For example, take the way they handle themselves on the field and in the locker room.
Bear is one of the most vocal and demonstrative leaders on the team this fall, someone who is noticed by the fans before the ball is ever snapped.
“I’m really passionate about football. I’m emotional when I get out there on the field,” he says. “Even when I was younger I would let loose, although I’ve never tried to overshadow an older guy. Now that I’m a veteran, the role has changed a little bit and I can say and do more.
“You have to realize there is a time and place for everything, you learn that as you grow in the sport.”
And while he relishes his role firing up the Toppers, he realizes that leadership isn’t just dependent on age and experience.
“If there’s a freshman and he has something to say, I think he should say it,” Bear adds. “They shouldn’t be afraid to step out of their comfort zone and speak. I wasn’t, I worked my way through and now that I’m a senior it’s a little bit easier.”
Bear speaks from experience, as someone who made an instant impact as freshman at Venice (Fla.) High. He started as a freshman, going on to be named all-area on three occasions while making the all-state team his final two years. Bear, who recorded 11 sacks in his best season, helped lead the Indians to a 9-4 finish and the quarterfinals of the state 5A playoffs as a senior.
“When we went to war and I said something, they would listen as if I were a coach on the field,” he recalls about being a leader before ever arriving on the Hill.
Lewis, on the other hand, considers himself to be a bit more reserved than Bear.
“I would say I am one of our quiet leaders, I like to lead by example,” he states. “I say a little bit, but I’m not as vocal as he is. That’s the kind of guy he is. I respect him for that because he backs up what he says.
“I’ve never been that type of leader, although if I feel that something needs to be said, then I’ll go ahead and say that.”
The disparity in their styles doesn’t bother fifth-year head coach David Elson. In fact, he believes that even though the two have different styles they both have been effective in fulfilling their leadership obligations as two of 16 seniors on the squad this fall.
“I think that a necessary part of having a good group of leaders is getting them to understand what their strengths are,” he says. “Dusty’s strength is his energy and passion, and being vocal, while Andre’s more of a behind-the-scenes leader. Andre says a lot more than people realize, he just doesn’t do it as loud as Dusty does.
“They both have been excellent leaders for us in their individual ways.”
How they got to the Hill is another case of taking different paths to achieve success.
Lewis was a starter at Madison (Tenn.) High School dating back to his sophomore season who earned all city honors and was the team’s most valuable player. But, after a coaching change prior to his final year, he and many of the Warriors’ other seniors were left to make their own highlight tapes to send to colleges while attempting to find a scholarship. According to Lewis, he heard mostly from either Division I-AA (now Football Championship Subdivision) schools who weren’t winning and Division II schools before he decided to contact the Hilltopper coaching staff.
“The week of signing day I decided to send a tape up to WKU,” he recalls. “Coach [former assistant Mike] Fanoga was here at the time. He told me that he liked what he saw, but unfortunately they had already offered all of their scholarships.
When told that all of WKU’s offers had been accepted, Fanoga told Lewis that he could walk on to the team with the possibility of earning a scholarship in the future. “I thought it was a good thing to do, so I came up and things have been going well since then,” he says.
Bear had visited Auburn, Florida and South Florida, and was also being recruited by Florida Atlantic and Florida International, a pair of schools who moved up to the NCAA Division I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision) level in 2003. But, he didn’t achieve the required SAT score to go along with his grade-point average — at that point, many of the potential schools wanted Bear to attend a junior college before coming to their campus.
Bear had been diagnosed with a learning disorder back when he was in grade school, but since he didn’t have problems with his work in middle school, it was forgotten. He sent a waiver to the NCAA that was eventually approved and was allowed to take the test again without a time limit.
Now eligible to participate in collegiate athletics, he came to Bowling Green for a campus visit.
“I really liked the atmosphere, all the people were great,” he says. “There are places that you feel real good about, and I just felt at home when I visited. The whole time I was here I was with a couple of guys that I’m close to now. A lot of us played together as true freshmen, which brought us even closer together.”
Although they arrived on campus a year apart, Bear and Lewis faced different situations when it came to playing time in part because of the disparity in their size. Currently listed on the roster at 6-foot-1 and 250 pounds, Bear knew he was going to shift from linebacker to the defensive line, eventually seeing his weight climb as high as 280 pounds. He played in 11 of 12 games as a true frreshman, recording seven tackles, before increasing that total to 21 stops a year later. Last fall, Bear was a second-team all-Gateway Football Conference selection after posting 42 tackles including six behind the line of scrimmage.
Lewis — who stands 6-foot-1 also, but is just 210 pounds — sat out his first year on the Hill, and as a redshirt appeared in five contests. It wasn’t until 2005 that he became a starter, and he responded by making 84 stops. Lewis was named second-team all league as a junior after following up with a 76-tackle campaign.
While many players struggle when they are redshirting, Lewis didn’t miss a beat.
“I enjoyed my redshirt year, because I looked up to the guys in front of me,” he says. “Erik Dandy and Charles Thompson treated me like I had been here for a while, I would hang out with them away from football and felt real comfortable. They would tell me how they couldn’t wait to come back and see me play, and what I needed to do to be successful. I looked at them as a coach/friend.
“I’m a small linebacker, so when I would hear all the disadvantages of my size, Erik would tell me the things that he did that worked well. I took all that in and used it to my advantage.”
Now, the two play side by side after Bear was shifted back to linebacker in spring practice. Making a move so late in a career may pose a problem for many players, but with all the shifts he made along the front, playing both nose tackle and end, Bear has handled the transition well.
“It’s been easier than I thought because of my mindset — I knew I wanted to play linebacker my senior year because I figured I could help the team out more that way with my size, speed and strength,” he states. “I had played linebacker in high school, so I never thought it would be difficult. At first, I was a little rusty, but I have gotten into a groove.
“I’ve played every position in the front seven. Knowing your assignment is a big part of playing defense, and I know what everyone up front is supposed to do when coach Elson signals the call from the sideline. It’s a huge advantage because you’re thinking about the play the other team is going to run instead of your assignment.”
“Andre is in the same situation. He’s been with this defense for a while and knows what’s supposed to happen.”
Lewis, too, made a temporary move from inside to outside linebacker in the spring, so the two began preparations for their final season going through a position change.
“Actually, in the spring he was playing inside and I was outside so the roles were reversed. We didn’t realize that I was going to stay inside and he was going to move outside until after summer classes started,” he recalls. “I knew he was going to be successful because he has played pretty much every position on defense. We talked about it and realized that we had to give it all we had because it was our last go round.”
Actually, according to Bear, the disparity in the size between he and Lewis is a key factor in helping the WKU defense. “Having two outside linebackers like Blake [Boyd] and myself, our size is important for the edge of our defense because we can stop people from running outside of us,” he states. “When we can lock up the opposition, it forces the opposition back inside, which allows Andre, Alonzo [Higgins] and our other inside linebackers to make plays.”
The results thus far have been a success. Lewis leads the Hilltoppers with 77 total tackles, as he has paced the team in the category in each of the last five games entering today’s Homecoming contest against defending Sun Belt Conference champion Troy. Bear ranks fourth on the squad with 36 stops, is tied with Lewis for the team lead with six tackles for loss, and he intercepted the first pass of his career last month.
“I try to not to pay attention to the statistics. As long as the defense is playing well as a group, the entire team is playing well,” says Lewis. “I know I have a job to do, and as long as I do my part and everyone else does theirs, then we can be successful. The way our defense is set up, that’s what an inside linebacker is supposed to do. We have to make plays for the defense to succeed.
“I’m happy about it, but I don’t depend on them because when you get caught up in statistics is when you start shying away from being a team player and things can start to go wrong.”
He attributes this year’s success — WKU is 6-3 entering the final quarter of the season — to the pair’s ability to team up next to each other on the field.
“We’ve done a good job working together, I think we realize that this is our senior year and we have to be leaders on the defense,” he says. “I have a lot of respect for him, and I believe he has a lot of respect for me because of our experience on that side of the ball. We’ve been on both the winning and losing side, so we know what it takes to be successful as a team.
“There are young guys that look up to us and expect us to do a good job, so we have a lot to live up to.”
Bear agrees. “We work well together because we communicate. We always talk to each other because we’ve been playing together a long time — even when I was on the defensive line we were commincating. It’s really helpful having someone like Andre with you on the field.”
Putting the two next to each other has worked exactly as Elson envisioned. “One thing we have always thought is that people have tried to attack us to that side because Andre is a little undersized,” he says. “But, with Dusty over there, it gives us some strength and size so it’s a good combination to have those two guys on the same side of our defense.”
If there’s one thing the duo shares in common, it has been in their consistent improvement.
“Andre has definitely come a long way,” says Elson. “He understands our defense, he studies the game and sees that by fitting in where it’s designed for him be he’ll make a lot of plays. He does the little things that add up like taking on blocks and getting off them better.
“The way Dusty has moved around to different positions is a big credit to him as a player that he can go from being a down lineman to standing up and playing linebacker well,” he continues. “We wouldn’t have done it if we didn’t think he could do that. Dusty, when he has been healthy, has been one of our defensive leaders not just vocally but with his play.”
“I’ve grown by leaps and bounds,” Bear adds. “That just comes from getting a lot of repetitions and working real hard in practice. I like to work hard, that’s something I value. Some college football players stay the same and some get better — that’s what I did.
“I’ve improved my speed, vision, and ability to diagnose plays the other team is going to run. I’m going to hustle and hit as hard as I can.”
Lewis also can see the progress that he has made since arriving on the Hill.
“I believe I have improved a lot. My freshman year, I didn’t watch film or understand the defensive scheme. As the years have gone on, coach [Cary] Marquell has explained to me how much easier I can make it on myself if I just take the time to study film.
“I took the offseason more seriously,” he adds in explaining what he did to earn a starting role. “Even though I played a little bit, I could see what it took to be a starter. You have to keep your body in shape and take workouts seriously, because it’s real easy to get injured so you have to make sure you treat the offseason just like you do the fall.
“I also responded better to the coaches. Instead of feeling like they were criticizing me, I grew thicker skin and realized that the criticism was a good thing because all they want is for you to be the best player you can be. I used that as a tool to help me on the field — if you just listen to what they’re saying it really works.”
It’s ironic that Lewis mentions health, because while he has not missed a start in his final year, Bear had to sit out a pair of games after dislocating his ankle following the interception at Ball State. While many thought it was an injury that was going to force him to miss the rest of the season, Bear began practicing less than three weeks later and was credited with six stops in his return last Saturday at Chattanooga.
“I had never missed a practice or a game since I was in pee wee football,” he says. “It’s unfortunate, but I worked pretty hard doing what Doc E [head athletic trainer Bill Edwards] and [assistant trainer] Sheri [Harris] told me to do make sure I would be ready to play.
“I couldn’t wait to get back for the fans and the school. I really enjoy when fans come up and pat you on the back when you do good. I like to be real enthusiastic on the field and get the crowd fired up.”
Once their careers are completed, once again the two are looking at different paths. While Bear plans to pursue football on the professional level, he ultimately sees himself returning to Florida. “I’m going to give it my best shot for a year, and if I don't make it then I’m going to return home and go to work with my dad,” he says. As a subcontractor, Bear is eventually looking at jobs involving landscaping, construction, and concrete and pipe work.
“I want to get away,” says Lewis, who is interested in pursuing a job in sales. “I wouldn’t mind living in Nashville, but I would like to get away from there too and experience something new. As long as the job pays good money, I’m not going to be too picky about where I go.”
Before then, though, Bear and Lewis have a job to finish in helping WKU achieve its preseason goal of seven victories in the school’s first year transitioning to the I-A/FBS level. Even if it means using different means to accomplish the task at hand.
