Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Hames, Bee lead deep defensive front
9/28/2018 9:44:00 AM | Football, Word on the Herd
Junior defensive tackle leads the team in sacks since start of 2017 season
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The list of Marshall football players who have compiled the most sacks since the beginning of the 2017 season shouldn't surprise anyone.
Junior defensive end Marquis Couch and junior linebacker Omari Cobb are tied for fifth on the list. Senior linebacker Chase Hancock sits alone in fourth. Junior defensive end Ty Tyler is next, and senior defensive lineman Ryan Bee is second.
But no Thundering Herd defender has more sacks in that timeframe than junior Channing Hames, who has 7.0 since the start of last season.
"He's a junior, so that's how it goes," said Adam Fuller, Marshall's first-year defensive coordinator. "We saw his freshman year there were spurts. Last year he really came on in three or four games, but he was up and down. He had a consistent offseason. This spring, he had 15 really good practices. This summer, he progressively got better. In camp, he stacked good days on good days. That's going to pay off. It always will."
Hames, a 6-foot-5, 264-pound defensive tackle, has at least a half sack in three of his last four games dating back to last season. His signature game came in the 2017 Gildan New Mexico Bowl, where he earned Defensive MVP honors. Hames led the team with eight tackles, had 1.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for a loss and two quarterback hurries.
"To me, the bowl game was the start of my breakout," Hames said. "I wanted to start this season off how I ended the bowl game and carry that same type of energy into the new season."
So far this season, Hames has a team-best 2.5 sacks in three games.
"He's one of the defensive linemen I'm closest to, and watching him grow up has been exciting," said Malik Thompson, a senior on the d-line. "He's really grown up into a man and developed his game. He's come into his body and understands what to do. He's been making plays that a veteran should make. That's what's impressed me. He's way more mature. He knows he's one of my brothers, so I'm happy for him."
Hames said the bowl game MVP award was "a special moment" he used for fuel this offseason. He dedicated himself in the weight room, preparing his body for the rigors of playing in the trenches for a full season. Thompson calls Hames "a chill guy" who is quiet and reserved off the field, and Hames said he focuses mostly on his health outside of academics and football.
A product of Washington, D.C., Hames grew up watching the Redskins and idolizing defenders like Sean Taylor and Albert Haynesworth. He mostly played defensive end in high school, and then shifted to defensive tackle during his senior year and caught the attention of former MU assistant Sean Cronin.
Hames' development into a star defender has been steady and gradual. He played in six games as a redshirt freshman and made six tackles. He made eight starts as a sophomore last season, turning into a pillar alongside Bee, another star interior lineman. Now, he is a leader along the defensive front, and no longer a secret because of the bowl breakout.
"It's definitely been a process to accomplish all the goals I wanted to in the offseason," Hames said. "I wanted to get bigger, get stronger and take care of business in the weight room. It's paying off."
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Hames had to shoulder a heavy load in the absence of Bee, who missed games at Miami (Ohio) and versus Eastern Kentucky with an injury. Bee, a 6-7, 280-pound fifth-year player from Ashland, Ohio, made two tackles in his season debut against North Carolina State.
He has 166 career tackles, with 22.5 tackles for a loss and 14.0 sacks in 37 games.
"He's a really skilled player," Fuller said of Bee. "He's tough, he's been through the wars, he's an impact player, he's got good character and he's a leader. All of those things are important when you add them to a position group and unit. We're real happy he's back, for sure."
Hames and Thompson filled Bee's role at defensive tackle, but others gained valuable experience ahead of Saturday's Conference USA opener at Western Kentucky.
"Guys like Joey Maddox, Rodney Croom and Milan Lanier are rotating in and playing great," Bee said. "It's good to see we have that much depth, especially on the inside. The longer we can stay fresh and keep rotating, that's an advantage for us."
Bee said he played 32 snaps against NC State. He felt fatigue because of the long layoff, but the depth at the position will help as he adds to his workload in conference play.
"I think we're traveling 11 or 12 guys on the defensive line, and that's the most we've traveled since I've been here," Bee said. "They can all play, too. Things are going to happen and we're going to need to call on guys and they have to come in and make plays. They've proven they can do that for us."
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a six-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
