October 31, 2014 Matt OBrien: How to fix South Carolins Defense. First, let me introduce myself to everyone. My name is Matt OBrien, and I was a walk-on Spur/safety at South Carolina during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. I am originally from Bergen Catholic high school in New Jersey and currently work at NBC Sports in Connecticut as a research analyst and talent consultant for the shows Football Night In America and Pro Football Talk. I work with Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Hines Ward, Takeo Spikes - whom I lost a T-shirt bet to on the Auburn game this past weekend - and a few others whom I am sure you know. You would be surprised to hear how highly they think of USCs program and specifically what Coach Spurrier has been able to accomplish during his tenure with the Gamecocks. Id like to share some of my thoughts with you about USCs defensive struggles this season, but first, Ill touch on last weekends game against Auburn. My biggest takeaway from this past weekends loss is that Coach Spurrier called an amazing game. When the HBC is on rhythm with his play calling, his teams are extremely difficult to beat, and that was proven again on Saturday. The Gamecocks almost came away with a big-time upset victory, but committed costly red zone turnovers that turned into points for the opponent. Those turnovers were from lack of poise and execution, not because of play calling. My second biggest takeaway was that the defense is truly bad. Auburn has one of the most difficult offenses to stop in the country, but allowing touchdowns on six of eight possessions is remarkably bad. USC had no answer for the run game, allowing 395 yards on the ground, including a 75-yard TD run by Ricardo Louis in which he was untouched. The passing defense also struggled, allowing Nick Marshall to go 12-of-14, with a mark of 9.9-yards per completion. That second stat is far too high for any defense, especially considering Auburn only threw the ball when it had to, meaning the defense knew it was coming and still couldnt stop it. Now, Id like to hit a few points about the defense in general: talent, scheme, possible solutions and thoughts on Lorenzo Ward. The struggles on defense start with the lack of talent. USC does not have the same type of athletes that have been out there in years past. We all know that, and thats a recruiting error. This topic has been discussed ad nauseam by fans, but its true. With the exception of Jadeveon Clowney, USC has not brought in a professional-level defensive since Devin Taylor in the 2008 class. Heck, in 2010, USC did not sign any! At linebacker and defensive back, the recruiting from 2010-2013 had a plethora of faulty evaluations of talent and lack of top-level signees. Those factors combined to lead to the current predicament. As for the scheme of the defense, USC still runs the same 4-2-5 that was installed by former defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson. Because USC runs the 4-2-5, it relies on pressure from the front four primarily. Coach Ward likes to dial up more blitzes than Coach Johnson did during his tenure. Unfortunately, without great defensive end play, there is no threat off the edge, which allows opposing offensive linemen to pick up the inside blitzes a lot easier. This makes the blitzes ineffective against passing teams and puts much more stress on the defensive backs. Surprisingly, the defense is even worse against the run. Can you believe the Gamecocks gave up 211 yards rushing with a 5.4 yards-per-carry average to the Furman Paladins? I know USC still won that game decisively, but when Furman running back Hank McCloud broke off a 60-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, I just had to shake my head. Furman is an FCS team, and isnt doing well even against its own level of competition. The front four has to maintain better gap control, the linebackers have to read better, the cornerbacks have to learn how to shed blocks from receivers and the safeties have got to start taking better angles. A viable solution for this years defense may be to solidify the defensive line with bigger guys that can maintain gap control. If they cant get pressure, at least they wont get pushed around. Id also identify the likely starters for next year and get them more experience. Id avoid subbing the guys so frequently as well. While its good to keep guys fresh, over-subbing doesnt allow players to get comfortable and develop. My suggestion for next year is to switch the base defense from the 4-2-5 to the 4-3. The 4-3 will best match the personnel next year and will allow USC to have the best players on the field at all times. My first move would be switching Bryson Allen-Williams from DE/OLB - or whatever he is now - to SAM linebacker. USC has enough linebacker depth to fill the Mike/Will spots. The best candidates there would be Skai Moore & Jonathan Walton. The defensive line should be much improved if the current defensive end commitments stick and successfully enroll. At defensive back, I believe USC will be fine for the future. The Gamecocks have young talent on the team that will continue to develop as well as some very talented 2015 commitments, most notably Mark Fields. Can Coach Ward install and properly teach that 4-3 defense? Will he even still be running the defense next year? I dont have the answers to those questions, but I think its safe to say that nobody is happy with his defense in 2014. In years past, we have seen Coach Ward put together pretty good defenses. The difference between past and present is the talent. The Xs and Os stayed the same, but the Jimmies and Joes are not of the same caliber. Having played for Coach Ward, I have no doubt in my mind that he is a good defensive coordinator when he has talent, but this year has shown that without it, USC has been unable to maintain the usual level of defensive prowess. Whether or not this was deemed as a rebuilding year by the coaches, the defense has been even worse than anticipated. Someone has to be held accountable for that. Whether Spurrier decides to move on from Coach Ward or forces him to change up the guys on his defensive staff, something has to change after this season in my opinion. There may - or may not - be recruiting consequences from any coaching change, but the important part is to fix whats broken now, so that USC does not continue to regress the next few seaso My second biggest takeaway was that the defense is truly bad. Auburn has one of the most difficult offenses to stop in the country, but allowing touchdowns on six of eight possessions is remarkably bad. USC had no answer for the run game, allowing 395 yards on the ground, including a 75-yard TD run by Ricardo Louis in which he was untouched. The passing defense also struggled, allowing Nick Marshall to go 12-of-14, with a mark of 9.9-yards per completion. That second stat is far too high for any defense, especially considering Auburn only threw the ball when it had to, meaning the defense knew it was coming and still couldnt stop it. Now, Id like to hit a few points about the defense in general: talent, scheme, possible solutions and thoughts on Lorenzo Ward. The struggles on defense start with the lack of talent. USC does not have the same type of athletes that have been out there in years past. We all know that, and thats a recruiting error. This topic has been discussed ad nauseam by fans, but its true. With the exception of Jadeveon Clowney, USC has not brought in a professional-level defensive since Devin Taylor in the 2008 class. Heck, in 2010, USC did not sign any! At linebacker and defensive back, the recruiting from 2010-2013 had a plethora of faulty evaluations of talent and lack of top-level signees. Those factors combined to lead to the current predicament. As for the scheme of the defense, USC still runs the same 4-2-5 that was installed by former defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson. Because USC runs the 4-2-5, it relies on pressure from the front four primarily. Coach Ward likes to dial up more blitzes than Coach Johnson did during his tenure. Unfortunately, without great defensive end play, there is no threat off the edge, which allows opposing offensive linemen to pick up the inside blitzes a lot easier. This makes the blitzes ineffective against passing teams and puts much more stress on the defensive backs. Surprisingly, the defense is even worse against the run. Can you believe the Gamecocks gave up 211 yards rushing with a 5.4 yards-per-carry average to the Furman Paladins? I know USC still won that game decisively, but when Furman running back Hank McCloud broke off a 60-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, I just had to shake my head. Furman is an FCS team, and isnt doing well even against its own level of competition. The front four has to maintain better gap control, the linebackers have to read better, the cornerbacks have to learn how to shed blocks from receivers and the safeties have got to start taking better angles. A viable solution for this years defense may be to solidify the defensive line with bigger guys that can maintain gap control. If they cant get pressure, at least they wont get pushed around. Id also identify the likely starters for next year and get them more experience. Id avoid subbing the guys so frequently as well. While its good to keep guys fresh, over-subbing doesnt allow players to get comfortable and develop. My suggestion for next year is to switch the base defense from the 4-2-5 to the 4-3. The 4-3 will best match the personnel next year and will allow USC to have the best players on the field at all times. My first move would be switching Bryson Allen-Williams from DE/OLB - or whatever he is now - to SAM linebacker. USC has enough linebacker depth to fill the Mike/Will spots. The best candidates there would be Skai Moore & Jonathan Walton. The defensive line should be much improved if the current defensive end commitments stick and successfully enroll. At defensive back, I believe USC will be fine for the future. The Gamecocks have young talent on the team that will continue to develop as well as some very talented 2015 commitments, most notably Mark Fields. Can Coach Ward install and properly teach that 4-3 defense? Will he even still be running the defense next year? I dont have the answers to those questions, but I think its safe to say that nobody is happy with his defense in 2014. In years past, we have seen Coach Ward put together pretty good defenses. The difference between past and present is the talent. The Xs and Os stayed the same, but the Jimmies and Joes are not of the same caliber. Having played for Coach Ward, I have no doubt in my mind that he is a good defensive coordinator when he has talent, but this year has shown that without it, USC has been unable to maintain the usual level of defensive prowess. Whether or not this was deemed as a rebuilding year by the coaches, the defense has been even worse than anticipated. Someone has to be held accountable for that. Whether Spurrier decides to move on from Coach Ward or forces him to change up the guys on his defensive staff, something has to change after this season in my opinion. There may - or may not - be recruiting consequences from any coaching change, but the important part is to fix whats broken now, so that USC does not continue to regress the next few seasoFirst, let me introduce myself to everyone. My name is Matt OBrien, and I was a walk-on Spur/safety at South Carolina during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. I am originally from Bergen Catholic high school in New Jersey and currently work at NBC Sports in Connecticut as a research analyst and talent consultant for the shows Football Night In America and Pro Football Talk. I work with Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Hines Ward, Takeo Spikes - whom I lost a T-shirt bet to on the Auburn game this past weekend - and a few others whom I am sure you know. You would be surprised to hear how highly they think of USCs program and specifically what Coach Spurrier has been able to accomplish during his tenure with the Gamecocks. Id like to share some of my thoughts with you about USCs defensive struggles this season, but first, Ill touch on last weekends game against Auburn. My biggest takeaway from this past weekends loss is that Coach Spurrier called an amazing game. When the HBC is on rhythm with his play calling, his teams are extremely difficult to beat, and that was proven again on Saturday. The Gamecocks almost came away with a big-time upset victory, but committed costly red zone turnovers that turned into points for the opponent. Those turnovers were from lack of poise and execution, not because of play calling.My second biggest takeaway was that the defense is truly bad. Auburn has one of the most difficult offenses to stop in the country, but allowing touchdowns on six of eight possessions is remarkably bad. USC had no answer for the run game, allowing 395 yards on the ground, including a 75-yard TD run by Ricardo Louis in which he was untouched. The passing defense also struggled, allowing Nick Marshall to go 12-of-14, with a mark of 9.9-yards per completion. That second stat is far too high for any defense, especially considering Auburn only threw the ball when it had to, meaning the defense knew it was coming and still couldnt stop it. Now, Id like to hit a few points about the defense in general: talent, scheme, possible solutions and thoughts on Lorenzo Ward. The struggles on defense start with the lack of talent. USC does not have the same type of athletes that have been out there in years past. We all know that, and thats a recruiting error. This topic has been discussed ad nauseam by fans, but its true. With the exception of Jadeveon Clowney, USC has not brought in a professional-level defensive since Devin Taylor in the 2008 class. Heck, in 2010, USC did not sign any! At linebacker and defensive back, the recruiting from 2010-2013 had a plethora of faulty evaluations of talent and lack of top-level signees. Those factors combined to lead to the current predicament. As for the scheme of the defense, USC still runs the same 4-2-5 that was installed by former defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson. Because USC runs the 4-2-5, it relies on pressure from the front four primarily. Coach Ward likes to dial up more blitzes than Coach Johnson did during his tenure. Unfortunately, without great defensive end play, there is no threat off the edge, which allows opposing offensive linemen to pick up the inside blitzes a lot easier. This makes the blitzes ineffective against passing teams and puts much more stress on the defensive backs. Surprisingly, the defense is even worse against the run. Can you believe the Gamecocks gave up 211 yards rushing with a 5.4 yards-per-carry average to the Furman Paladins? I know USC still won that game decisively, but when Furman running back Hank McCloud broke off a 60-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, I just had to shake my head. Furman is an FCS team, and isnt doing well even against its own level of competition. The front four has to maintain better gap control, the linebackers have to read better, the cornerbacks have to learn how to shed blocks from receivers and the safeties have got to start taking better angles. A viable solution for this years defense may be to solidify the defensive line with bigger guys that can maintain gap control. If they cant get pressure, at least they wont get pushed around. Id also identify the likely starters for next year and get them more experience. Id avoid subbing the guys so frequently as well. While its good to keep guys fresh, over-subbing doesnt allow players to get comfortable and develop. My suggestion for next year is to switch the base defense from the 4-2-5 to the 4-3. The 4-3 will best match the personnel next year and will allow USC to have the best players on the field at all times. My first move would be switching Bryson Allen-Williams from DE/OLB - or whatever he is now - to SAM linebacker. USC has enough linebacker depth to fill the Mike/Will spots. The best candidates there would be Skai Moore & Jonathan Walton. The defensive line should be much improved if the current defensive end commitments stick and successfully enroll. At defensive back, I believe USC will be fine for the future. The Gamecocks have young talent on the team that will continue to develop as well as some very talented 2015 commitments, most notably Mark Fields. Can Coach Ward install and properly teach that 4-3 defense? Will he even still be running the defense next year? I dont have the answers to those questions, but I think its safe to say that nobody is happy with his defense in 2014. In years past, we have seen Coach Ward put together pretty good defenses. The difference between past and present is the talent. The Xs and Os stayed the same, but the Jimmies and Joes are not of the same caliber. Having played for Coach Ward, I have no doubt in my mind that he is a good defensive coordinator when he has talent, but this year has shown that without it, USC has been unable to maintain the usual level of defensive prowess. Whether or not this was deemed as a rebuilding year by the coaches, the defense has been even worse than anticipated. Someone has to be held accountable for that. Whether Spurrier decides to move on from Coach Ward or forces him to change up the guys on his defensive staff, something has to change after this season in my opinion. There may - or may not - be recruiting consequences from any coaching change, but the important part is to fix whats broken now, so that USC does not continue to regress the next few seasons.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 22:04:36 +0000
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