It's 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.. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. I feel the 4-3 will help those guys to show their talents and more people will come out of Texas.. 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. Click here to buy a copy today or visit your local newsstand! When you get players who can make throws and can run, you have to be mindful, Orlando told reporters on Wednesday morning. As defensive coordinator at Houston in 2015 and 2016, he oversaw a defense that finished 20th and 13th in the nation in yards allowed. - Rudolphs Cowboys managed a season-low 13 points (All-American wide receiverJames Washingtonmanaged just 32 yards in the win). Locke. Orlando is a linebackers coach in a defense that asks the linebackers to be the primary playmakers on the team. In fact, Gary Johnson and Anthony Wheeler combined for 10.5 sacks, nearly a third of the teams total. Thinking about becoming a VIP subscriber to Owls247? Even for much of spring camp. 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). Thats what practice is about. One question I am asking to college football experts is this: Should Todd Orlando emphasize complexity of scheme or simplicity of scheme against Jayden Daniels and the Sun Devils on Saturday? But when the Trojans needed Jackson the most, they turned him loose and let him do what he does best at the end of the game: rush the passer. The defense made the final stand to seal the victory, but it also gave up some big plays and surrendered 258 rushing yards to the Sun Devils. Spread offenses search for the B gap because that is where the conflicted player usually is for a defense. In McVays offense, the use of quick motions, multiple formations, and what seems to be an Air Raid-ish passing game has given NFL defenses fits all year. A four-run fourth inning broke the game open for the Longhorns, but they gave it all back and dropped the series opener. While some players struggled to learn virtually, he said the extra time spent installing and discussing the defense led to an especially sharp first week. He also spent two years covering preps for the Orange County Register and Torrance Daily Breeze. When we sat down and started to talk it was just so similar, Orlando told 247Sports. Having a base, four-man pass-rush is less valuable for attacking any of those schemes, so Orlando determined that it was a worthy trade to give up a pass rusher up front in exchange for more coverage and blitz flexibility and disguise potential while also gaining a "free hitter" in the form of the robber. It took defenses a while to catch up, but Orlando is at the cutting edge with his defensive packages that can disrupt the process and even the playing field. If you dont, its going to be limited. The rotation should expand when Pili returns, but at the moment USCs defensive personnel is what it is. Georgia and Texas used the front and similar coverage schemes as a base, with both finding themselves in BCfToys.coms top 10 in Defensive Efficiency (adjusted for the strength of opponent offenses faced UGA was #5 and Texas #6). The Longhorns base out of a 3-4 that utilizes the Tite Front (404) and a stand-up hybrid DE to the weak side, or away from the passing strength (this is Mint in Saban-speak). Through spring and summer, the physical, hard-nosed brand of defense Todd Orlando promised to bring to USC remained strictly theoretical. The Longhorns created four total sacks (averaged 2.33 a game). Texas run defense didnt suffer in that time either. One thing to not overlook is the away side 4i who has leverage on the away side tackle. How do you get your players to play hard? Coach Orlando is a real guy, Johnson said. The Longhorns seemed to never really find a home base on defense. The pairing, if things break right, could bring Texas back to where it expects to be annually. I love TO hes one of the smartest defensive minds I ever played for.. Defensive Coordinator & Linebackers. It comes as no surprise that in a league that is at the forefront of the evolution of the Spread would feature unique defenses within the league to counter the offensive onslaught. 20 Southern California, however, has been different because of the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading Attacking the Tite Front. Their camp D was a 3-4, but once the season hit, the packages started to proliferate. Tackling has been an issue, (as has) lots of defensive miscommunication. The more you put in, the more you get out.. He finished with three tackles and one tackle for loss, which counts as a quiet night for the sophomore linebacker. The real issues went beneath the surface. Scrimmages will be over. I just feel like now that burden is on me, being the veteran.. But when asked what separates Orlando from other defensive coaches, Herman pointed out a single aspect of Orlandos repertoire: Its just his creativity, his adaptability.. By closing both B gaps, the offense has to either plug it up the A gap (which most Spread teams wont do) or run it outside. It rotated just one inside linebacker (Kanai Mauga) in, and that was only for a handful of plays. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. It is not going to be participation awards. Hybrid players allow an almost endless amount of ways to blitz and pressure an offense without losing coverage ability (youre dropping a speedy LB/DB instead of a rigid D-lineman). They handled the defending Mountain West champion San Jose State Spartans with ease. Through spring and summer, the physical, hard-nosed brand of defense Todd Orlando promised to bring to USC remained strictly theoretical. Texas would not allow more than 29 points the rest of the season in regulation. Youre going to be based on how hard you run to the football, how you get off blocks and how you tackle.. #FightOn pic.twitter.com/Jorj04g0b6, Orlando will take over a talented Trojans defense that progressively declined over Pendergasts four seasons. Before that, his inaugural Utah State defense ranked seventh in points allowed. College football was temporarily revolutionized when hurry-up spread teams began to perfect the art of sending signals from the sideline to the field, allowing coordinators to make audibles and adjustments on behalf of their 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. Orlando took a job as the linebackers coach and assistant head coach at Texas Tech soon after. So no matter the look, USCs run defense needs to get better. Examine Texas schedule last season, and youll see a murders row of quarterbacks:Sam Darnold(No. https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/2021/10/13/todd-orlandos-defense-has-been-getting-exposed-all-year-long/. Phone. Hermans old college buddy,Dave Aranda, recommended Orlando highly Orlando took over as DC at Utah State when Aranda, now at LSU, went to Wisconsin. Aside from one spring practice, the intricacies of his scheme were installed only over Zoom. You know, he was a linebacker previously, and hes really strong, so being able to move in this system is really a high priority, defensive line coach Vic Sooto said. That style of play didnt transfer to the NFL and the NFL didnt understand what type of player this guy was. After leaving FIU, Orlando went north to coach Utah State, where their defense ranked 7th and 12th in scoring defense during the 2013 and 2014 seasons, respectively. The diagram below illustrates the fronts usefulness versus a popular Spread play, the Power Read. It also gives him the ability to put players in situations to take advantage of deficiencies within an offensive scheme or weaker/slower players. The following offseason after Houstons Peach Bowl victory over FSU, Orlandos alma mater, Wisconsin, offered him its defensive coordinator role when Aranda left for LSU. After the second day of pads (last spring) we were like, Golly, we havent do this much hitting in a minute. Its just that mental toughness they instill in us. Orlando sorts film breakdown by position. Last. Imagine if this actually happens. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG) 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. This season has not gone according to plan for anybody, especially the defense, and major changes will be headed USCs way. But beyond those six players, USC has question marks. Then well get an idea of what the defense is truly capable of after losing contributors like DT Marlon Tuipulotu, CB Olaijah Griffin and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Talanoa Hufanga. Will Alabama transfer Ishmael Sopsher be healthy enough to do so? Thats where our emphasis is going to be this week.. Contact drills were reduced to virtual cues. Theres a little bit of schematics into it. in the 80s, most NFL defenses also carry a hybrid DE, regardless if basing out of a three or four-down defense. - Darnold completed 57.1 percent of his passes against Texas (third worst of the year) and threw a season-high two picks. If you practice soft, youre going to play soft, Orlando said. 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. Orlandos defensive turnaround in Austin stems back to that interview in Columbus. Since Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman dismissed defensive coordinator Todd Orlando two and a half months ago and even before, to some extent its become clear just how much defensive line recruits and players disliked the front used by Orlando in his 3-3-5 defense. Because nobody will throw the ball on you, theyll just run it. FAU's defense ranked 50th in the country in 2019.In 2021 FAU's defense had its up and downs, ranking 99th against the pass, 75th against the run, and 86th overall, but was in the top 50 in scoring defense. Orlando now resides in Los Angeles with the USC Trojans and it will be interesting to see how the PAC 12 chooses to attack the Orlando system. Were not going to know the answer to that question until Nov. 7, but Todd Orlando seems very confident this defense will have everything straightforward and understood., Sign up for the Trojans Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Herman just needed to know if the pair would mesh personally. Arizona State still had some success against this front with a 17-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against the look. Orlando said hes already adjusted his scheme, which relies on mixed fronts and aggressive blitzing, to fit USCs personnel. Behind them, USC has transfers like Xavion Alford and Chris Thompson, not to mention a slew of freshmen. Texas removed what would often be a disadvantaged linebacker in pass coverage and added a dime safety as a robber in the middle of the defense. USCs defense got two hits on Daniels and forced three incompletions on those three plays. (213) 740-4204. But players say Orlandos greatest strength is the ability to break down complicated concepts into digestible pieces. 2. The rover is the tip of the spear for the Orlando defensive scheme, and he uses that position as a solution to the main problem for the 3-4 defense in the modern era: How to create a multi-pronged pass rush from a nickel package. When Orlando walked out of the room he thought, This is my guy. I mean, there was no question in my mind, Orlando said. 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. Weve changed that.. The reason for this is the design of Orlando's defense, which favors speed over size at the middle linebacker position. The result was a defense that failed to take advantage of the pass-rushing talent of players like Graham, Ossai, and Roach because once the scheme that Orlando spent the offseason developing was no longer effective, its extremely difficult to make those changes once the season begins. However, Willie Taggart and his staff still need to find ready-to-play talent in the secondary as FAU loses four of their top five snap getters from 2021. Thats where adaptability comes into play. Follow Antonio on Twitter @AntonioCMorales. USC, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Missouri each rushed 34-plus times against Texas but averaged only 4.2 yards per carry. What is the current state of play for one of the elite QB prospects on the board? Defensive coach Todd Orlando of the Texas Longhorns reacts during play against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second . The Trojans didnt do it for every third-and-7 and longer, but in most of those obvious pass situations, Orlando employed a 1-4-6 look. It has been quick to the ball, aggressive in its pass rush situations, effective at creating interceptions and disruptive in clogging the line of scrimmage on run plays. It wont get any easier, either, with the trojans facing Notre Dame right after their bye and still have games against UCLA and Arizona State on the schedule. Or what type of player they would be getting because of the scheme we ran. When youre giving up that many rushing yards, thats not a good thing with us, Orlando said. One it has practiced against every day for months. Texas special assistant to the head coach Gary Patterson stepping down from role. In both cases, Orlando said, those defenses simply needed a kickstart., I think thats what [Ive done], the places Ive been coming into, is just to try to free these guys up, Orlando said. Orlando's 3-4/quarters defense had to be tweaked and altered to fit the 2017 Texas football roster and the demands of playing against Big 12 offenses, but in the process Orlando simply proved what makes him one of the top defensive coaches in the country: In particular, his effective teaching, aggressive philosophy and high capacity for adaptation. He brings a passion, energy, toughness and discipline to his coaching, Helton said, and those characteristics were evident in our discussions. But while Herman's motives started from a simple "What gave me fits as an offensive coach?" Todd Orlando has plenty of experience arriving at a new school and installing his defensive scheme for the first time. Since then, the USC defense has been getting torched time and time again, with their worst performance arguably against Oregon State as the Beavers ran for over 300 yards to upset them in Los Angeles. After Utah State, Orlando made his way to Houston for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, where the Cougars were top 30 in scoring defense and sacks both seasons he was there. He spent just two weeks as an assistant in Lubbock, before Helton and USC came calling. In Orlandos scheme, the Mike is the plugger and will go away from the Nose. Theres no backside meetings. Injuries limited the two best blitzers in the secondary safeties BJ Foster and DeMarvion Overshown while the inexperienced cornerbacks also struggled with injuries and the baptism by fire in the pass-heavy conference. The Longhorns used lightning package variation the remainder of the season, allowing only 21 points per game the rest of the way. None of that stuff. The guy could be a linebacker coach. FAU's defense . USC defense has different feel in camp after full offseason Due to the pandemic, USC was unable to implement new defensive coordinator Todd Orlando's scheme in person before the 2020 season, so players were learning on the fly as they prepared for the delayed season. Get your first month for $1. 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. As I wrote in early 2019 after Texas defeated Georgia, Orlando's defense uses hybrid players and different alignments to put pressure on offenses. I said I understood why we were running what we ran.. that headline is click bate..but Ill learn how to word things differently so my words cant be mixed up. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Want to keep up with all the latest FAU football and recruiting news? Theres a little learning curve for him just the speed of the game and all that, but then Stanley also being very new to the position has his own learning curve.. He's previously covered his alma mater SMU and the WNBA for the Dallas Morning News and high school sports for the Long Beach Press-Telegram. After all, he fired Orlando and brought in Ash as an agent of change. Heres the cool part about this, every night after practice we watch every rep of every play that we have. Its not likely to last forever. He has a system that allows his talented players to play freely, said Baylor head coachMatt Rhule. From this ultra-quick 3-2-6 package, the Longhorns then unleashed a small part of Orlando's third-down package with such tremendous force that they started calling it every play against Oklahoma State and then expanded it over the rest of the season into a new base defense. . Those four-man fronts are great at plugging gaps and helping a team defend the run, but they also mean one less defender on the second level to stop the pass and run to the football. The image above shows the Longhorns base look against the ever prevalent Y-Off 20 pers. Herman calls Orlando the best defensive coordinator in the country. Nearly every defensive coordinator will say theyre multiple in the various looks theyll give an offense. 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. Two things generally forced USC to shift out of its base defense. 20 Southern California, however, has been different because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Cowboys averaged more yards passing than any team in the country. Los Angeles. And now former defensive end Malcolm Roach, as he prepares for the NFL Combine, reflected on how much he would have liked to play in Ashs scheme and how much he thinks it will benefit the 2020 Longhorns. New USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, shown during his tenure at Texas, didnt let the COVID-19 shutdown stop him from familiarizing the Trojans to his defense. Thats not to say those seven months were for naught. Herman isnt shy about issuing compliments to his defensive lieutenant. In 2021 most defensive coaches will tell you their defensive schemes are "multiple,'' which is true to a degree. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. I let you guys down. Johnson said Orlando repeated these words for two days straight. 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. And that might just be the way it is moving forward. Its a combination that spurred a defensive transformation at Texas. 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. Every time USC football scrimmaged, there was one side of the ball that dominated much of the live periods: the defense. From Georgia in the SEC to the Longhorns and Cyclones in the Big 12, the new-age Double Eagle took flight as one of the top ways to contain high powered Spread offenses. Except Hermans questions were constantly put on pause so that he, still serving as Ohio States offensive coordinator, could run out of the room to take care of some crisis or another as the Buckeyes prepared for the 2014 College Football Playoff final against Oregon. A simplified picture combined with an athletic QB who could improvise if things got hairy made the spread offense absolutely deadly. 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.. But returning veterans on the roster like safety Isaiah Pola-Mao and defensive end Nick Figueroa have made a point of helping the young players come along and be ready to contribute in 2021. A good run defense has been a calling card of Orlandos units at his previous stops. We are excited to have Todd join our Trojan football program, USC coach Clay Helton said in a release. Coach Todd Orlando of the USC Trojans during USC football practice at the University of Southern California on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. Bastrop Cedar Creek defensive end Alfred Collins said new defensive coordinator Chris Ashs even front as a reason why he signed earlier this month. His $1.7 million annual salary is the highest in Texas history for an assistant, and only two assistants nationally earned more in 2017, according to USA Today. He did some things out there that were pretty special.. You get those guys in the program, they make us all look great. Imagine if this actually happens. In an interview posted on the schools Twitter account, Orlando promised that his USC defenses would be aggressive and attack people., I really believe that in todays game, creating negative yardage plays, attacking the quarterback, turnovers, all those things go into creating explosive plays on defense, Orlando said. We need everyone to execute at the utmost level to make things work. We all saw how that worked. After the Sun Devils started to have success on the ground midway through the second quarter, USC started employing a 4-3 front at times. But that moratorium on full-contact practice was lifted Wednesday, finally offering Orlando a long-awaited glimpse of what his USC defense is made of. With Gary Anderson and Dave Aranda's exit to Wisconsin in 2012, the door opened for then Offensive Coordinator Matt Wells to ascend to the Head Coaching position. But structurally, in our opinion, its still so sound.. The defense made the final stand to seal the victory, but it also gave up some big plays and surrendered 258 rushing yards to the Sun Devils. Practice your tail off and youre going to be playing on Saturdays. In order to acclimate, the Longhorns flipped a script that usually prioritized stopping the run first 95 percent of the time. Johnson and Wheeler added another 17 run stuffs combined as the linebacker position went from being a major deficit to a team strength. 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. Orlando served as Hermans DC for two years in Houston, coaching a pair of top 30 defenses. Enter your email address to follow this blog & make sure to follow on MatchQuarters.substackcom. Is USC defense ready to take a leap in Year 2 under Todd Orlando? Its going to be exciting.. Among current players, defensive end TaQuon Graham was something close to ecstatic about the potential for rushing the quarterback in Ashs defense following the Alamo Bowl win over Utah. Then Utah State's defensive coordinator, Orlando flew to Columbus, Ohio to interview with Herman for Houston's defensive coordinator job. We understood the reason why we were running what we were running, Roach said. groupings are being countered by many defenses basing out of a Nickel defense. Texas blows lead against Cal State Fullerton in 6-5 loss. Email. Herman starts most practices with a variation of the circle drill (essentially a one-on-one meeting in a small space that Herman calls out one by one) to ramp up the energy. This article appeared in Athlon Sports' 2018 Big 12 Regional Football Preview Editions. They were delayed for two months from when they would normally have a camp. - Mayfield completed a season-low 63 percent of his passes in the Red River Showdown. He also coaches the linebackers. Pili underwent surgery last week on some broken fingers, which forced him to miss the game. At Utah State, where he worked in 2013 and 2014, Orlandos defenses also finished in the nations top 20 in fewest points allowed. 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. Visit our online store to order your copy. Odds & lines subject to change. One of his favorite ways to do this is with his overload blitzes off the edges. Echols was the extra linebacker who came onto the field in those scenarios. During his time as defensive coordinator at Texas, his defense forced 65 turnovers and ranked in the top 10 nationally for . Even further, turn on a Cowboys or Seahawks game and you are likely to see multiple ways to run the Zone or Arc Read. Herman wanted a coordinator capable of calling a multiple defense, and Orlando fit that bill. Its a pretty substantial change in terms of what theyre doing on defense. The goal of Orlandos defense is twofold: 1. Thats important to know, because Orlando turned down an opportunity to be Pittsburghs DC in his hometown that offseason. Gone were the inside linebackers who were so effective as blitzers. For example, to counteract the speed of the Ravens Lamar Jackson, the San Diego Chargers went uber-small and put up to SEVEN DBs on the field at a time. Orlando was fired by head coach Tom Herman on Dec. 1 and Naivar the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the Longhorns who has worked with Herman across four different stops (Sam. Find out which 3 #USC players go to the Bears in an NBC Sports Chicago mock draft. That much was clear on Saturday, and its why losing a player like Tufele, who possesses all three traits, hurt so much. The coaches threw the entire . Theres no favoritism. 3 Kansas. What I think were all starting to learn defensively theres some four-down stuff thats really good but the number of people you can get off the ball based on how the offense is attacking can be advantageous to you.. Safeties coach Craig Naivar, whos been working with Orlando since 2015, described the defense with that exact word a few weeks ago. Todd Orlando was announced as USC's defensive coordinator Friday, ending a lengthy search for Clancy Pendergast 's replacement that had dragged into its fourth week. Orlando, despite his concessions against the pass, said the beauty of the lighting package is Texas numbers up front still cover up against the run. Todd Orlando looks to bring more physicality to USC's defense this year. In that game, the Longhorns consistently confused a seasoned and well-coached offensive line, garnering two sacks and seven tackles for loss (TFLs). At the three traditional LB spots, converted safety Raymond Scott has grabbed control of the outside backer spot while Kanai and Ralen Goforth return inside. It also means Orlandos weekly priority of taking away what he calls "game wreckers" is even more imperative. Simulated Pressures From a Positionless Defense (2019 Sugar Bowl), on Simulated Pressures From a Positionless Defense (2019 Sugar Bowl), View @matchquarterss profile on Instagram, Simulated Pressures From a Positionless Defense (2019 Sugar Bowl), article discussing how teams attack the Tite Front, Georgia and Texas used the front and similar coverage schemes as a base, BCfToys.coms top 10 in Defensive Efficiency, Using an EXIT stunt to combat a zone heavy offense.