Oct. 18, 2007

By Bill Hass
theACC.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Any number of words accurately describe Boston College middle linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar.

Intelligent. Tough. Analytical. Playmaker.

But probably the best way to sum him up is with the phrase he would take as the biggest compliment: Football player.

If you drew up plans for a middle linebacker, you probably wouldn't start with Dunbar's size at six feet, 233 pounds.

"There are prototype guys and then there are guys who are just good, right?" said Frank Spaziani, the Eagles' defensive coordinator. "And he's one. He understands what we want and then he's just a football player. He loves to play, he's got everything that it takes. He's what you want in the middle. We wouldn't be where we are without him, let me put it that way."

Dunbar, a fifth-year senior from Syracuse, N.Y., admits an extra inch in his height might be nice, but he's comfortable with how he fits in.

"There are a lot of guys that aren't that tall but you don't have to be large to be a good football player," he said. "That's me - I think I'm just a football player and I feel like I come out of the locker room thinking that."

It didn't take first-year coach Jeff Jagodzinski long to realize how much Dunbar likes playing the game.

"He enjoys the preparation, he enjoys game day, he enjoys calling the defensive signals and getting everybody lined up the right way," Jagodzinski said. "He's a sideline to sideline player who plays with a tremendous amount of effort.

"I tell you what, I wish you could measure the guy's heart. It would be a lot bigger than six feet."

Dunbar has been playing football with heart since he was five years old. There will eventually come a time when he doesn't play anymore and he believes he'll be perfectly fine without it. But until that time comes, few players attack the game with his kind of zeal.

"It's something that I absolutely love doing," he said. "I love every Saturday. Somebody asked me a few days ago if I'm excited to be on a bye week and I said no, I'd rather be playing on Saturday.

"I love being out there with the guys and running around and making plays. I try to approach practice as a game. It obviously doesn't count for wins and losses, but it's still football and still a sport that you can enjoy."

The bye week Dunbar referred to is this Saturday. The Eagles next play on Thursday, Oct. 25, at Virginia Tech. The Hokies are also off this weekend as they prepare for a game that will impact both divisions of the ACC. Boston College leads the Atlantic at 3-0 and Virginia Tech is tied with Virginia in the Coastal at 3-0. (The Cavaliers do play this weekend, against Maryland.)

It's a heady time for the football program at Boston College. Quarterback Matt Ryan is considered a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy. The Eagles, 7-0, have risen to second in the coaches' poll and third in the Associated Press rankings.

"It really doesn't mean much right now," Jagodzinski said. "I told the guys, the same guys who are voting didn't even have you in the Top 25 (in pre-season), so take it for what it's worth."

Still, no one is immune to the swirl. Dunbar is trying to absorb the atmosphere while still keeping some distance from it.

"It has created an exciting time on the BC campus and an exciting time among BC football players," he said. "It's only week seven and we have a lot of games left. It doesn't really matter where you are in week seven, it matters where you are in week 12. Nothing is final until you get it, nothing is final until you're there.

"I'm one of those guys who understands that there's no easy week in this conference and when you're in college football you can lose any week. So we're going to take it day by day and week by week and not worry about lofty rankings and things like that. It's exciting and we're having a fun time and we appreciate it, but it's something we've worked for and week by week we move on."

Dunbar has worked hard to make himself into a high-level player. He came to BC as a running back, along with Andre Callender and L.V. Whitworth. After being red-shirted his first season and surmising that three players at one position was too many, Dunbar asked to move to linebacker and was accommodated that spring.

He was familiar with the position, having played it in high school, but there was a lot to learn, particularly in dropping back to defend against the pass. Still, Dunbar was good enough to earn significant playing time as a backup his first two years. Last year, he became the starter in the middle and led the team in tackles. He even was able to scratch his old running back itch, in a way, by returning two fumbles for touchdowns against Maryland.

"It was an uphill battle, going from carrying the ball and seeing the field one way to moving to the other side where you're making tackles," he said. "Middle linebacker is basically a running back for the defense. You find the hole and you find the ball and get to the ball as fast as possible.

"It has been a long process and I think I've gotten better every year. There are a couple of things I can focus on and get better at every year and I think I've done that."

One of Jagodzinksi's first tasks as head coach, after Tom O'Brien left for N.C. State, was to convince Spaziani to remain as the defensive coordinator. He was impressed with Spaziani's work and "there was no reason to mess with what he was doing."

That faith has been rewarded by a defense that leads the nation against the run (46.4 yards per game) and ranks fourth in turnover margin (plus 1.57 per game). As teams find they can't run against the Eagles, they become one-dimensional with the pass, which has led to an NCAA-high 18 interceptions.

While Spaziani is the architect of the defense, Dunbar is his extension on the field.

"He's got a lot of experience in our system and tremendous instincts," Spaziani said. "He has a really good handle on the game. He's excellent at calling defenses, he gets everyone lined up right and he makes all the adjustments prior to the snap. He's literally a coach on the field."

Dunbar relishes the responsibility of getting the defense in the right set and then calling the audibles to change if necessary. While he averages 7.6 tackles per game himself, Dunbar is responsible for getting other players into position to make plays. Safety Jamie Silva averages 7.9 tackles and outside linebacker Matt Herzlich averages 6.1.

"Above all, it's making sure everybody knows what defense we're in initially," Dunbar said, "then telling guys the passing strength or the running strength, then if we're switching defense. There are a lot of guys and a lot of lines of communication going on and we all work together to make sure we're on the same page.

"I have fun doing it. I've studied the playbook for a long time. I enjoy being able to set our defense and being comfortable that everybody is on the same page. I think our team appreciates the fact that they've got a guy who can do it."

As well as the Eagles have played defensively, Dunbar believes there's always room for improvement.

"It's never a finished product in football, in my opinion," he said. "You're striving to be perfect and it's almost impossible to be perfect."

That will be the case against Virginia Tech's offense, which Spaziani said will be the most efficient the Eagles have faced this year because of its size, strength and speed. He also expects the Hokies to toss in a few new wrinkles, which means Dunbar will have to make the adjustments.

The thing that jumps out at Dunbar is Virginia Tech's speed, made even faster if freshman quarterback Tyrod Taylor's ankle is healed and he starts.

"I've watched him play a couple of games and I've watched a little film," Dunbar said, "and it's like chasing a rabbit. We're going to be chasing rabbits all night."

Whatever the Eagles accomplish the remainder of the season, Dunbar will have a lot to do with it. The keys to success, he said, are remaining humble and focusing on fundamentals.

Which, if you think about it, is exactly the way a "football player" would approach it.

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Bill Hass is a long-time observer of ACC sports. His career at the Greensboro News & Record spanned 36 years, from 1969 until his retirement in March, 2006. He is now writing "Bill Hass on the ACC" for theACC.com. His weekly columns will keep fans plugged in to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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