During an August practice in the Glass Bowl, Jonathan Jones saw two players on the sideline and instantly felt the energy coursing through his veins.
Jones knew that injured linebacker Dan Bolden and safety Tycen Anderson wanted to be on the field. It let Jones know how fragile the game of football can be and to cherish the moments when you’re on the field.
He’s done more than treasure playing time — he’s seized an opportunity and become a force on one the nation’s most productive defenses.
“He knew he had a role on the team and it was important to him,” UT defensive coordinator Vince Kehres said. “He looked at it as, I’m a veteran player and I have to step up. These guys are counting on me to play at a really high level. And he’s really done that.”
Jones, a graduate transfer from Notre Dame, and redshirt freshman linebacker Jackson Barrow have stepped in for Bolden, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL in July, weeks before the start of fall camp. The injury crushed morale on a tightly-bonded defense and put coaches in scramble mode.
Bolden, a fourth-year junior from Cincinnati, had played in all 31 games since his freshman year, recording 20 tackles in 2020. In each of the past two seasons, Bolden was among the top 10 tacklers on the team and he was the recipient of the Wayne Lumber “Bringing the Lumber” trophy for the best tackle of the 2020 season.
“That was a big wrench, for sure,” Kehres said. “He had played quite a bit in 2020 and improved a lot as the year went on. He had a great offseason and had himself in the best physical condition he’d been in. He dropped weight and was moving really well. I was excited about him, and some of the things we were doing were with him in mind as we installed them. But your coaching perspective has to immediately be, OK, we knew that might happen. It’s next man up, and then you adjust.”
All Jones has done is tally 56 tackles, second-most on the team, including six tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. His total tackles rank in the top 10 of the MAC and he’s tied for second nationally in forced fumbles.
“When Dan was injured, my immediate response was, ‘Dang.’ My heart sank for him,” said Jones, who had six tackles in Toledo’s 34-15 victory over Western Michigan on Saturday. “We have real love for each other. After that, my mindset went to, OK, someone has to step up, preferably me. I knew I was going to take on a bigger role. That’s what I came here for.
“Last year was a good launching pad. I hadn’t played college football in some years. Playing six games and then going full go this year, I’ve basically gotten all the reps. I knew I had to prove to myself and to the coaches.”
But the ripple effect of Bolden’s injury hasn’t been limited to Jones. Barrow, a third-year freshman from Indianapolis, had played in two career games before this season and was buried on the depth chart. When Bolden went down, he told Barrow to be prepared.
“Pleasant surprise, to be honest with you,” said Kehres, who declared Barrow the defense’s most improved player. “He’s come a long way, even from spring practice. He’s a smart football player, and he’s very coachable. He wants to do well and understands his role. It was like, Boy, who’s the third linebacker going to be? I wouldn’t have been able to tell you that right after Dan got hurt. We needed to compete and see how guys responded. [Barrow] has played a lot more snaps than I would have guessed he would play this season.”
Through eight games, his 32 tackles rank sixth on the Rockets. Barrow had three tackles against Western Michigan.
“A lot of it comes with spending time with the coaches,” Barrow said. “When you know the defense, you can play how you really want to play. Being part of it is a really great time. Our defense is a really close-knit group. We really enjoy seeing each other make plays. We hold each other to a really high standard. Being on that defense is a different feeling. We feel like we can change the game by ourselves.”
And Bolden is around to witness it all. He attends every meeting. He’s on the practice field. He travels on road trips. He listens to play calls. He takes notes for Kehres.
“He’s staying sharp with the playbook,” Jones said. “He’s still prepared. He’s still present.”
So are Jones and Barrow, making one tackle at a time for a defense that brings its A-game every single week, no matter who’s in the lineup.
“I knew the guys would rise to the challenge and take advantage of their opportunity,” Kehres said.
First Published October 24, 2021, 2:08 a.m.
