When Mike Lincavage looks around at his defensive teammates on the football field, he probably feels a bit old.

On a defensive unit full of fresh faces, the senior free safety is one of the mainstays who leads the way. Not with his vocal cords, though.

“I am not a real vocal person,”Lincavage said. “Ilike to lead by example and have it rub off on my teammates.”

Lincavage has the numbers to back up his performance. He has racked up 40 tackles on the year along with an interception and one caused fumble.

And he also holds the answers to a lot of the younger players’ questions.

“I’m watching the young guys during practice, and they know I’m there if they need some help,”Lincavage said.

With a new attitude and new personnel, the defense has made strides this season. Although Lincavage does provide an experienced player out there, he places the credit on the head coach.

“[Head coach Dan] McCarney is a great leader, he is a very inspirational guy,”Lincavage said. “He has brought some excitement back to this program.”

Although he praises his coach now, when he initially got the news that McCarney was the new head coach, he didn’t really know how to react.

“I didn’t recognize his name,” Lincavage said.

He soon realized whom his new coach was, however.

“We played Wisconsin the year they went to the Rose Bowl,”Lincavage said. “When I found out he was from that program, I was excited.

“He took a program that was basically nothing and got them to the Rose Bowl,”he said. “I’m beginning to see the turnaround here.”

The free safety has already been on a roller coaster ride this season. The downs came before the ups.

“The Wyoming game was a heartbreaker, but it taught us a good lesson,”Lincavage said. “At the time, I wasn’t sure what happened to us.”

Redemption was achieved three weeks later during a stand against Missouri following a roughing the kicker penalty.

“That penalty was on me,”Lincavage said with a chuckle. “If we didn’t stop them, I might have had some people after me.”

But they responded and forced another punt, penalty-free this time. “That was a great feeling,”Lincavage said. “We responded to the challenge.”

Lincavage has no regrets about the course his career has taken. “I am definitely satisfied with my career,”he said. “Being able to play Division I ball is enough for me. And I appreciate all of the people that came out in support.”