'He can do it all' - HC football coach Bob Chesney has high praise for DL Jake Reichwein

Holy Cross fifth-year senior lineman Jake Reichwein was a backup last season, but he certainly made his presence known on HC’s top-ranked total defense with 35 tackles, 5 sacks, a forced fumble and a pass breakup.

As a starter this fall, Reichwein continues to wreak havoc on opposing offenses.

“I don’t think anything has really changed,” Reichwein said of his increased role following Wednesday’s practice at Kuzniewski Field. “I’ve always played the same way.”

With 25 tackles, a team-high 4 sacks, and 3 quarterback hits, Reichwein has been a standout on HC’s 2022 defense. The No. 6 Crusaders (6-0, 2-0 Patriot League) are holding foes to 15.5 points per game, ninth best in FCS.

“Jake is the ultimate teammate,” fifth-year senior defensive lineman Dan Kuznetsov said. “He motivates me, this defensive line and this defense every single day. He shows up, he goes to work, and he does it with a quiet fury about him. He doesn’t talk much, but you can just see the constant effort on film. He’s constantly running to the ball, constantly running through somebody’s face. He plays inspired football.”

Reichwein had similar compliments for Kuznetsov, his four-year roommate and one of his best friends. The pair grew up only about 10 minutes apart in their Pennsylvania hometowns (Reichwein in Doylestown, Kuznetsov in Warrington), but met for the first time as Holy Cross incoming freshmen.

They, along with fifth-year senior linebacker Liam Anderson, helped form the foundation of HC’s thriving program.

“They are three very special young men that took a leap of faith on this program and earned their way into starting roles,” Holy Cross coach Bob Chesney said. “They became this team, not just part of this team, and that’s pretty cool.”

Reichwein’s versatility, like that of Kuznetsov and Anderson, has been a boon for HC’s defense.

“He can do it all,” Chesney said.

Reichwein can play inside, sometimes as a 3 technique or nose guard, outside as a defensive end, sometimes standing up and dropping into coverage.

“His versatility allows us to be interchangeable defensively,” HC defensive coordinator Scott James said. “It allows us to play whatever we need to play at that moment. If we have to have a presence on the edge, he can go out there and do that and he plays with great motor. If he goes inside to play defensive tackle, he can do that with a lot of strength and power. Knowing you have a guy like Jake brings depth to the defense that isn’t dependent on numbers; it’s dependent on ability and talent level. It’s invaluable.”

Reichwein tore the labrum in his shoulder the third week of practice his freshman year and missed the entire season.

“I think it was a good thing for me,” Reichwein said. “Working through that and getting through my freshman year was pretty tough, but now that we’ve passed that and you know you can get through things like that, you feel like you can get through anything.”

Reichwein obviously came back strong from his injury. The last three seasons, Reichwein missed just two games, and played in all 13 last year.

“He’s reaping the benefit of four years of hard work,” James said. “He takes a tenacious approach to training on and off the field. It’s fun to watch.”

Gearing up for Lafayette

Some Holy Cross players went home for a couple of days during last week’s bye. Others, like Reichwein and Kuznetsov, stuck around campus.

“Our days here are limited,” Kuznetsov said. “We want to spend the most time here that we can.”

Chesney told his players to savor their rest, and be ready to gear up for the final five-game stretch of the regular season that begins at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Lafayette.

“We looked at years past after the bye week,” Chesney said, “and we came back, and our practices were very intense, and our speed picked up a lot. We’re hoping to see the benefits from that little bit of rest.”

After last year’s bye, the Crusaders finished the regular season with six straight wins and outscored their opponents, 253-62.

The Crusaders returned to the practice field Tuesday, and, as Chesney hoped, they were getting after it.

“We’re finding that intensity again,” Reichwein said. “Our winning culture has been evident this week.”

Led by senior defensive lineman Malik Hamm, Lafayette (2-4, 1-0) ranks just behind HC in scoring defense (18.8 ppg) in the PL. The Leopards, though, have struggled to score and are averaging less than nine points per game. Three of Lafayette’s losses have come to William & Mary, Penn and Princeton, whose combined record is 15-1.

HC won last year’s game against the Leopards, 35-10, at Fitton Field.

Homestand starts next week

At 6-0, Holy Cross is one of six undefeated teams in FCS.

Jackson State, Sacramento State and Weber State are also 6-0. Penn and Princeton are 5-0.

The Crusaders’ last perfect season was 1991, when they finished 11-0.

HC has five regular-season games remaining, starting with Saturday’s matchup at Lafayette. Holy Cross then plays three straight home games against Fordham, Lehigh and nonconference foe Bryant, before finishing the regular season at Georgetown.

“In all regards, we feel pretty good (heading into the final stretch of games),” Chesney said. “It’s just a matter of us trying to play our best football. We talked about it at the beginning of camp that the first three or four games are usually a little sloppy and one team probably loses one of those games more so than another team wins that game. Then, you start to move into the fourth, fifth, sixth games, where you’re probably playing some pretty good football.

“Coming out of this break,” Chesney said, “you’re hoping you can elevate that a little bit more and play some great football, and as the year goes on, hope you can elevate that even a little bit further.

“We’ve lived true to that calendar so far,” Chesney said. “We had things to adjust and fix at the beginning. The second part of the first half of the season, we started to play some really good football. Now we just have to continue to take it to the next level.”

Vikings pick up Whitley

Former Holy Cross star Benton Whitley joined his third NFL team earlier this week.

The Minnesota Vikings, looking to add depth at outside linebacker, signed Whitley to their active roster off the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad Wednesday.

Whitley, a three-time All-Patriot League selection at Holy Cross, entered the NFL this spring as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams.

Last month, the Chiefs signed Whitley off LA’s practice squad. He was on Kansas City’s active roster for three weeks, but did not play in any games. The Chiefs waived him last week and re-signed him to their practice squad.

—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @JenTolandTG.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Senior DL Jake Reichwein's intensity pays off for Holy Cross