2012 Spartan Nation Football Profile: #31 CB Darqueze Dennard
Expectation:Â All Big Ten CB
Height:  5’11â€
Weight:Â 190#
2012 Eligibility: Junior
EXP:Â 2 Letters
Status:Â Starting CB
Strengths: Lets head to the OSU game and in the second quarter the Buckeyes had the ball with 7:47 on the clock with a 1st and 10 at the Spartans 33. The Buckeyes were lined up in the I formation and Braxton Miller never looked off his WR running the under route and Dennard accelerated, hit the WR who caught the ball and literally ripped it away from him for the INT. Dennard is a playmaker. He made that amazing play ONE handed. Dennard may not blow you away with his size or speed, but his biggest strength is that he makes plays and that
is what you want in the defensive scheme that MSU plays.
Weakness: Lets head to the UM game for the first example. UM had the ball in the 2nd quarter with 6:57 on the clock and they had a 2nd and 10. They were at the MSU 43. Shoelaces made a poor pass and it hit Dennard right in the chest and he dropped the ball. Dennard makes the big plays and then at times misses the easy tackle or play. The above example of strength was a Sportscenter one handed interception. This one was just simple and he missed it. That isn’t talent that is simple concentration. Dennard has all the tools, but needs to stay mentally engaged all the time.
Here is one more example of his weakness. In the Outback bowl in the 1st quarter with 10:22 on the clock UGA had the ball at the MSU 43 with a 3rd and nine. There was a flag on the play
so it was a free play. When the Bulldog QB made a poor pass, Dennard barked an expletive and made the throat slash hand gesture. He is too good for that.
I get it, don’t like it, but get it if he was a guy that never played. He isn’t someone lucky to be out there, he is a star. He needs to act like it. Those type of mistakes can cost your team big and it is my opinion that Dennard is an NFL talent and needs to act like he belongs. I love the passion, but it has to be channeled properly.
Final Analysis: Dennard was thrust on the stage as a true freshman. It was a trial under fire, but no one doubted his talent or ability to do the job. He is a fine young man with
a ton of talent. I like Dennard.  If he can tighten up the mental side of the game, he has all the skills and ability to be an elite CB.
Next up:Â #59 LT Dan France
