Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Behanan taking control of center spot for Raiders
4/12/2017 7:00:00 AM | Football
Junior getting high praise at new position
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – This spring has been filled with unknowns for Middle Tennessee on its offensive line.
The Blue Raiders are tasked with replacing four linemen that racked up 167 combined games played and 98 starts over the past four years.
In the middle of those four big bodies was center Daniel Stephens. The 2016 All-Conference USA Second Team member was one of those prototypical student-athletes whose four years of eligibility felt like eight. He started 31-straight contests to end his career with 38 in 46 games played while growing into the leader along the offensive line over the past two seasons.
Now that Stephens is gone, MT is looking for someone to step in and somehow fill the void as the leader in the middle of the line.
Insert Robert Behanan, a redshirt junior who has seemed to grab ahold of the starting center spot during this year's spring drills.
Middle Tennessee faithful may not know a lot about the 6-foot-3, 297-pound Fairfield, Ohio, native. But, in his three years in Murfreesboro he's certainly become a favorite of the coaching staff.
"He's a good young guy," offensive line coach Rick Mallory said. "He's a hard-working kid and he cares. I know we're going to get his best at all times, because he's a conscientious guy and he cares about his team and what people think of him."
The care Behanan shows in his every day life is a characteristic he learned from his mother, Kerri, and his grandparents. He can still see how much they care on most Saturdays during football season.
The three make the roughly five-hour drive from Fairfield, a suburb of Cincinnati, to Murfreesboro for every home game in order to cheer on their favorite player, and he certainly notices.
"All three of them have been really supportive in my life," Behanan said. "They've been there for everything that I've done, even when they knew I wasn't going to be starting or playing a lot. That's really what holds me together."
The unknown for Behanan this spring isn't the pressure of getting playing time – he's already proven himself there by starting two games in 2016 while right tackle Carlos Johnson was out with an ankle injury.
Rather, it's playing a new position.
He had never played center before drills started in March, and while the casual football fan may not think that's a big deal – he's still going to be blocking, just like when he was at tackle – there is a big difference in how to play center compared to the other line spots.
"There's not just the football part, but the mental part," Mallory said. "He has to put us in the right spots so we can do our jobs."
Taking more control of the line from a leadership standpoint has been the biggest adjustment this spring for Behanan.
"It's definitely different between tackle and center, because now I'm leading the pack, I control everything," he said. "Coach Mallory has talked to me about trying to have a bigger role and taking control of the whole line. I'm definitely still working on it. I have a lot to do between now and Sept. 2."
While it may have been a rocky start, Behanan is getting better every day at making the offense run smoother from the snap of the ball.
Playing with that kind of consistency is one part of Stephens' game he wants to imitate on his own.
"Dan was one of those guys that just never stopped, he's just constantly working," Behanan said. "As Coach Mallory would say, he would fix himself as the game went on. I'm trying to be consistent like that."
If he wants to show that consistency once the season starts, Behanan will have to carry over the good spring showing he's had both on and off the field through the summer. He will also have to provide leadership along with his productivity so the line can keep growing around him.
So far, they've put out positive returns around their centerpiece.
"We're trying to get better as a unit every day," he said. "We've gotten better, but we're nowhere near where we need to be. If everyone takes what they learned this spring and grows from it this summer and we have a good camp, I think we'll be where we want to be."
The Blue Raiders are tasked with replacing four linemen that racked up 167 combined games played and 98 starts over the past four years.
In the middle of those four big bodies was center Daniel Stephens. The 2016 All-Conference USA Second Team member was one of those prototypical student-athletes whose four years of eligibility felt like eight. He started 31-straight contests to end his career with 38 in 46 games played while growing into the leader along the offensive line over the past two seasons.
Now that Stephens is gone, MT is looking for someone to step in and somehow fill the void as the leader in the middle of the line.
Insert Robert Behanan, a redshirt junior who has seemed to grab ahold of the starting center spot during this year's spring drills.
Middle Tennessee faithful may not know a lot about the 6-foot-3, 297-pound Fairfield, Ohio, native. But, in his three years in Murfreesboro he's certainly become a favorite of the coaching staff.
"He's a good young guy," offensive line coach Rick Mallory said. "He's a hard-working kid and he cares. I know we're going to get his best at all times, because he's a conscientious guy and he cares about his team and what people think of him."
The care Behanan shows in his every day life is a characteristic he learned from his mother, Kerri, and his grandparents. He can still see how much they care on most Saturdays during football season.
The three make the roughly five-hour drive from Fairfield, a suburb of Cincinnati, to Murfreesboro for every home game in order to cheer on their favorite player, and he certainly notices.
"All three of them have been really supportive in my life," Behanan said. "They've been there for everything that I've done, even when they knew I wasn't going to be starting or playing a lot. That's really what holds me together."
The unknown for Behanan this spring isn't the pressure of getting playing time – he's already proven himself there by starting two games in 2016 while right tackle Carlos Johnson was out with an ankle injury.
Rather, it's playing a new position.
He had never played center before drills started in March, and while the casual football fan may not think that's a big deal – he's still going to be blocking, just like when he was at tackle – there is a big difference in how to play center compared to the other line spots.
"There's not just the football part, but the mental part," Mallory said. "He has to put us in the right spots so we can do our jobs."
Taking more control of the line from a leadership standpoint has been the biggest adjustment this spring for Behanan.
"It's definitely different between tackle and center, because now I'm leading the pack, I control everything," he said. "Coach Mallory has talked to me about trying to have a bigger role and taking control of the whole line. I'm definitely still working on it. I have a lot to do between now and Sept. 2."
While it may have been a rocky start, Behanan is getting better every day at making the offense run smoother from the snap of the ball.
Playing with that kind of consistency is one part of Stephens' game he wants to imitate on his own.
"Dan was one of those guys that just never stopped, he's just constantly working," Behanan said. "As Coach Mallory would say, he would fix himself as the game went on. I'm trying to be consistent like that."
If he wants to show that consistency once the season starts, Behanan will have to carry over the good spring showing he's had both on and off the field through the summer. He will also have to provide leadership along with his productivity so the line can keep growing around him.
So far, they've put out positive returns around their centerpiece.
"We're trying to get better as a unit every day," he said. "We've gotten better, but we're nowhere near where we need to be. If everyone takes what they learned this spring and grows from it this summer and we have a good camp, I think we'll be where we want to be."
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