All it took for senior defensive tackle DeMarcus “Tank” Tyler to start having better performances was a quarter of riding the pine, issued by coach Chuck Amato.
Even though Tyler said he has not approached the past two games any differently, his numbers, and his notoriety, have increased plenty.
Amato said because of Tyler’s play against Boston College and Florida State — both victories against nationally-ranked teams — more pro scouts are starting to take note of the 6-foot-2-inch, 305-pound senior from Fayetteville, N.C.
“There are a lot of pro scouts that heard through the grapevine that he did an unbelievable job in the last half of the Boston College game,” Amato said. “And there were a lot of people here last week because of that.”
When Tyler was sitting on the sideline for the first quarter of the Boston College game after being ejected from the Southern Miss game the week before, he didn’t just spend his time on the sideline wondering when he would get an opportunity to play. He cheered on his teammates and watched his opponents — studying every move the Eagles’ offensive line made.
“I didn’t sit over there and hold my head down,” Tyler said. “I used it to my advantage.”
Amato said his defensive tackle worked his way into being compared to some members of last season’s defensive line, especially with his play of late.
He compared Tyler to John McCargo, a former N.C. State defensive tackle and now a rookie defensive lineman for the Buffalo Bills.
Amato said there were clear differences in the players, but he added Tyler was getting to the point where opponents were having a tough time stopping the senior.
“Tank is a physical player,” Amato said. “Tank is a 525-pound bench-presser. That’s a lot of weight. That’s a lot of weight for anybody to push off their chest. He’s learning how to use his hands. If he plays with good pad level, he’s tough to be stopped.”
But for senior center Leroy Harris, it’s nothing new. Harris, who has lined up in practice against Tyler for the past three seasons, said in order for the defense to play well, Tyler has to keep up his recent level of play.”He’s tough in practice. But I would say we are pretty even. Sometimes he gets me; sometimes I get him,” Harris said.
“For this defense to do well, he has to keep playing well. I think he used the Southern Miss game as motivation, and he is playing really well now.”
And junior defensive tackle DeMario Pressley said he knows if defenses start double-teaming Tyler, he’ll be sure to take advantage.
“They know they can’t double-team us,” Pressley said. “If they double-team me, Tank is going to make a move, and if they double-team him, I’m going to make a play.”
He added if Tyler continues to wreak havoc on defense, the unit will be tough to slow down.
“We have to stay focused,” Pressley said. “If he keeps playing that way, we are going to be hard to stop.”
Tyler is aware of what this year can lead to. He knows the NFL could be knocking on his door immediately after this season. But as of now, he said he’s set on leading his team to its first ACC championship game.
“This year is very important to my professional future,” Tyler said. “But, first things first, I want to win that ACC championship, and [win] every game for my team.”