Jessup is Western's man in the middle

JOE SUNNEN

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If the Western Washington University football team's newest middle linebacker, Caleb Jessup, bears at least a passing resemblance to the Vikings' last one it's with good reason.

Jessup not only roomed with former WWU standout middle linebacker Shane Simmons last season to better learn the position, he also spent time during the spring watching last season's game tapes to learn how Simmons played it so well.

"I feel really comfortable," Jessup said. "I roomed with Shane all last year and he was kind of a mentor for me. I kind of anticipated the switch all the way through last year. I'm adjusting well."

Jessup's first start as the Vikings' newest man in the middle comes at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6 against Western Oregon University at Civic Stadium. He played outside linebacker last season, finishing second on the team in tackles, but will be the focal point of WWU's defense against the Wolves.

"This is more of a free-flowing position," Jessup said. "I'm roaming sideline to sideline trying to make plays. It's pretty enjoyable."

While Jessup might not have prototypical size for the position - he's 6-foot, 220 pounds - he certainly has the tenacity. As a freshman he played in the secondary and was usually the player most likely to deliver a big hit. Last season he was an honorable mention All-North Central Conference all-star after moving to linebacker.

And while Jessup knows that replacing Simmons will be a tough order, he's open to the challenge - even if they aren't exactly the same kind of athlete.

"I watched a lot of the games from last year, and I think we're kind of different players," Jessup said. "He's a little bit faster than me, so I have to maybe think about things a little more. We take different points of attack, but generally we play pretty similar games."

That's good news for the Vikings, who lost a majority of their starters on defense from last season. WWU will be looking for Jessup to not only be a play-maker, but also a leader.

"I've set the bar high for myself, and I expect no let downs," Jessup said. "I want to be the leader of this defense and make every play that I have the opportunity to make. I don't want to do anything too crazy; I just want to do the job my teammates are depending on me to do."

Reach Joe Sunnen at joe.sunnen@bellinghamherald.com or 756-2862.

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Saturday, Sep. 06, 2008

Jessup is Western's man in the middle

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