How Do You Defend the Spread Offense?

[MD Buckeye]

If you go back and look at the Illinois game, Williams had the Buckeye safeties out of position all game long with his play fakes, and that's a major reason why Ohio State lost

You ain't kiddin'. I don't think there was a fake that they didn't bite on. It was frustrating because it seemed like Illinois ran the same play over and over again. If we make it to the NC game against WVU, I don't think we'll see the same results from the Illini game. Tressel will have the boys ready to play.

 

[daveeb]

If the media wants to see Ohio State power versus West Virginia speed, we should give it to them. Just hit Pat White every single time. He can't take [ame="http://youtube.com/watch?v=bfRmX3bCpTg"]these[/ame] all day long. I don't care how tough Pat White is.

Another idea is getting a defender in Steve Slaton/Noel Devine's face every single time. Make that option pitch impossible, and then deck White on his behind.

 

[buckeyebri]

One thing that I noticed is that we seem to be very susceptible right up the middle when we play spread offenses. Is this because the linebackers get pulled away or is this because of the way the defensive line is being blocked? Are the safeties supposed to fill in the middle?

 

[Buckeneye]

all I know is, when White holds onto that rock and starts to roll out for the option pitch - hit him!; hard and often...
once he takes off its totally legal and he'll damn well he'll think twice. they have speed, but i'm not worried about them
getting to the edges, i think our D line and backs can seal that up quite nicely. the big thing that concerns me is spreading
the field and having Slaton/Devine at half back and going right at us....

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

One thing that I noticed is that we seem to be very susceptible right up the middle when we play spread offenses. Is this because the linebackers get pulled away or is this because of the way the defensive line is being blocked? Are the safeties supposed to fill in the middle?

Like any team that plays against the spread option, we are susceptible to runs up the middle when we don't execute properly.

I'm not up on terminology, as I haven't even coached in 14 years (I'm not as old as that makes me sound); but there is a play in the spread option where the DT is left unblocked. Rather than block him, they option him. If the DT who is "optioned" hesitates at all, he allows the offense to take the initiative. If, instead of standing there trying to remember what to do, (which is what happens to a lot of DTs who have only had one week to prepare) he instantly charges hard at his assigned man (whether it is a position assignment or a left-right assignment) and hits him very, very hard regardless of whether he has the ball, the day will eventually go our way. This is what we did (not just the DTs, but everyone who was "optioned") against Washington. We were gashed here and there at first, but eventually we wore them down.

 

[bukIpower]

I have a feeling our defensive strategy is going to be this...

A) Not get beat deep
B) Play nickle defense
C) Assignment football

I know that this has gotten our defense a pretty good ways so far this year but against a WVU caliber team that scares the shit outta me. I mean why would we play not to get beat deep (per usual) when they don't really go down field that much? Most their big plays Via the pass come from screens/ quick passes, and I think playing back and off the WR's would play into their hands. A nickle defense can be done but IMO it has to be played a certain way. It can't be played like it usually is with a DB playing in the slot and away from the action. IMO the Nickle man has to be used as an extra linebacker almost and has to have his nose right in the box and right up there with the LB's (maybe Moeller/Gibson can really make some noise).
Also I understand Assignment football and that definately has to be done, but we cannot sit back and wait for them.

For one time, just ONE TIME, I would love to see our defense come out and really just attack the hell out of an offense. I mean I thought we blitzed a lot against michigan and look what happened (althoguh wether/injuries played a part). Against a team who likes to make a defense think and play slow I believe in making the tempo the way you want it. Why not turn there own game back onto WVU? Force them to make the decisions quicker and force them to play more dangerously, and then you'll put them out of their comfort zone. They have a comfort zone, and you have got to disrupt that. If you want to play fast (which you have to do against WVU) you should take your chances blitzing and stunting and containing. If we sit back and wait we're dead, but if we attack, blitz and force them to make mistakes we win.

 

[mendensa]

I think Tress, the defensive staff and the defense learned their lesson against the Illini. As much as WVU's offense scares me, I think with 6 weeks to prepare, they can right the ship. I agree that we put more pressure on them. With that, with their skill athletes, we are probably going to let up some big plays. You can't expect to come at them hard and not let up big plays. That's why you see some of these outrageous high scores around college football. When defenses are more aggressive you are more easily exposed when facing a good team and they can hit a big play when people are out of position. OSU has been very successful in the past playing reactive, disiplined, assignment football in their base nickel and 4-3 defenses b/c of their overall team speed. All you need to do is look at their overall defensive stats and lack of points allowed and that tells the whole story. If you are going to score, you are going to earn it. They let up big plays in the run game as well as the passing game against Illini and look at the result. But when you play a more explosive team (example: last year's NC game), if you sit back and react to what they are doing offensively it's too late. Especially with the spread offense. If there is any hesitation with the D-line on the read option, White and/or Slaton will be gone. It will be Illinois with a better QB, better RB, and O-line all over again. The only difference, Illini got it in chunks, WVU's athletes are good enough to take it the distance every time. I say we pound White and Slaton, play man-2-man on the outside and be the aggressor. They have been susceptible to getting dinged when teams have been physical with them in the last few years. We get an early lead and force them to be one-dimensional with the pass and I think the Bucks can win. If they have a lot of success on the ground and our safties need to keep cheatin' up, that's when the play action and big deep plays are going to kill us like they did in the Illini game. All I can say is go Sooners or all this analysis doesn't mean a thing.

 

[osugrad21]

One thing that I noticed is that we seem to be very susceptible right up the middle when we play spread offenses. Is this because the linebackers get pulled away or is this because of the way the defensive line is being blocked? Are the safeties supposed to fill in the middle?

I'm not positive if you are referring to a straight dive or a cutback...either way, that is usually attributed to the zone blocking. The DL has to literally run with the OL to maintain gap integrity...when one man lags or gets too far, that creates a seam for the cutback. Mike is responsible in the middle...he is always working inside-out. However, it gets tricky when it comes to finding who is at fault due to not knowing the D call and responsibilities based on that call. For instance, if your inside DL is pinching into A Gap, you won't have Mike also crashing into A...double gapping equals big plays. Its tough to tell the issue on a live watch...

Not sure if I answered your question

 

[buckeyebri]

Not sure if I answered your question

Thanks Grad, you did. I saw Kent State getting big yards up the middle when we were at that game and was concerned that it was going to bite us later on. I just don't know enough about the schemes to determine where we were having a problem. It seemed to me just like with Illinois it was the same play over and over that was beating us.

My dad was a high school FB coach and he always said keep running the play until they stop it and then run it again a play later...

 

[goodguy]

Are WV and Illinois really traditional spread offenses? I don't know, but it seems to me they could be called spread hybrids maybe at bests. Versus OSU, WV offense would worry more than a team that runs a true spread offense.

Collin Cowherd is idiot who has not done his homework.

 

[TJnTN]

I think it's going to be imperative that our D-line plays really well if we do end up playing WV . If our LB's are having to fight off blocks the entire game the speed of their skill players will be hard to contain. Obviously too, tackling is so important against teams that run offenses like WV. My opinion....we lost to Illinois because we lost in the trenches.....probably why we lost last years NC game as well. We gotta win up front.

 

[Dryden]

One thing that I noticed is that we seem to be very susceptible right up the middle when we play spread offenses. Is this because the linebackers get pulled away or is this because of the way the defensive line is being blocked? Are the safeties supposed to fill in the middle?

Don't you read the game threads? Our players and scheme are flawless. It's the refs' fault because they never call holding on our opponents.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

It's the refs' fault because they never call holding on our opponents.

Well, it's true! :tongue2:

 

[lvbuckeye]

If Grant is lined up at DE (whether or not in a 3-point) and we have two other LBs and 5 DBs, how is that not a nickel?
That is the part of the scheme I had trouble with on that last drive - because there was NO WAY they were going to throw.

If he wants to use Grant or Gibson at DE, then that's fine - as long as there are three more LBs out there as well.
My problem with the scheme is that we didn't sell out more to stop the run on that last series.

And regarding your last comment - I actually do want to hear what you think, very much. I've always respected your knowledge and opinions, but on this one I guess we don't agree.
There are quite a few folks on here that know their football, and I think it's fun to argue the points if we don't agree on something. I don't think there's a need for any of us to act as the official distributor of football right and wrong - and I don't think that happens at BP - but whenever some who see a flaw or an apparent flaw in a scheme or a player suggest something different might work, they have been getting labeled as "bandwagon fans" and the like here lately, and that's not good either.

I have talked to some other "real" coaches who agree that the scheme was flawed at the end of that game, and discussed why and how to fix it next time. Are any of them as accomplished as Jim heacock? Heck no. But that doesn't mean they can't pick up on something that maybe could be done better.

it wasn't the scheme that got us beat against Illinois. it was the fact that we only had 3 healthy D-linemen. i've stated this numerous times, but no one seems to take injuries into account.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

major key to beating a spread team: the team who scores more points will win the game...