Game 11 Player to Watch: Deadrin Senat
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, NOV. 24, 2017 – USF is going to need a stellar defensive effort to stop UCF in Friday's War on I-4 matchup and a solid defensive tackle is more than ready for the challenge.
Deadrin Senat heads into the regular season finale on a tear with 48 tackles (8.0 per game) over the last six outings, nearly equaling his previous career-best season mark of 49 total tackles during the hot stretch.
Senat already has a new career high with 55 tackles this season (second on the team) and he's making each stop for a major purpose. USF (9-1) is one victory away from winning The American's East Division and booking a trip to the program's first-ever conference championship game.
"It just means a lot that we're winning and having guys happy that we're winning," he said. "Just knowing I can do my part to help us win, it means a lot to me."
Senat definitely did his part last week against Tulsa by setting a new career high with 13 tackles. Two games before that, the Immokalee, Fla., native had another career night with 12 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks against Houston.
"It's just doing it for the guys next to you. Doing it for the seniors, doing it for the younger classes and just knowing what we've got ahead and knowing what we can accomplish," Senat said. "I want to see us reach what we want to reach as a team, as a community and as a family. It means a lot to me to make it all for them and just play my heart out for them."
Using his team-first approach, Senat has made his teammates and coaches proud every year of his USF career. With 168 total tackles and 19.5 tackles for loss, he's been the leading tackler on the Bulls' defensive line each of the past three seasons.
"I put all my feelings, all my expressions on the field on game day. It's something I carry with me. I just have a chip on my shoulder," Senat said. "I just want to go out and ensure that we win the game. If I can impact the game, or the guys around me, to help us win, that's something I want to do."
From Immokalee to Tampa, Senat Always Brings It
Watch the Bulls and you'll easily see Senat is a technician on the defensive line that looks like he's been playing the game since he was a young kid.
In all actuality, the bruising 296-pounder didn't break into the football business until he got to Immokalee High School because he was too big to play in Pop Warner.
"When high school came around, my mom had passed that summer going into high school," Senat said. "My coach, Israel Gallegos, came to me to say, 'You're coming to play football.' He picked me up and from that day on, every day since then I had to ride to and from practice."
Senat jumped right up to varsity his freshman year, playing both ways, and wound up becoming a two-time all-state selection by his final snap for the Indians. Senat earned the honors by racking up 156 tackles, four sacks, 12.5 TFL, 11 pressures, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries over his final two prep seasons.
"One thing I love about defense is I love hitting. That's the best thing about it," he said. "I also feel like on defense everybody gets closer. It brings out a comradery that you don't see much these days."
Despite becoming the Naples Daily News Player of the Year, Senat was driven to hit even harder once he signed with USF.
"One thing that always gets me is if somebody tells me I can't do it. I've been out here proving it since day 1," he said. "They'd say, 'Oh, you wouldn't make it in college. Oh, you wouldn't be a starting defensive tackle. Oh, you'll never play on a Division I football team.' It just fuels my fire to go out there and try to be the best I can be."
Proving people wrong has made Senat a standout collegiate player that's also taken care of business in the classroom. Senat is one of 11 Bulls on the roster with a college degree already in hand and he credits that accomplishment for boosting his super senior season.
"That was a stepping stone," he said. "In the springtime, I took a whole bunch of classes to graduate, just so I could have something to fall back on. It's there, I worked for it and nobody can take that away from me."
The next order of business is helping USF win a conference championship and Senat credits everyone who got him to this point.
"Who knows where I'd be if it wasn't for the people who came into my life, helped me and showed me there's a way out," he said. "You don't have to give up. You don't have to go out and do the wrong things. I thank them for just being there for me and helping me out."
About USF Football
USF finished the 2016 season ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press poll with a school-record 11 wins following the program's fifth-ever bowl victory in the Birmingham Bowl. The Bulls' 11-2 record marked the fifth-best winning percentage in FBS football in 2016 and one of just 11 teams to reach 11 wins. USF set nearly 40 team and individual records in 2016, including team records for total yards (6,650), rushing yards (3,714), touchdowns (77) and scoring (569). Quarterback Quinton Flowers was named the American Conference Offensive Player of the Year and led a school-record 10 players named to the all-conference team, six of which, including Flowers, returned in 2017.
Follow @USFFootball on Twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.
- #GoBulls -
