Pace University (1-7, 0-7 NE-10) is more than halfway through its regular season. It may not seem like it from their record, but there are a lot of bright spots that can help the football team for years to come.

One of these bright spots is Pace’s defense play.

Defensive back Jamir Gee has become the leader of the defense and is a playmaker on special teams. He’s second in the NE-10 with 511-yards in kick returns. He also has 139-yards in punt returns, two touchdowns, and 55 tackles. In all of 2014, Gee had 270 yards on kick returns.

“[Gee] is a warrior,” Head Coach Andrew Rondeau said. “He’s addicted to football. He plays physical and has really taken ownership of the defense and knowing what to do. He has taken a tremendous leap from last year.”

He sets the tone for the defense, and much like Gee, the defense has grown.

The Pace secondary is the strongest part of the defense and it shows in the statistics. They are first in the conference in interceptions (14), yards after INTs (294), and defensive TD’s (three). Cornerbacks Cody Richardson and Micah Hunter are tied for fifth in the conference in interceptions. Hunter is first in the conference for interceptions returned for touchdowns.

“[Richardson] came from a highly competitive conference, in the Southern Conference,” Rondeau said. “[Hunter] has grown this year. Moving him from safety to corner has really helped him in his development.”

The defensive line has also shared their moments of dominance with the emergence of defensive tackle Jah’Sheem Martin, the continued ability of defensive end Tyler Owens, and defensive end Gavin Maher. Owens had 16 total tackles in the homecoming game against LIU Post. Martin, only a sophomore, is third on the team in total tackles (43), and leads the team in tackles for a loss (seven) and sacks (three). Maher is also a huge part of the defensive line and is right behind Martin for fourth on the team in total tackles (40).

“Those guys on the inside really play well,” Rondeau said. “[Maher] has a tremendous buy in strength and conditioning. His leg strength ability which is something you have to have.”

Running back Michael Scotman leads the way for the Pace offense. The six-foot, 220 pound running back has had an impact in several games. On Oct. 2 vs. Bentley, he ran for 127-yards and two touchdowns.

Giving Scottman the ball has been a focus for the Pace offense and it shows.

“What we saw in [Scotman] in the spring is that he had great durability and showed tremendous work ethic,” Rondeau said. “He’s a dependable back who’s good for the hard yard.”

Scottman currently has 484-yards and three TDs on 118 attempts on the season.

Although there are some good things that work for Pace, there are also opportunities for growth within the team.

One area of potential growth is the run defense.

The Setters have not stopped teams consistently. Pace has allowed 219.8 rushing yards a game and is last in the conference in rush defense.

Matt Corrie is third in the conference in tackles right now though with 84. Linebacker Kadeem Langhorne is in his first year playing college football and has 37 tackles and one sack.

Rondeau explained how the linebacker core is a unit that is “by committee.” Meaning a group of players all have a role at the postion.

“There is room for growth,” Defensive Coordinator Damien Mincey said. “There have been missed opportunities. Missed tackles. We really need to work on tackling better and playing through our fundamentals.”

Another area for improvement is in passing offense.

Pace is last in the NE-10 in passing yards (660-yards). They average 82.5 passing yards a game with an average of 4.2 yards per attempt and 10.3 yards per completion

Quarterback Dan Anerella is 54-140 (38.6 completion percentage) with three touchdowns and four interceptions thrown. Anerella’s ability to operate is one of the issues affecting Pace’s offensive performance but Anerella is only a freshman and still has room to improve.

“When dealing with freshman quarterbacks we want to put them in a position to succeed,” Offensive Coordinator Chad Walker said. “Right now we have a run first mentality. Our receivers are competing and we kind of have a rotating door, meaning a host of guys are playing at different spots each week.”

Rondeau said there is no “magic formula” to developing a quarterback.

“We have a developing offense. So let’s run the ball with Tino [Miles], [Scottman], and [Delaney Wallace],” Rondeau said.

Rondeau isn’t about making the “sexy” plays, but doing it efficiently and little by little.

“There’s plenty of meat left on the bone,” Rondeau said. “The future looks bright. The team is still growing and playing a lot of underclassmen. Give it some time. The key to the Setters success is in the players out on the field now.”