The Northwest Rangers' defensive line is aggressive and hungry. Defensive line coach Travis Macon preaches daily for his men to pursue the football, plowing through mental and physical exhaustion.

"I have a lot of freshmen and we're still trying to learn to hustle on every play," Macon related. "So far, we're doing really well and I'm really excited about this group. We still have a long way to go but we're getting there."

The Rangers' defensive line plays physical. They're an athletic group that understands how to attack the quarterback. At times the defensive line allows gaps in the running game, however, they're a strong unit that should only improve by the first game of the season.

Because of the defensive line's athleticism and competitive nature, they receive a grade of B+.

On the edge, the Rangers rely heavily on Blakely (Ga.) native Akil Teal along with South Panola (Miss.) High School star Matthew Davis.

Teal, who often lines up on the weak side of the football, is a pure pass-rusher. At a lean 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, he doesn't have the thickest of frames. What he lacks in size he makes up in with athleticism and a high motor.

"Whatever I can do to help my team win, I will," Teal said. "I play hard and I give everything I got. You can always get better and that's what I'm trying to do every day."

Teal never slows down. He has a quick spin move and understands how to twist his back while ripping past offensive tackles.

"We have to continue to play together and harder," Teal nodded. "We can always improve. Practice makes perfect and our coaches do a really good job of getting us ready for all situations."

Macon believes Teal has the ability to make huge plays at Northwest, even against bigger, stronger offensive linemen.

"I think he'll be one of the best rushers in the league this year," Macon added. "He'll get to the quarterback when we need him to. He'll do so much for us this year. Once he learns technique I feel real good about him going up against big offensive linemen."

As the strong-side defensive end, Davis lines up on the opposite side of Teal. Davis signed with both Northwest and Southern Mississippi coming out of high school.

Davis is a very powerful defensive end that has started to master double teams. Often times he'll face a tackle and tight end at the strong-side defensive end position. He has a major league swim move. Plus, he identifies the football quickly, making him a very talented run-stopper.

"I'm very excited about him," Macon said of Davis. "He's the bigger end. He'll take on the tight end. He's very valuable to us."

Columbus (Miss) native Kris Reliford along with Anthony Gund of Louisville (Miss.) and Austin Howard from New Albany (Miss.) will bring quality depth to the defensive end position.

Though he's battling injury at this time, Howard provides the most experience of any Northwest defensive end on the team. A year ago he collected 27 tackles, four of which were for loss. He also forced a fumble during the 2013 football season.

The Rangers will look to defensive tackles Kendall Carr of Batesville (Miss.) and Javonte Hall of Olive Branch (Miss.) to clog running lanes up the middle.

Both Carr and Hall take pride in stopping offensive running attacks. They're always searching for the running back, sliding their hips while taking up space in both the A and B gaps.

"I feel like we've gotten better from day one," Carr said. "When we get good pressure on the outside it helps our inside."

While stopping opposing teams' running attack is vital, Carr hopes both he and Hall can improve on their pass rush. He said if the inside duo can get better penetration up the  middle, the sky is the limit for the defensive line.

"Personally, I have to work on coming off the ball better," Carr related. "I feel I do better as a run-stopper. I excel at stopping the run, so I can work on getting to the quarterback."

Macon continues to mold depth at the defensive tackle position also. He has a handful of men he'll turn to this fall.

Players such as Malik Slaughter of Louisville (Miss.), Corey Brown of Columbus (Miss), Kenyana Heard from Ecru (Miss.) and Senatobia (Miss.) native Steve Holts are a few players that will be called upon during important stages of football games this fall.

As Macon has said, his hope is to continue to get his whole defensive line in better shape. His message to the defensive line has been simple.

While he expects his guys to become more technical as the season progresses, as long as every one of his men hustles, they'll make big plays at the right time.

Ranger fans have every right to be excited about the defensive line group this fall.
 
Northwest head coach Jack Wright talks defensive linemen corps…
Wright describes the aggressiveness of the Ranger defensive line:
They're hard to block and they play hard. They're getting better with their pad level. When we first got out there both sides looked a little stiff-legged. Those guys are taking it to the next level and are holding the point well.

The whole team showed a little more hustle and passion during Thursday's practice. Wright explained why:
It's been a grind up to this point. We gave them some time off this morning.  I think they got their legs underneath them a little bit and that helped. Yesterday was tough and it was tough by design. It was our last day of two-a-days and we pushed them. Today they were a little better rested and I think it showed.

Wright talks about Akil Teal's athletic abilities:
He's a really good athlete. He's going to be good for us. He brings a little different element for us.

Wright describes Matthew Davis' game:
He's a big, tough kid. He signed a Division 1 scholarship and we're fortunate to get him here. He needs to step out there and be a leader for us and make plays.

Wright said he, along with his whole staff have a message for his players. With two-a-days now finished and the August heat streaming down, Wright said he expects his team to learn how to finish strong:
Finish. But that's not any different from any position. You can tell close to the end of practice, especially the guys on both the sides of the line, they're starting to wear down. I worry about the fourth quarter and being able to finish games. Conditioning is always a factor at the beginning of the season and we're no different. We have to get into better shape.