Healthy Sean Spence looking to put pop back in Hurricanes’ defense

Healthy Sean Spence looking to put pop back in Hurricanes’ defense - by Jorge Milian, PBP

If you ask me, the turning point in UM’s 2009 season came during the first quarter of the Hurricanes’ Oct. 24 game against Clemson. That’s when linebacker Sean Spence injured his left knee, a victim of a perfectly-legal cut block by a Tigers’ offensive lineman.

UM entered the Clemson game ranked No. 8 in the country with a 5-1 record. But with Spence sidelined – he missed three games and parts of two others – the Hurricanes staggered down the stretch, losing three of their last seven games.

A gimpy-kneed Spence eventually returned to the lineup, but he was never close to 100 percent. He made just one tackle in UM’s last three games.

"I was still kind of nicked up,” Spence said about returning after the injury, which did not require surgery. “I was just trying to fight through it for the team. I never got hurt in high school or optimist or anything. It was a first-time experience for me. It was kind of tough.”

Now Spence is back. He’s thickened up to 217 pounds, he’s completely healthy and is looking to rebound from a year that, while not nearly a sophomore slump, wasn’t what he or anyone else wearing orange and green had hoped for.

“Not what I wanted it to be,” Spence said of his sophomore season during an interview this week following a UM spring practice. “I wanted to come out and help my team win games. Obviously, I didn’t do that. I had a setback when I got hurt. I’m just trying to bounce back.”

A healthy Spence should be exactly what UM’s defense – which allowed 22.15 points per game but an average of 31.0 points in its four losses – needs to take a step up in 2010. On a unit lacking an established big-play guy, the hard-nosed Spence could be that player.

“I think [Spence’s absence] affected us tremendously,” said cornerback Brandon Harris. “His presence on the field gives everybody such a comfort level and allows us to play faster and smoother. When you have a guy like Sean on your defense, you know automatically that you can count on him to make a big play. When you have a guy like that on the field, the rest of our job is easy.”

Two weeks into spring practice, Harris reports that Spence “couldn’t be better. He looks great, fast, physical.”

Spence, a serious young guy who spits out answers to questions in short, machine-gun bursts, is certainly a lot happier. He admits being miserable last year watching the Hurricanes on television during road games against Wake Forest and North Carolina. UM rarely allows injured players to travel for games.

“Yeah, it was frustrating being on the sidelines, being home watching my team play on TV,” said Spence, the 2008 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. “It hurt me.”

Teammates noticed.

“During that injury process, he just wasn’t himself,” Harris said.

But Spence is back to his old ornery self on the football field. Coach Randy Shannon said Spence has looked like his old self, going head to head in practice with offensive linemen that often outweigh him by more than 100 punds.

“Spence was a little banged up last year,” Shannon said. “That was the biggest thing. It’s a new season, new year, and he’s starting off fast right now in spring football.”

It goes without saying that Spence, who is playing strongside linebacker, is a key to UM’s success in 2010. Asked his goals for next season, Spence said it would be to provide “a lot of leadership, helping my team stay together when we’re going through tough times.”

That will be a lot easier for the Hurricanes with Spence back on the field.