University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Time Is Right For Stewart
March 19, 2002 | Football
March 19, 2002
by Adam Lucas
TarHeelBlue.com
Carolina's defense needs Malcolm Stewart to be David Thornton, and he's well on his way.
In 2001, Thornton was the surprise of the year, turning his senior campaign into an outstanding season that ended with him leading the team in tackles, with three sacks and one interception.
Stewart, a senior who made the switch from defensive end to linebacker last spring but still carries the un-linebacker-like number of 85, is from the same town as Thornton, Goldsboro. The two were teammates at Goldsboro High and Stewart still counts Thornton among his closest friends.
But the similarity is more than just cosmetic. After not winning any team awards through his first four years in Chapel Hill, Stewart claimed the team's offseason MVP award in winter conditioning drills, and he has the inside track to the starting weakside linebacker position.
He may end up as the lone senior linebacker in the starting lineup in August. As a group, they're the center of concern for the defense.
"That's the toughest part of our defense right now," head coach John Bunting said. "We've got a depth problem and an experience problem, but we do have some talent there."
Quite a bit of that talent belongs to Stewart, who had to play with a cast on his right arm in 2000 but played well in the closing weeks of 2001.
"Malcolm will be hard to block rushing the passer this year," Bunting said. "My expectations of him are high. I think he's going to have a breakout year."
Stewart didn't do anything to dissuade that opinion when he picked off the very first pass of spring practice on a chilly night in Chapel Hill and returned it for a touchdown. The coaches, led by linebackers coach Dave Huxtable, who is in his first year coordinating the defense, expect to see plenty more of that in the fall.
His athletic frame also should be tough to contain coming off the corner in a defense that Bunting suggested might like to blitz more.
"I'm excited about it because it means we get to make more plays," Stewart said. "I like being aggressive and attacking."
Huxtable has made some changes in the defense since taking over for Jon Tenuta, most notably making things simpler for his linebackers by identifying their assignments more specifically. Instead of being responsible for the general offensive backfield, they now have the assignment of a specific back, with the safety also involved.
The change wasn't made because of a need to simplify things for a defense that lost eight starters. In fact, Stewart is looking forward to proving the doubters wrong in 2002.
"I love that people are doubting us," he said. "I love that doubt in someone. We have to prove to them and we have to prove to ourselves that we're better than they think.
"I don't think it'll be that hard...We're a lot closer, both on and off the field, this year."
That's true even though Stewart's buddy, Thornton, has departed. But his specter still lingers in the expectations for the latest senior linebacker from Goldsboro who is expected to have a major impact on the Tar Heel defense. Last year, Thornton was the leader of a defense that finished first in the Atlantic Coast Conference in total defense. Stewart knows the bar has already been set high for 2002.
"I believe he's better than me because he has done it on the field," Stewart said. "I haven't done it yet."
If things go according to plan, he'll do it this year.
