todd orlando defense scheme todd orlando defense scheme

We understood the reason why we were running what we were running, Roach said. The timing between Daniels and his receivers was off all game. Then the injuries and attrition reduced depth at linebacker while inexperienced players tried to fill in, resulting in Orlando moving his best natural pass rusher, B-backer Joseph Ossai, to multiple positions around the field that kept him from attacking downhill. Arizona State realized that early, and its two main running backs, DeaMonte Trayanum and Rachaad White, rushed 24 times for 160 yards against USC. Until you go against live, at the end of the day youre not going to trick everybody in terms of your scheme, Orlando said. I love TO hes one of the smartest defensive minds I ever played for.. He was also inheriting a schedule that included Sam Darnold and USC, Jesse Ertz and Kansas State, Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma, Mason Rudolph and Oklahoma State, Kenny Hill and TCU, Will Grier and West Virginia and ultimately Drew Lock and Missouri -- essentially, some of the cream of the crop in terms of modern spread offense and spread quarterbacking. A little has to do with the pace of the game too. Defensive coach Todd Orlando of the Texas Longhorns reacts during play against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second . One need only look at Texas Oct. 21 matchup with Oklahoma State for an example. The 2015 and '16 Texas defenses had been defined by what could be called "youthful" linebacker play from former five-star recruit Malik Jefferson and former four-star Anthony Wheeler. Phone. Todd Orlando was announced as USCs defensive coordinator Friday, ending a lengthy search for Clancy Pendergasts replacement that had dragged into its fourth week. Stilleto Boy wins the Santa Anita Handicap for trainer Ed Moger Jr. Sierra Canyon girls basketball team is two wins away from perfect season, Practical Move gives trainer Tim Yakteen a win in the San Felipe Stakes, Sam Farmers crystal ball: NFL mock draft 2023 version 1.0, UCLAs freshmen living up to the hype, carry Bruins into Pac-12 title game. DeForest left last month to coach at North Carolina State. Against the more run-heavy approaches from USC, Oklahoma and Kansas State, Orlando utilized his traditional blend of nickel defense, moving quarters coverages and zone blitzes. One it has practiced against every day for months. https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/2021/10/13/todd-orlandos-defense-has-been-getting-exposed-all-year-long/. Its the reason one of the worst defenses in program history in 2016 transformed into one of the best with the same players in college football's most potent offensive conference. So its difficult to judge just how good the defense truly is at this point. Herman wanted a coordinator capable of calling a multiple defense, and Orlando fit that bill. Orlando has 15 years of experience as a collegiate defensive coordinator in total, with previous stops at Florida International and Connecticut. He served as the defensive coordinator at the University of Texas at Austin from 2017 to 2019 and the University of Southern California (USC) from 2020 to 2021. One of the areas in which Orlando has excelled as a teacher is in the art of disguising pressures and dictating to opponents with stop calls. Defenses in the Leauge were getting scored on at a historic rate. In turn, this could mean the end of the road for Orlando in Southern California regardless of who takes the job as head coach of the Trojans. Ryan Kartje is the USC beat writer at the Los Angeles Times. If the guard stays on the 4i (double team), both the Mike and Will are left free to flow with the play and what DC doesnt want is ILBs free-flowing to the ball? He trains the defense to quickly show one look before audibling to another with merely a glance to the sideline just before the snap. It rotated just one inside linebacker (Kanai Mauga) in, and that was only for a handful of plays. Or what type of player they would be getting because of the scheme we ran. He is the defensive coordinator at the University of South Florida . No. Their rotation would be a bit deeper, too. USC, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Missouri each rushed 34-plus times against Texas but averaged only 4.2 yards per carry. Put together, bad luck and some poor choices cost Orlando his job, in no small part because the defensive line wasnt positioned for success. Arizona State still had some success against this front with a 17-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against the look. What is the current state of play for one of the elite QB prospects on the board? Two things generally forced USC to shift out of its base defense. Odds & lines subject to change. A look at how Texas defenders fit in Todd Orlando's scheme The Longhorns have plenty of returning talent for the prospective defensive coordinator to utilize. Hes at his best when hes trying to get into the backfield, and thats what he was mainly asked to do on Saturday. I feel the 4-3 will help those guys to show their talents and more people will come out of Texas.. Feb 18, 2023 . Herman just needed to know if the pair would mesh personally. Visit our online store to order your copy. But instead of sending four rushers, USC sent six (Figueroa, the four linebackers and Hufanga) on the final three plays, which forced Daniels, who rushed for 111 yards, to beat the Trojans with his arm. This positionless style of play allows hybrid players, primarily at linebacker and defensive back, to play a larger role. Owl fans had seen this defensive scheme recently when defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer coached FAU in 2019 as part of the 11-3 Conference USA and Boca Bowl championship season. The football bona fides were clear. Orlando, 48, spent the last three seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas, where he was one of the highest paid assistants in college football. He did some things out there that were pretty special.. Orlando has also recently had stops at Texas (2017-2019), Houston(2015-2016), and Utah State (2013-2014). Lets start with the base defense. Practice your tail off and youre going to be playing on Saturdays. In fact, Gary Johnson and Anthony Wheeler combined for 10.5 sacks, nearly a third of the teams total. And as Saturday showed, thats a group with a long way to go. Figueroa served as the single down lineman and was joined on the line of scrimmage by Jackson, Echols and one USCs more traditional linebackers, either Ralen Goforth or Palaie Gaoteote. In fact, Todd Orlandos defense is towards the bottom of the conference in points allowed per game, per SportsPac12s latest. The Big 12 is not new to the concept of smaller faster players playing on the defensive side of the ball. In the concluding 2019 Pressure Tape review, MQ will breakdown three Longhorn pressures against the now-famous LSU offenses (one of the best in history). The use of small ball to counteract the space created by Spread offenses is understandable. The Aggies also ranked fourth in the country in sacks in 2014 with 50. 9 Texas pummels No. They also began to move Hager into different alignments that made the most of his ability to drop into coverage or work around the edge in conjunction with his ability and willingness to crash into tackles from an inside alignment. Its going to be real interesting to see how that unfolds in the Pac-12 with USC and everybody., Its a legitimate question in terms of how Orlando is going to play it early in the season, right? In the illustration above, the play side offensive tackle will either have to handle the 4i by himself or rely on the guard for a double team. Get your first month for $1. The real issues went beneath the surface. The 2019 National Championship saw a battle of Spread teams that featured two of the most efficient offenses in the country (and two of the best QBs as well). For instance, before the snap he might show a field overload to induce an audible from the offense only to drop those players back and bring the overload from the boundary: These styles of blitzes can really mess up an offense's protections, option reads, passing progressions or blocking schemes, but they have their own vulnerabilities, in particular the man coverage the defense tends to play behind them. Even former Big 12 Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury got a head coaching job with the Cardinals on nothing more than his offensive acumen. Eventual Florida defensive end signee Princely Umanmielen cited the three-man front as one of the reasons why he decommitted from Texas back in October. The reason for this is the design of Orlando's defense, which favors speed over size at the middle linebacker position. The Longhorns are taking away a weapon (the QB), while also preventing running backs from getting behind them for big gains. 20 Southern California, however, has been different because of the coronavirus pandemic. The defensive line lost more bodies in the offseason when Jacob Lichtenstein opted out of the season, and it was announced that Trevor Trouts season (and possibly his career) would be over with a back injury. The coaches threw the entire . One key element I talked about in my latest book, Hybrids: The Making of a Modern Defense, is the use of a more positionless defensive gameplan going forward into the future. Orlando turned down that job, too. One of the key subplots to USCs season opener against Arizona State is the performance of the Trojans defense, more specifically the secondary. Stilleto Boy wins the Santa Anita Handicap for trainer Ed Moger Jr. Sierra Canyon girls basketball team is two wins away from perfect season, Practical Move gives trainer Tim Yakteen a win in the San Felipe Stakes, Sam Farmers crystal ball: NFL mock draft 2023 version 1.0, UCLAs freshmen living up to the hype, carry Bruins into Pac-12 title game. 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Orlando said that shift occured because of practice habits and strong relationships between the defensive staff and its players. Herald-Times. But those arent the only areas that were to be evaluated starting Wednesday. Though Jackson is officially an outside linebacker now and is listed at 20 pounds lighter than he weighed a year ago (from 275 to 255), it doesnt seem like his role has changed a ton, at least from what he showed Saturday. If you take what he says at face value there, maybe they shouldnt be too worried about the additional wrinkles making things confusing or leading to miscommunications. But so far, its all been against an offense the USC defense knows very, very well. Without a Spring Camp to provide real first-hand understanding of Todd Orlando's defensive scheme as well as Vic So'oto's preferences as defensive line coach, these are best guesses. He finished with three tackles and one tackle for loss, which counts as a quiet night for the sophomore linebacker. Redshirt freshman Max Williams was the extra defensive back on the field in these packages. The Longhorns tried a few different alignments in the secondary, ultimately reverting back to their standard starting group while inserting tweener senior Jason Hall, a 6'2", 220-pounder with physicality and some coverage ability, into the dime role and then expanding that role beyond the robber alignment based off his particular skill set. https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/2020/11/06/todd-orlando-vs-arizona-state-a-central-pregame-question-for-usc/. Orlando first will bring up a picture to show the correct placement for a player. Ryan Kartje is the USC beat writer at the Los Angeles Times. The Cowboys averaged more yards passing than any team in the country. Herman brought Orlando along with him to Texas, where a brilliant Year 1 netted the Longhorns defensive coordinator a raise to $1.7 million per year through the 2021 season. Through spring and summer, the physical, hard-nosed brand of defense Todd Orlando promised to bring to USC remained strictly theoretical. in the 80s, most NFL defenses also carry a hybrid DE, regardless if basing out of a three or four-down defense. Since Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman dismissed defensive coordinator Todd Orlando two and a half months ago and even before, to some extent it's become clear just how much. At Texas, Orlando oversaw a defense that improved from 80th to 24th in points allowed. Orlando usually sent four rushers when he used this package early in the game, and Sun Devils quarterback Jayden Daniels took advantage of the pressure on the first drive by ripping off a 38-yard run. Todd Orlando, who has 16 years of experience as a collegiate defensive coordinator, was named USC's defensive coordinator in January of 2020. Weve got to be mindful of the stuff were doing or asking him to do. He wants his defenders to fly to the football. Up front, the Longhorns moved third-down specialist Breckyn Hager into one of the 4i-technique DE positions, where his scrappy playing style allowed him to battle bigger offensive linemen despite his smaller stature (6'2" 240). The Tite Front was all the rage during the 2017 season. If you dont, its going to be limited. Enter your email address to follow this blog & make sure to follow on MatchQuarters.substackcom. But the concern with this unit is depth. For most of training camp, Jackson was limited by a hamstring issue, which caused some worry for Orlando, who thought the lack of reps might impact the edge rushers tackling. "We are excited to have. In watching ITS throughout this fall camp and knowing that he has a sense of urgency to really capture that position as well as be elite at it has been really nice to see.. If that sounds like thinking, its because it is. Is USC defense ready to take a leap in Year 2 under Todd Orlando? Youre going to be based on how hard you run to the football, how you get off blocks and how you tackle.. Bastrop Cedar Creek defensive end Alfred Collins said new defensive coordinator Chris Ashs even front as a reason why he signed earlier this month. The Longhorns created four total sacks (averaged 2.33 a game). The beauty within Orlandos use of interchangeable players allows him to stay within packages, but get different pre-snap looks. Orlando has previously doubled as linebackers coach, a position that USC split last season between Johnny Nansen, who coached inside linebackers, and Joe DeForest, who coached outside linebackers. Fail big.. The arrangement wasnt ideal for anyone involved, least of all the new defensive coordinator tasked with toughening up a unit that, for seven months, was barred from standing next to each other, let alone colliding. With one of the pass-rushing outside linebackers replaced by a nickel DB, the defense is left with only a single edge rusher on the field (the B-backer in Orlando's defense). Email. Drake Jackson, who spent last season as more of a strict defensive. And then Jamars just played that his whole life. Playing defensive end Marqez Bimage in a similar role produced better results for Texas late in the season. That was the biggest thing that we got caught up in, not using our weapons to our full advantage. Orlando is now a handsomely paid football coach, in his third year as the Texas defensive coordinator having progressed up the career coaching ladder, from Penn to UConn to FIU to Utah State to. Take a look at those QBs 2017 season, youd see their matchup with Texas as a low-end outlier amid exceptional overall campaigns. Then, facing the ultra-explosive Oklahoma State offense, he made a big change to his defensive structure that probably revolutionized his own philosophy and perhaps changed prevailing best practices across the college game from here on out. The trickle-up effect is in full swing. Orlando has a long coaching career with multiple stops across the country. I think its a smart move. Los Angeles. Herman knew within 10 minutes of talking with Orlando hed found his defensive coordinator. The biggest breakthrough of the spread offense was in creating a clearer pre-snap picture for the offense and the QB in particular so that he had a narrower menu of options and threats to scan through after the snap. Cody Alexander. Orlandos scheme isnt complicated at least by memorization standards. Even the NFL saw many of its teams embrace a more open style of play. It was during his time at Utah that he learned to assemble the 3-4 pressure package that made him an attractive hire for Herman and then a successful coach at Houston. So no matter the look, USCs run defense needs to get better. On Arizona States final possession, Orlando went back to the 1-4-6 look for the entire drive. Sean McVay and his 11 personnel under center (UTC) offense has taken over the league en route to a Super Bowl appearance. He said on the first day of practice that it was clear these guys knew more than they would have coming into a fall camp in a normal year, which is quite a statement when you consider they didnt have a spring. He wants to stop the run and make a defense one-dimensional. As the season progresses, look for true freshman Raesjon Davis to sneak his way into the starting lineup. Some offense will come out and run the triple-option, which is really different and as a defense really strains us, Orlando said. Herman clearly agrees. Though it did prove to be the origin of one of college footballs best coordinator-head coach relationships. Orlando, 47, is considered a rising head coaching candidate, and his contract reflects that. Be sure to follow us on Twitter at: @Owls247, @MarinelliShane, and @TheKevinFielder. Last year, Orlando helped the Longhorns shed more than 10 points per game allowed on defense despite working with 10 of the 11 starters from2016's porous unit. Though Iowa State and their base Broken Stack that features a three-safety Dime Robber scheme has become the most popular scheme within the league, in truth, it is Todd Orlando at Texas that has made his mark around the country behind his use of a positionless defense and defending the wide-open schemes found in the league. He knows everything thats going to happen. Yet, because of the way the Longhorns fly to the ball, it doesnt much matter that the numbers are pushed back. Its a testament to what a normal offseason has done for second-year coordinator Todd Orlando and his ability to install the defense and instill the mentality he wants from his players. One of the key subplots to USC's season opener against Arizona State is the performance of the Trojans' defense, more specifically the secondary. Herman isnt shy about issuing compliments to his defensive lieutenant. - Darnold completed 57.1 percent of his passes against Texas (third worst of the year) and threw a season-high two picks. Continue reading Simulated Pressures From a Positionless Defense (2019 Sugar Bowl). Texas and Georgia, in particular, had great success all year running similar schemes from a base Tite Front. In Orlandos scheme, the Mike is the plugger and will go away from the Nose. The Trojans results against Arizona State were mixed. If you go out there and you dont know what youre doing after meeting with someone for seven months, that pretty much explains how much you care, Orlando said. Innovation comes from desperation, and in the offensive gauntlet that is the Big 12, it has created an evolutionary playground for defensive (and offensive) football. Written by Ian Boyd (@Ian_A_Boyd)for Athlon Sports. A good run defense has been a calling card of Orlandos units at his previous stops. (Roger Steinman / AP) Ryan Kartje (LA Times) -- Through spring and summer, the physical, hard-nosed brand of defense Todd Orlando promised to bring to USC remained strictly . It also gives him the ability to put players in situations to take advantage of deficiencies within an offensive scheme or weaker/slower players. Though Todd Orlando's (DC, USC) time at Texas came to a screeching halt after the 2019 regular season, one thing is clear, the man can create pressure. While the scheme is expected to adjust, the possibility of changes to USCs defensive staff is still up in the air. Hands-on coaching was limited to distanced learning. Defensive Coordinator & Linebackers. Pili underwent surgery last week on some broken fingers, which forced him to miss the game. When youre giving up that many rushing yards, thats not a good thing with us, Orlando said. Antonio Morales covers USC football for The Athletic. The "mac" or middle linebacker helps call the defense and serves as the "first responder" for the defense against the run, looking to plug gaps and spill blocks to the outside linebackers (or nickel and dime defenders as the case may be) and his partner the "rover" linebacker.