On the first day of spring practice, NIU football coach Joe Novak anticipated a problem for the 2004 season. P “We were concerned about the quality we had at defensive end,” Novak said. “And we thought we had unusual depth at linebacker.” P The defensive line had lost Vinson Reynolds and Jason Frank to graduation and had Martin Wilson and a questionably healthy Travis Moore as the only returning seniors.

Novak approached Kursten Strothman, now a senior, on the last day of spring with a proposition.

“Coach Novak said to me, ‘We need some help on the defensive line,’” said Strothman, who was a backup at strong-side linebacker in 2003. “We lost some guys and we needed some help up there.”

It didn’t take Strothman – who at 240 pounds was one of the bigger linebackers – long to respond.

“He looked at me and said, ‘I’ll do anything you want me to do,’” Novak said. “When I said it was best for the team, he did it without question.”

Along with his size and three years of experience, Novak saw a quickness in Strothman that meshed well with the rest of the young line.

“Any time you take a linebacker and make him a defensive end, you’re taking a guy who maybe isn’t the biggest, but he’s fast,” Novak said. “He might have been an average-speed linebacker, but he’s a fast end. A guy like that is difficult for a big offensive tackle to block.”

Defensive end coach Mike Sabock said Strothman’s style fits right into his defensive-line philosophy.

“Our motto is ‘play fast,’” Sabock said. “We expect our guys to out-quick people. We’re not the biggest, but we’re faster and quicker.”

Strothman took a few games to get adjusted, Novak said, but has now molded into the position. Defensive end Ken West said he doesn’t even think of Strothman as a linebacker anymore.

“Kursten needed a few games to get into the rhythm, but he’s a guy who’s been around the football,” Novak said. “He’s got good football instincts.”

Strothman described himself as a lead-by-example type of guy, but as a senior, he still speaks up on occasion.

“He’s not as outspoken as Travis,” West laughed. “But the younger people still look up to him when he has something to say.”

On the field, the nimble Strothman has three sacks and three forced fumbles this season on a line that has totaled 24 sacks this season.

“Speed is a good thing,” West said, who rooms with Strothman on road trips. “Most of the lines we play can’t handle us. With our rotation, we always have somebody fresh.”