Any longterm national attention for Shepherd depends on its defense

Holloway
- Holloway
Shepherd University rumbled through last season and finished with a highly polished 13-2 overall record.
But it wasn’t often its defense brought it home.
In the season opener at Ohio Dominican University, the Rams won, 35-30.
Six times during the 15-game season Shepherd opponents scored at least 30 points — the most coming in the national semifinals at Ferris State University in Michigan, where the opponents posted 55 points.

Bagent
In its only regular season slip, Shepherd lost at home to Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, which totaled 37 points. The Rams literally outgunned West Chester University, 42-38, and then the schedule took them into the NCAA Division II national playoffs.
The University of Findlay finally fell, 38-31, as the University of Notre Dame couldn’t prevent a last-second scoring pass and slumped to the turf with a 38-34 loss and Kutztown was shocked when it suffered a loss on the game’s last play. The Golden Bears found that scoring 28 points wasn’t enough.
Then came the damp and dreary loss to Ferris State in the national semifinals where the winners had 55 points.
Shepherd had averaged just over 42 points a game — enough to give it 13 wins.
Now with Harlon Hill Trophy recipient Tyson Bagent returning at quarterback and with receiver Ryan Beach and running back Ronnie Brown also well-known from their 2021 statistics, Shepherd has earned a solid reputation around the country.

Beach
However, ranking this team as the second-best in the nation seems to disregard what Shepherd’s defense did in 2021. And what it has returning in the way of consistent play-makers.
Kyle Smith plays with intensity. Enelio Pena and Malik Holloway were starters.
But gone are Chrys Lane, Ponce Deleon, Juwaan Addison, Frankie Stevens, Antonio Fox, Ricky Robinson and Kendall Duckworth.
There are some consistent Division II winners on Shepherd’s 11-game schedule. Conference rivals California University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown, West Chester and resurgent Shippensburg University are all potent and waiting to dent the Ram defense.
How forceful and talented will be the second-best team in America?

Brown
Better than Valdosta State, Grand Valley State, Northwest Missouri State, West Florida, West Alabama, Newberry, Angelo State, Minnesota Duluth and Colorado School of Mines? All those teams are frequent visitors to the national playoffs. To be the second-best team in the country means you will be playing in the national championship game.
If Shepherd cedes 30 or more points in six games this season, it won’t be playing in the national championship game.
If “Defense wins championships,” the Shepherd defense must be consistently more effective than it was in 2021.

Smith