12:23 p.m.: Over and over UNO football coach Pat Behrns tells you that one of the keys to the Maverick defense this year is Kevin Ehlers.

That's Kevin Ehlers, backup defensive tackle.

"It's nice to hear, but at the same time I know it anyway," said Ehlers, a senior from Omaha Creighton Prep. "You can tell the way the coaches are treating you that you are being counted upon. At the end of the day, that's nice."

Ehlers has demonstrated his value the past two seasons, serving as a swing man on the defensive line with the ability to play both inside spots – tackle and nose guard – as well as defensive end.

But the 6-foot-1, 263-pounder added about 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason to concentrate on playing only the inside spots. He's listed as the backup to Justin Sindelar at tackle and will also spell nose guard Kent Fleming. He said he feels equally comfortable at both positions.

The Mavs, who open the season Saturday night at 6 against the University of Nebraska at Kearney, have a big hole to plug in the middle of the defensive line: All-MIAA nose guard Zac Keller completed his eligibility last fall.

That's where the inside rotation becomes important.

"You lose a Zac Keller, sure, but I think Justin Sindelar has a chance to be as good as Zac Keller," Behrns said. "So now we've got to get one of those two (Ehlers and Fleming), or both, to be as good as Sindelar (was last season)."

UNO had the second best rush defense in the MIAA last year, allowing 126.6 yards per game. And in the MIAA, just as important is getting a push up front to put pressure on the league's top quarterbacks like Northwest Missouri State's Blake Bolles, Missouri Western's Drew Newhart, Central Missouri's Eric Czerniewski, Washburn's Dane Simoneau and Fort Hays State's Mike Garrison.

The Mavs had 25 sacks last year in 12 games and ranked second in pass efficiency defense.

"We've all been here for a while," Ehlers said. "We know each other well, we get along well, we read each other well. And everyone who knows defense – or football in general – knows that it all starts up front. The three of us can be a very big component to our success."

Even without Keller, Ehlers said UNO isn't planning on any sort of dropoff.

"Zac was a very good player, no doubt," he said. "But we all know we need to take a step forward. And talking about the accolades of past players, I just don't think there's a lot of room for it. We have to move forward as a group. That was last year and this is this year."

Ehlers had 16 tackles in his first extensive playing time in 2008, then had 24 tackles – including two sacks – last season, when he started three times.

Asked if his versatility has prevented him from earning a full-time starting job at one spot, Ehlers turned it around.

"I think it helped more than anything," he said. "Playing end and tackle got me on the field more than playing one single position."

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