of Conference USA, and the 23 tackles he piled up at Navy were the fourth-highest single-game total ever posted by a Conference USA player.

Fleps said he is adjusting well to his new role in the Ponies’ new defensive scheme. An outside linebacker at Carroll High School in Southlake, his only experience inside came when he slid inside in the nickel packages SMU ran last year. The biggest adjustment, he said, is in his new point of view as he sizes up opposing offenses.

Pete Fleps is moving to inside linebacker after a season in which he led the Ponies in tackles with 106 (photo by SMU athletics).

“The biggest change is where I read,” he said. “The progression I go through with my eyes is different inside. On the outside, when I’m playing on the edge, I focused on the tackle – now I have to read the guard and the center.”

As might be expected from a player who gobbled up opponents at the rate he did in 2008, Fleps said he is looking forward to the team’s new scheme that will ask even more of its linebackers.

“With the removal of one defensive lineman, it frees up a lot of space,” he said. “It puts more on the linebackers, so we have to make sure we make our fits to be effective. Where that extra space will be depends on what type of stunts we run up front, what kind of twists with the line. But overall, there should be more room to run, because there will be fewer guys up there locking up blockers.”

With just three defensive linemen up front to tie up offensive linemen, it would be easy to understand if some assume the linebackers will be sitting ducks for opposing linemen, who often outweigh many linebackers by as much as 100 pounds. But Fleps said the extra space also causes the offensive linemen to hesitate, because when facing the 3-4, they have to consider more options that the defense has on each play.

“It forces the offensive linemen to scan the field more,” Fleps said. “We have more things we can do out of the 3-4, so if we execute well, we can confuse them. It should give us an advantage, because the offensive linemen have to be aware of more people on the second level.”

Fleps said he anticipates more production from the linebackers in 2009, and in particular, said Fleming and Yenga should make a significant impact at their new positions.

“Patrick is really coming along well,” Fleps said. “He plays very well in space, and he’s quick and athletic, which is why he’s so effective in space. He’s very tall, and an excellent outside blitzer, so he’ll be very effective when rushing the passer. As big and strong as he is, if we can get him in one-on-one situations with a running back, he should win those battles 85-90 percent of the time. He’ll beat running backs all day and make tackles.

“Youri is going to be there in the fall, and he’s going to make all of us better. Everyone saw last year what a good pass rusher he is, and that was as a defensive end, where he had to rely on his speed, because for his position, he was pretty small. But at linebacker, he’ll still be able to use that speed, and his pass rushing skills, and give us a real weapon there. Teams are going to have to account for him, which will allow the rest of us to do more.”