Ben Cutter found out a lot about himself and his game as a true freshman.
The North Carolina native was thrust into a large role than perhaps he might have initially expected due to the depth of the position.
Cutter played in 11 games and saw a total of 464 snaps but understands that even despite that experience he has a lot of learning still to do.
“I’m glad it happened though because I got a step forward on what I need to fix. I made a lot of mistakes but also did some good things. The mistakes are what I’m trying to focus on,” he said.
One of the biggest areas of focus for Cutter has been improving in the pass game. The 6-foot-0, 225-pounds, wasn’t asked to do much in pass coverage at the high school level with it basically restricted to dropping to the hash when the offensive lineman pass blocked.
At this level, linebackers are asked to understand route concepts and what’s happening on a play. And the faster that you can recognize what is unfolding, the faster it will allow you to play on the field.
It’s something that Cutter had to learn first hand in his first experience at the college level against Duquesne when he was playing the boundary and had to take wide receiver Tedy Afful in man coverage and carry him to the end zone. But at the start of the play, Cutter made a step toward the line of scrimmage and the Dukes’ wide receiver was able to get step on him and haul in a touchdown.
It’s not that Cutter played him all that bad, but it’s a wake-up call for how fast things happen at this level and the smallest mistake can lead to points for the opposition.
“Knowing route combinations, knowing where I need to be to affect the quarterback and bait them up. Just playing fast and playing comfortable,” he said.
Some of that is simply putting more effort into his film study in order to prepare and understand exactly what the opposing offense is trying to do on every play. That allows him to play faster.
Cutter has made leaps with his strength as well as a better understanding of how to use his hands. He also learned that taking care of your body in the weight room is something that is a necessity at this level in order to play at your best.
Cutter also has been working on his angles to the ball and avoiding some of the situations that occurred last season with his hips turned out and trying to tackle a running back with his hips squared to him. Mistakes are going to happen but it’s about growing from them.
“When you make the mistakes more than once you realize it and need to fix it,” Cutter said.
And that’s a good thing because the competition and depth in the linebacker room is as good as it’s been in recent years with a group that is hungry and fighting for reps. Cutter is hoping to make a sizeable leap forward and has been preparing as if he is going to be a starter, so he is ready for whatever role.
Cutter was a lower-rated three-star prospect coming out of high school and uses that to help propel his preparation in the off-season. He might not be the most talented option at all times, but he’ll make up for it in other areas that he can control.
“I wasn’t going to be outworked,” he said.
