My main intention with this series was to dive into the differences between varying types of 4-2-5, 3-3-5, and 3-2-6 defensive formations but I hit 1500 words in a hurry explaining how teams will still play true 4-3 and 3-4 structures against the spread so I decided to split this into multiple parts. Today we’ll … [Read more…]
I wrote about the move from the 4-3 to the 4-2-5 over at Football Study Hall. There will be lots of people who describe this as being a move to a “TCU-style of defense” but don’t be fooled by the 4-2-5 language. This is actually a move away from what TCU does and more towards … [Read more…]
They released them the other night I think. Me and the wife have been watching “Stranger Things” recently so we aren’t super up to date on the World Series or this playoff show. The whole goal of these weekly rankings is to amp up the anticipation and talk around the sport and maintain the entertainment … [Read more…]
Over at SB Nation I break down how Jeff Brohm has the Boilermakers on track to make noise sooner than later in the Big 10 west. Nebraska is folding like a cheap tent, which was predictable given their turmoil from a year ago and the graduation of Tommy Armstrong, Jr. Minnesota is responding well to … [Read more…]
I learned a few things watching Ohio State live against Indiana. It’d be worth rewatching the game to study their passing game more but I feel pretty confident with this initial assessment. Here are a few scattered thoughts I had about the Buckeyes in terms of how they match up to the Sooners. The Buckeyes … [Read more…]
The funny thing about Harbaugh’s Michigan program that has won 10 games twice and came within a few narrow disasters of playoff appearances is that they haven’t looked like his better Stanford or San Francisco teams. By that I mean that they haven’t run the ball all that well. They started to last year, but … [Read more…]
There’s a lot to this story that’s pretty fun and interesting beyond the “FCS champions/powerhouse upset P5 blueblood on their own field!” if that wasn’t enough to make this one of the more compelling games in history. I broke it all down with some help from then QB coach and current App State head coach … [Read more…]
Over at Football Study Hall. An interesting feature of the Gophers under Fleck, besides the fact that they’ll be running a smashmouth spread with huge OL and tight ends, is Robb Smith’s Under defense. You don’t see a ton of Under in the Big 12 and I’m curious to see how his defense works this … [Read more…]
My man Bill Connelly (@SBN_BillC) has made it to the upper tiers of the 2017 Big 10 in his annual preview of every single team in college football. If you don’t track this series every year I don’t really know what’s wrong with you because it’s a fantastic, ongoing stat-based historical of every team in … [Read more…]
Over at Inside Texas I broke down Texas’ new challenge in finding 4i-technique defensive ends that can anchor their new 3-4 defense under Todd Orlando. The 4i is a developmental position, you want guys with length and size to play the position since they have to grapple with offensive tackles but that style also requires … [Read more…]