After registering seven tackles, one sack and one forced fumble in Saturday's 21-19 win over Colonial Athletic Association foe Elon, Eric Handy allowed himself one brief compliment regarding his sixth consecutive start at middle linebacker.
"It gets better every game," the Columbia resident and Wilde Lake graduate said. "I'm pretty comfortable now."
Since replacing senior Fred Overstreet in the middle of the Tigers' 4-3 defense for their 31-20 victory over North Carolina Central on Sept. 20, Handy is tied with junior free safety Christian Carpenter for the most interceptions (two) over that span and ranks fifth in tackles (39).
Handy's performance against the Phoenix caught coach Rob Ambrose's attention.
"Eric played extremely well on Saturday," Ambrose said Monday during his weekly conference call organized by the CAA. "We've talked about the role he got forced into based on all the things that have happened to us over the season and that if he would have had a better summer, he'd be playing like this in September and not late October.
"So we're excited about his progress, and not only are we excited about his progress, but [also] the fact that he's learned where he could be if he would be invested, especially in the early month of the summer and offseason. So while I'm impressed with what he did on Saturday, I'm looking more forward to what he can do in the future."
Handy secured his first full sack of the season when he pulled off an inside stunt with senior defensive end Ryan Delaire and took down Elon senior quarterback Mike Quinn in the second quarter. Handy also posted his first forced fumble of the fall as senior defensive end Drew Cheripko pounced on the loose ball.
"It was a called blitz," Handy said. "It was just great coverage that allowed me enough time to get free and make a play."
Ambrose said Handy's strength is his understanding of the defense, and he has parlayed that into taking a leadership role in the defensive huddle. But Ambrose said Handy's potential remains partially untapped.
"As far as what we're looking for him to get better at, he can be athletic, but only when he's in football shape, and he's had to play himself into football shape instead of showing up as such," Ambrose said of the 6-foot, 230-pound Handy. "So we're looking forward to him being that type of player for a 12-month cycle, not just being a couple months here and a couple months there."