The coaches threw the entire . 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). 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). Now they brought in a new staff, giving those guys the opportunity to rush the passer and show what they have.. There has been a critical error on this website. This season has not gone according to plan for anybody, especially the defense, and major changes will be headed USCs way. 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. Safeties Talanoa Hufanga and Isaiah Pola-Mao are expected to take on more active roles in directing the defense. Herman knew within 10 minutes of talking with Orlando hed found his defensive coordinator. 16.2ASU19.6Washington21.8Oregon23.0Utah23.2OSU23.8Colorado24.8WSU26.5UCLA27.0Stanford27.3USC27.6Cal31.6Arizona, SportsPac12 (@SportsPac12) October 10, 2021. Thats where adaptability comes into play. Todd Orlando Leaving Texas Tech After Less Than 2 Weeks 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. But so far, its all been against an offense the USC defense knows very, very well. It is not going to be participation awards. LOS ANGELES It was clear for most of fall camp. 3 overall pick),Baker Mayfield(No. Orlando is known run the 3-3-5 defense, which has grown in popularity in college football with the evolution of the spread offense. The defense has numbers and is plus-one on the pulling guard. Like Iowa State, Texas has a three-safety Dime package that they utilize against pass-heavy offenses (think Kingburys Tech) or in obvious pass downs where Orlando wants to drop eight and flood the zones. Herman said Orlando would be the first assistant in his foxhole. Texas junior defensive endMalcolm Roachsaid an Orlando film session is everything youd want it to be. That means a detail-oriented outlook focused to the point where Orlando will call out a player for a 12-inch step instead of a 6-inch one. Safeties coach Craig Naivar, whos been working with Orlando since 2015, described the defense with that exact word a few weeks ago. Todd Orlando, defensive coordinator, Houston. 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. The Longhorns created four total sacks (averaged 2.33 a game). Arizona, the Trojans opponent this weekend, had its first game canceled, so its difficult to predict what the offense will look like, but USC can probably expect a heavy dose of running back Gary Brightwell, who is stepping in to replace the departed J.J. Taylor. Herman wanted a coordinator capable of calling a multiple defense, and Orlando fit that bill. Those disguised blitzes cause an opposing quarterback to think, which is critical against tempo. 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. Former Texas DE Malcolm Roach criticizes Todd Orlandos scheme, Quick thoughts from No. USC's Todd Orlando encouraged by progress in defensive scheme - Los Find out which 3 #USC players go to the Bears in an NBC Sports Chicago mock draft. Hands-on coaching was limited to distanced learning. The Longhorns used lightning package variation the remainder of the season, allowing only 21 points per game the rest of the way. 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? Their rotation would be a bit deeper, too. Imagine if this actually happens. Be sure to follow us on Twitter at: @Owls247, @MarinelliShane, and @TheKevinFielder. The numbers back up that decision, as Texas tied for 66th nationally with 27 sacks in 2019, down five from 2018. 1 teach us about the units new direction? Though it did prove to be the origin of one of college footballs best coordinator-head coach relationships. His defensive coordinator would be Todd Orlando., hiring him from Florida International. We try to take the philosophy of trying to make people one-dimensional, run the football on you and control the clock, because, in my opinion, there are less mistakes made on you when you turn around and hand the ball off and they can get seven or eight yards.. Todd Orlando will finally see his USC defense in action 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. But those arent the only areas that were to be evaluated starting Wednesday. 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? Even former Big 12 Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury got a head coaching job with the Cardinals on nothing more than his offensive acumen. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. As expected, USC hired Todd Orlando as its defensive coordinator on Friday. So no matter the look, USCs run defense needs to get better. But Barry and USC opted not to continue their discussions, and Orlando became the leading candidate. FAU brings back a solid core talented defenders in their front seven and have also added numerous former blue-chip transfers to solidify their front seven. If the Trojans are going to take a step forward as a program this season, its going to need its defense to make some serious progress. Orlando lost both of his starting inside linebackers after the 2018 season and both were productive in his scheme. But the concern with this unit is depth. After the opening weekend for USC, things looked good for the Trojans. #FightOn pic.twitter.com/Jorj04g0b6, Orlando will take over a talented Trojans defense that progressively declined over Pendergasts four seasons. He is an experienced and successful defensive coordinator who has made an impact everywhere he has coached.. Texas goal is to play fast on defense, forcing opposing QB to play slow. Sign up for the Trojans Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. 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.. Echols was the extra linebacker who came onto the field in those scenarios. 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. USC's new defensive coordinator didn't waste time schooling Trojans on new scheme New USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando didn't let the COVID-19 shutdown stop him from familiarizing the Trojans to his defense. In fact, Todd Orlandos defense is towards the bottom of the conference in points allowed per game, per SportsPac12s latest. Overall, the rotation was much shorter than what was utilized last year. I would have loved to be in a 4-3, Roach told Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth-Star Telegram. 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. He dropped into coverage just twice against Arizona State, by The Athletics very unofficial count. 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. If the guard decides to climb for the Mike (illustrated), the 4i can easily get penetration and maybe even block or negate the pull (I have a clip of this later vs TCUs 11p single-back Power). 20 Southern California, however, has been different because of the coronavirus pandemic. Todd Orlando's USC defense: What we learned after 60 minutes Are they going to be too complicated in the first game and have to scale things back, or are they going to keep it simple and then gradually add layers of intricacy? Herman isnt shy about issuing compliments to his defensive lieutenant. Nearly every defensive coordinator will say theyre multiple in the various looks theyll give an offense. In fact, Gary Johnson and Anthony Wheeler combined for 10.5 sacks, nearly a third of the teams total. Get your first month for $1. How Todd Orlando's scheme will unleash the Texas LBs However, Orlando was stubborn in keeping his defensive ends playing heads up on opposing offensive tackles instead of giving them early-down opportunities from the five technique like James Lynch enjoyed at Baylor. But for now Orlando is sticking around in Austin to work with Herman. Its really, really crazy to see., Asked to summarize Orlandos system, Texas senior cornerbackKris Boydsaid succinctly: Just run to the ball and hit.. Drake Jackson, who spent last season as more of a strict defensive end, shed 25 pounds and shifted into a hybrid linebacker role. 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. FAU's defense . That style of play didnt transfer to the NFL and the NFL didnt understand what type of player this guy was. There were times when we said the same thing together at the same moment. Heres the cool part about this, every night after practice we watch every rep of every play that we have. The beauty within Orlandos use of interchangeable players allows him to stay within packages, but get different pre-snap looks. 2. Bringing the Heat - by Cody Alexander - MatchQuarters - Substack USC essentially ran a 4-2 front last season under former defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. It also means Orlandos weekly priority of taking away what he calls "game wreckers" is even more imperative. The timing between Daniels and his receivers was off all game. They handled the defending Mountain West champion San Jose State Spartans with ease. 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. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Want to keep up with all the latest FAU football and recruiting news? As defensive coordinator at Houston in 2015 and 2016, he oversaw a defense that finished 20th and 13th in the nation in yards allowed. This might be the most talented position group on the USC roster, but there are still some concerns. The initial conversations went well. Apr 5, 2021. But mostly, Halls role was to stay in the middle of the field to aggressively close on the many quick-hitting passes the Cowboys employed and discourage the posts that defined the offense. 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. The SEC used to be one of the sole holdouts with only a few teams, namely Ole Miss and Texas A&M, embracing the shift. (Top photo: Jose Marin / MarinMedia Pool for USC Athletics). Feb 18, 2023 . Texas OL spring preview: Here are your big humans, Despite recent struggles, bracketology projections still like the Longhorns, Longhorns Daily News: Former Texas HC Charlie Strong joins Alabama, Nick Saban as defensive analyst, Longhorns Daily News: Texas alum Bijan Robinson is toughest player Alabamas Will Andersons played against in college career. Thats important to know, because Orlando turned down an opportunity to be Pittsburghs DC in his hometown that offseason. 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). In 2019, that all fell apart. 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. Previously, he spent three years at the Clarion Ledger in Mississippi, where he covered Ole Miss for two seasons and Jackson State for another. Even for much of spring camp. I think its a smart move. Gone were the inside linebackers who were so effective as blitzers. It left a big void in our defensive line, experiencewise, Pili said. Thats important to me. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. If youre thinking in football, youre playing slow.. 9 Texas pummels No. He also spent two years covering preps for the Orange County Register and Torrance Daily Breeze. 'He's a guru': How Todd Orlando transformed the Texas defense - 247Sports Because nobody will throw the ball on you, theyll just run it. The Cyclones used the Dime look as their base defense for the entire season, leading to victories over high-powered offenses like Oklahoma (#1 in BCfToys Offensive Efficiency) and Memphis (#16). Orlando is widely considered a fast-rising coach in the industry, and players, like Roach, say Orlando should be a head coach someday. Texas and Georgia, in particular, had great success all year running similar schemes from a base Tite Front. The Trojans results against Arizona State were mixed. 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. And that might just be the way it is moving forward. Todd Orlando's defense has been getting exposed all year long Share this article 31 shares Matt Wadleigh October 13, 2021 4:15 am PT After the opening weekend for USC, things looked good for. As spread offenses became a prevalent force in the college game, Orlando knew he needed to adapt. He spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons under Mario Cristobal and FIU, where he won a share of the Sun Belt title and a bowl game victory. 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. 3 Kansas. Antonio Morales covers USC football for The Athletic. Orlando took a linebacker off the field, added a third safety and unveiled Texas lightning package.. But it can look that way. The two DEs (4is) in the B gaps close off the lifeline for every Spread team, the conflict gaps. His defensive system poses an extreme challenge to offenses., You cant practice soft and play hard.New DC Todd Orlando is looking to up the physicality on the USC practice field. Practice your tail off and youre going to be playing on Saturdays. But the play he makes at the end of the game, those are the two to three plays the really special players make. USC, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Missouri each rushed 34-plus times against Texas but averaged only 4.2 yards per carry. But we understood why we were running it. Its a combination that spurred a defensive transformation at Texas. That safety, last year played by the hard-hittingJason Hall, helped support the run defending on his read. But beyond those six players, USC has question marks. When Tom Herman hired Todd Orlando to be his defensive coordinator at the University of Houston, Herman was looking for a coach who could teach the kind of defense that always gave him fits. Roach believes that Orlandos odd front didnt let the defensive line showcase their abilities. On several occasions, the Trojans walked a safety up into the box, mainly Talanoa Hufanga, in order to have seven players near the line of scrimmage for run support. To me, thats recruiting. USC's new defensive coordinator didn't waste time schooling Trojans on Herman calls Orlando the best defensive coordinator in the country. Before arriving at Utah State in 2013, Orlando traditionally ran a four-down front. The Longhorns are taking away a weapon (the QB), while also preventing running backs from getting behind them for big gains. USC Mailbag: How much will new faces change the outlook for the Trojans 9 Texas hosts No. Bastrop Cedar Creek defensive end Alfred Collins said new defensive coordinator Chris Ashs even front as a reason why he signed earlier this month. That wasnt happening before Hermans arrival in Austin. Hes a guru, said Texas junior safetyBrandon Jones. Todd Orlando remembers feeling bad for Tom Herman. Los Angeles. The image above shows the Longhorns base look against the ever prevalent Y-Off 20 pers. The loss of Jay Tufele, who opted out to focus on the NFL draft, has already thrust senior defensive tackle Brandon Pili into the starting lineup. Through spring and summer, the physical, hard-nosed brand of defense Todd Orlando promised to bring to USC remained strictly theoretical. Its really hard to screw up a run play. Orlando, who last coached defense at Texas, called the virtual install time a blessing in disguise. Even if it might only take his new defense so far. You would think its hard to learn, but he made it so simple.. 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. In 2021 most defensive coaches will tell you their defensive schemes are "multiple,'' which is true to a degree. I just feel 3-4 didnt let us showcase our abilities the way we wanted to. Scrimmages will be over. One of those games came in a 13-10 victory over Texas. Lack of preparation, scheme and just overall performance is all tied in, but it hasnt been a good effort whatsoever. 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.. Hell then put on a video with several examples. Orlandos defensive turnaround in Austin stems back to that interview in Columbus. Arizona State still had some success against this front with a 17-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against the look. 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). I just feel like now that burden is on me, being the veteran.. Visit our online store to order your copyto get more in-depth analysis on the 2018 season. The inside LB corp consists of a Mike and what is referred to as a B backer. Most offensive schemes in the Big 12 didn't have many built-in answers for a versatile safety floating in the middle of the field and thwarting their route combos or coming unblocked against the run game. What is the current state of play for one of the elite QB prospects on the board? Continue reading Attacking the Tite Front. 'Different in a good way': USC DC Todd Orlando on installing a scheme Hes got that mindset. The 404 alignment does several things for the box: 1) the offensive line cant climb because of the 4is, and 2) it frees up at least one of the inside linebackers (if not both). Fail big.. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, defensive coordinator tasked with toughening up a unit, Hes taken the next step: How Boogie Ellis found his game as USCs point guard, Boogie Ellis scores career high as USCs late rally falls short against high-powered Arizona, Roundtable: Our March Madness projections for UCLA, USC and others, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, Californias snowpack is approaching an all-time record, with more on the way, USC has a lot of work to do to find right combination on offensive line, Trojans adjusting to logistics of training camp during a pandemic, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, Winter storms ease drought conditions in California, report shows, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, David Lindley, guitarist best known for work with Jackson Browne, dies at 78, Best coffee city in the world?