Assistant coaches Shane Eachus, left, and Marc Lordi have the Ursinus defense clicking again. Ursinus athletics photo

When Chris Rusiewicz left Ursinus to become head coach at Guilford in 2011, the Bears had a void to fill. The attacking defense that led Ursinus to a 13-4 mark in Centennial Conference play in 2009 and 2010 failed to have the same impact over the past three seasons. Looking to return to the aggressive nature of the 4-2-5 scheme, Bears coach Pete Gallagher brought two former players on board to restore the defense to its former glory.

Shane Eachus, class of 2012, and Marc Lordi, class of 2010, have the Bears' defense buzzing again. Both played for Rusiewicz when he was the defensive coordinator at Ursinus. Eachus, a safety, spent the past two seasons on Mickey Matthews’ staff at James Madison. Lordi spent the past three years as the Bears' defensive line coach. This year, he took over as defensive coordinator in addition to his defensive line duty. His former teammate is his assistant defensive coordinator and secondary coach.

“There’s always something special about being able to coach with your former players. It’s been a really neat experience for me,” said Gallagher. “These two guys are working hand in hand. They played in it. They believe in it. They know it works.”

It helps that Lordi and Eachus are two of the most intelligent players to come through Ursinus. They are not far removed from seeing how the system works from a player’s perspective.

“We understand what it takes and how fun it can be to buy into this system,” said Eachus, a 2011 first team Academic All-American.

Rusiewicz still keeps tabs on his former players, who have reached out to him throughout their young coaching careers. After spending 10 years in Collegeville, Guilford’s head coach always has a place in his heart for Ursinus. His coaching tree is growing on the Bears' defensive staff.

“They are both great young men, and I had the privilege to coach them,” said Rusiewicz. “I think it’s awesome that they’re back at Ursinus.”

The Bears are allowing just 15.7 points per game, and that includes a 38-10 loss to Juniata. In their six wins, they have given up only 12 points per contest. They have 20 takeaways and 21 sacks. Steve Ambs leads the defense with nine sacks and two fumble recoveries. Max DeNardo has three interceptions, while Timothy Rafter has four picks. The Bears have returned three of their 14 interceptions for touchdowns.

“We have had a lot of success from playing aggressive,” said Lordi. “The faces change, but the character of the defense stays the same. We talk about having fun and having the kids believe in what we’re doing.”

Having young coaches who know exactly what it takes to win in the Centennial only makes playing in this system more fun for the current sleuth of Bears.

“It’s really cool to have guys who played here recently,” said Ambs. “It’s easy to relate to them.”

The offense is taking care of the ball and taking advantage of its extra possessions. The Bears are fifth in the nation with a plus-15 turnover differential.

“What the system does is create problems for folks and puts us in position where we can take the football away,” said Gallagher.

Thanks to an athletic back seven, Ambs has been nearly unstoppable up front. His nine sacks are tied for second in the nation. The linebackers and defensive backs have been blanketing the back end, allowing Ambs to rack up coverage sacks.

Steve Ambs is coached by a couple of recent former Bears. Ursinus athletics photo by Tug Haines

“You can’t game plan for one guy [on our defense],” said Ambs. “We have 11 guys who could be all-conference players.”

Rusiewicz has his Quakers among the nation’s leaders with a plus-10 turnover margin. Guilford has forced 16 turnovers, led by JerMario Gooch’s five interceptions. Both programs are off to 6-1 starts and control their own destiny in their respective conference races. The opportunistic defensive scheme is undoubtedly a large reason why these teams are off to great starts.

“It’s all based on effort and passion,” said Rusiewicz. “It takes a good four years to get it to where you want it.”

Ursinus has not defeated Johns Hopkins since 2010, when the Bears earned a share of the conference title. Ursinus has not defeated Muhlenberg since 2009. Thanks to a backloaded schedule, the Bears face the Blue Jays and Mules in consecutive weeks, before closing out the season with Dickinson.

Eachus and Lordi were part of those victorious teams. They notice something different about this year’s squad, and not because they are now wearing coaching headsets.

“Coming back to Ursinus, I was most blown away at how close-knit the team is, especially the defensive unit,” said Eachus. “This group has shown its ability to be resilient in the face of adversity. I feel that gives us a shot to have things fall into place down the stretch.”

Even Gallagher, who is in his 14th season at the helm, notices something different about the 2014 team. After falling short of their goals the past three seasons, the staff began to focus less on results and more on the procedure. Rather than discuss winning, the Bears discuss things like commitment and teamwork. The connection between players and coaches is as strong as ever, thanks in no small part to having two recent graduates leading the defensive staff.

“The belief that these kids have in each other is something I’ve never been around before,” said Gallagher. “The unity and camaraderie among our players and on our staff is something special.”

Kicking it up a notch

Methodist kicker Cody Ausherman had a day to remember. He was a perfect 5-for-5 on field goals, with three of over 40 yards. He hit a 43-yarder to tie the game as time expired and force overtime. He nailed a 42-yarder in the first overtime period. His 39-yarder in the second overtime, after N.C. Wesleyan opted to go for it on fourth down on their possession rather than attempt a field goal, was the game-winner. His leg kept Methodist’s conference championship hopes alive, and delivered a big blow to the Battling Bishops, who now have two conference losses heading into a road trip at Maryville. Three Monarchs -- Max Reber, John Papillion, and Noah Shuler -- rushed for more than 100 yards each in the win.

Everybody wins

For the second straight season, every team in the Mid-Atlantic region has won at least one game. Ferrum was the last team to reach the win column in 2014, defeating rival Averett behind 242 total yards of offense and three touchdowns from quarterback Tim Reynolds.

Father knows best

McDaniel sophomore linebacker Matt Quattrone led the Green Terror with 11 tackles and a forced fumble. It was not enough in a 33-28 loss to Dickinson, whose defense is led by longtime coordinator Joel Quattrone, Matt’s father. Kevin Sherry led the Red Devils defense with 10 tackles and two sacks.

Conference clarity

N.C Wesleyan’s loss to Methodist created some separation among the cluster of USA South teams at the top. A surprising result brought even more clarity atop the league standings. LaGrange knocked off Huntingdon, 24-17. The comeback win on the road was sparked by a fumbled punt snap, which LaGrange returned for a touchdown to tie the game with five minutes to play. Graham Craig led the Panthers to the go-ahead score with 61 seconds to play. Luke Bailey marched the Hawks right back down the field, but was intercepted by freshman T.J. Bulock in the end zone on the game’s final play. Bulock added 14 tackles and a forced fumble to key the victory. Now, there are just three teams in first place in the USA South: Methodist, Maryville, and Christopher Newport.

Shenandoah looked like it was going to wreak havoc on the ODAC standings for the second straight year, forcing and recovering three Hampden-Sydney fumbles in the game’s first five minutes. The Hornets failed to capitalize and their 10-0 lead quickly evaporated. Nash Nance passed for 381 yards and three scores, 167 and two to Holton Walker, as the Tigers maintained their sole possession of first place in the ODAC.

Braden Anderson passed for 306 yards and four touchdowns as Johns Hopkins remained perfect and atop the Centennial standings.

We didn’t forget about you

Wesley continues to dominate against the non-Division III portion of its schedule. The fourth-ranked Wolverines scored in the 70s for the second straight week. Joe Callahan leads the nation with 31 touchdown passes.

Looking ahead

No. 9 Johns Hopkins (7-0) at Ursinus (6-1) is by far the highest-stakes game of the weekend.

LaGrange will try to throw another wrinkle in the USA South when it heads to Virginia to play Christopher Newport under the Saturday night lights. N.C. Wesleyan will have another crack at a defending co-champion when it travels to Maryville.

What did I miss?

Do you know about any upcoming milestones, big games or new names in the Mid-Atlantic? Please share them with me. If you have suggestions for next week's column, please reach out to me on Twitter at @adamturer or via email at adam.turer@d3sports.com.