Last year, a young Cooper defense showed flashes of brilliance, but bouts of inconsistency led to wild fluctuations in performance from week to week and, ultimately, a 6-6 campaign.

With most of the talent back from that unit this year, the Cougar defense is starting to find some of the consistency it lacked in 2018. And the results have been quite impressive thus far.

The Coogs have yet to allow more than two offensive touchdowns in a game during their 3-0 start, while forcing eight total turnovers (three fumbles, five interceptions) and limiting opponents to 4.8 yards per play.

But talking to some of the players most responsible for that unit’s growth, you might not realize the Cooper defense has been as successful as it has. For those guys, it’s not about what the Coogs have done to this point, but what they need to do to get better in the future.