PINEVILLE, La. – Louisiana College senior defensive tackle Charles Cloman (Shreveport, La/Evangel Christian) knows that opponents don't expect much from him. At just 5-foot-10 and 230 pounds, he's one of the smallest defensive linemen in the conference.

He further knows, playing in LC defensive coordinator Buck Buchanan's scheme, one that yields little in the way of statistics for defensive tackles, that his numbers won't inspire any fear along the other side of the trenches, either.

Yet, by game's end, it's rare that opposing teams forget about one of the unquestioned leaders of the Wildcat defense.

“It gets to be funny sometimes,” Cloman said. “When we first line up in a game, I walk up to the line and I look at our guys and they're four or five inches taller than me. Then I look at their offensive line and it's even worse. And they (they opponents) always start talking. They're like, 'Who's this little guy?' They've always got a few short jokes. But, you know, once we get a few plays into the game, they cut all that out.”
Cloman might sound cocky, but he's got a right according to his coaches.

“It's hard for a defensive lineman to get recognized in our scheme,” Buchanan said. “When you're playing zone-reed and cutback teams, you won't see a lot of tackles from that position. What a lot of people don't see is that Cloman does such a good job playing in his gap that it allows others to make plays. He might not be the one making the tackle, but he's the one getting after the quarterbacks or forcing a run outside to a teammate. He's a vital part of our defense.”

Rare is the play when Cloman isn't in the right place or able to help his younger teammates know where to go.

Perhaps it's got something to do with the fact that, in his four years, he's played every position on the defense save the secondary.

“Cloman has done it all for us since he got here,” Buchanan said. “We've been able to use him everywhere in our front seven and he's always done the job. I wish I could say that I had a lot to do with it, but I think a lot of that is attributable to Coach Byron Dawson, the man who was his defensive line coach at Evangel. He sent us a player with great technical ability.”

Cloman's head coach for much of his career at Evangel, none other than current LC coach Dennis Dunn, is equally impressed by the job the undersized lineman has done.

“The fact that I got to coach Cloman in high school and college has led to a very special bond between the two of us,” Dunn said. “To see him emerge not only as a great individual player but also a great senior leader has brought me great satisfaction. He's become everything I knew he could be. He's the spark that ignites our defense.

“If he was 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds, you would have never seen him at Louisiana College, but what he lacks in size, he more than makes up for with heart and determination. That sort of attitude is contagious. His teammates respect him for it. He was a unanimous selection for our unity council (LC's team captains). I can't think of a person on this team that doesn't like him.”

As the Wildcats (3-3 overall and 3-1 in the American Southwest Conference) prepare for their weekend showdown at Sul Ross State, Cloman has made a total of 14.5 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and recorded a half-sack.

Those might not be the numbers of legend, but the senior leader of the LC defense isn't complaining.

“When you're out there, there's no doubt that everyone wants to get his sacks and this and that,” Cloman said. “It really boils down to doing what you need to do for the team. I could go out there, be greedy, get three sacks and loose or I can go out there, fill my gap, do my job, let a teammate do his job and make the play and win. I'd rather win.”

It's what Buchanan has come to expect from Cloman in the last four years.

“He's the kind of guy that you don't judge by the size of the dog in the fight but the fight in the dog,” Buchanan said. “He's out there to help this team win, not to go after personal accolades.”
And being small hasn't been as much of a hindrance on Cloman helping his team win as one might think.

“I prefer being small,” Cloman said. “It lets me dip under the blocker a whole lot easier and get after the quarterback. I think my size helps me to make better moves.”

“It doesn't really matter how big a guy is on the defensive line,” Buchanan added. “Cloman is always going to be smaller than the guy blocking him, but he's almost always a better athlete. He uses his hips and hands as well as anyone I've seen and plays his heart out on every play, every week. You can't help but be successful when you do that.”

GAME CAPSULE
Louisiana College Wildcats at Sul Ross State Lobos
Kickoff: 1 p.m., Saturday
Location: Alpine, Texas
Coaches: LC, Dennis Dunn (5th Season, 26-19); Sul Ross State, Wayne Schroeder
Team Records: LC, 3-3; 3-1 American Southwest Conference; Sul Ross State, 1-4, 1-3 ASC
Last Week: LC defeated Howard Payne 62-28; Sul Ross State lost to Hardin-Simmons 73-7
Streaks: LC, Won 2; Sul Ross State, Lost 3.
Last Year: LC defeated Sul Ross State 26-0