NEWARK --
Ben Cross is 5 feet 10 inches and weighs 213 pounds. He plays on the
defensive line for Delaware, going against players like offensive
linemen Trip DelCampo and Paul Thomson in practice. They each weigh
well over 300 pounds, and are at least a half-foot taller than
Cross.
Yet Cross more than holds his own in those matchups, as well as
those against the Hens' opponents. It's why Cross started last week
against Towson at right defensive end, and might do so again this
Saturday when UD plays West Chester.
Sure, you can measure someone's height and weight and determine
where he'll play on the football field. But there are things that
can't be measured, like heart, speed and brains.
This enables Cross to make up for his size. It also enables
Cross, a senior, to embrace a position he never played until his
junior year at Delaware, after he had been recruited as a running
back, then moved to linebacker.
"At first, I was like, 'What am I doing here?' " Cross said.
"Obviously, I'm too small to play defensive line. But I've realized
that [size] really doesn't mean that much. I'm just as strong as the
people I'm going up against.
"It would be different if I tried to play like I weigh 285
pounds. But I know I need to utilize my quickness, get into guys and
keep driving them back. It's not as big a deal as people think it
is."
Cross makes it work because he's a good athlete who works hard on
weight training. He was named the team's top-conditioned athlete
during spring drills by setting school records in the power clean
lift (345 pounds). He also had the team's best vertical jump (41
inches) and broad jump (10 feet, 3 inches).
And, most importantly, he has a low center of gravity, which
enables him to keep driving. Cross already has two tackles for
losses this season, behind only Mondoe Davis, who has three.
"He's a huge little ball of muscle," said fellow defensive
lineman Dominic Santoli. "His legs never stop moving, which makes
him like a running back playing defensive line."
Cross also made it work because he's a top student, with a
cumulative grade-point average of 3.9 as a civil engineering major.
This makes him smart enough to realize that he's not going to
overpower a 300-pound lineman, that he has to find another way
around him.
"Guys like Ben, you love to have them on your team because they
give everything they have on every single snap," UD coach K.C.
Keeler said. "They just keep on playing, no matter what happens."
And a lot has happened to Cross since he came to UD in 2000, when
Tubby Raymond was still the coach.
Back then, Cross was recruited as the prototypical Wing-T back,
coming off a high school career in which he rushed for 1,546 yards
and scored 20 touchdowns as a senior.
But when Keeler arrived in 2002, following Cross' redshirt
freshman season, the Wing-T was out, and the spread offense was in.
Which means there was no room at running back for Cross. So the
coaches tried him at linebacker, and Cross admits that didn't work
very well.
That season, UD was extremely thin at defensive line, so the
coaches moved linebackers Santoli, Davis and Lou Samba to defensive
line. Cross stayed at linebacker, and even started a game. But his
playing time diminished as the season went along.
In 2003, Cross moved to defensive line when Davis was moved back
to linebacker. Finally, Cross had a home. He posted 27 tackles,
including 2.5 for losses and even had a half-sack.
"We moved him because he's so physical on the field and in the
weight room," UD defensive coordinator Dave Cohen said. "We felt
that, with the exception of his height, he had a defensive lineman's
mentality."
Still, there are times when Cross looks at fellow senior Sean
Bleiler, who was switched from position to position only to end up
at tailback, and wishes he could get another chance to run the ball.
"That would be cool," Cross said. "But it doesn't really matter
now. I'm happy where I'm at."
Contact Martin Frank at 324-2805 or mailto:mfrank@delawareonline.com
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