3-3-5???

[MeanGreenTexan]

11 hours ago, aprice said:

This is why I think it'll work fine for conference play.  It's not suited to deal with a larger team with a strong run game.  That said, the game plan for cal was pretty bad.  I just hope they actually learned something and are capable of adjusting

I have really bad news for you.

This is not 2001-04 when we play a ranked Big12/SEC team in our 1st game, then get to kick the crud out of the SBC.

That Cal team was maybe a middle-of-the-pack AAC team.

[97and03]

6 hours ago, MGNation92 said:

I really don't get Mazin Richards at DE in the 3-3-5.

He's 6'1 240 - Good size for an OLB or DE in a 4 man front, horrible size for a DE in a 3 man front. All three guys need to be 300+ to hold up the O-lineman THEN you have guys like Richards filling the gaps and making plays. Makes zero sense to me.

 

Exactly!  He said he was more comfortable at DE but we need him at LB for his size and play bigger guys in that DE spot on the line.

[jtm0097]

I just went back and watched some of the highlights. There were several times that we had guys in position to make plays, and they simply missed a tackle. By the players missing the tackle, the ball carrier would then get to the next level. The really big plays were the results of our guys trying to arm tackle or make big hits and just bounce off the ball carrier.

The defense needs to do a better job tackling this week. I want to see improvement from the defense over these next 3 weeks. If we don't, it is going to be a long season.

[southsideguy]

do you think kosh is available -it was that bad Saturday

[NorthTexasWeLove]

8 hours ago, 97and03 said:

Exactly!  He said he was more comfortable at DE but we need him at LB for his size and play bigger guys in that DE spot on the line.

I have to think or really, really hope that Caponi gave him a look at LB and it may have been too much space for him. 

[El Paso Eagle]

The tackling was so poor that I am not sure what Defense scheme might have worked.
Hopefully, they are pounding home the fundamentals this week and not worrying about trying to strip the ball or make a highlight hit. Wrap them up and get them down. 

[GMG_Dallas]

18 hours ago, El Paso Eagle said:

The tackling was so poor that I am not sure what Defense scheme might have worked.
Hopefully, they are pounding home the fundamentals this week and not worrying about trying to strip the ball or make a highlight hit. Wrap them up and get them down. 

This. I'm re-watching the game and it's insane how many blown tackles we had, even early on. I'm still in the first quarter of the replay and Ott's 41 yard and 38 yard runs in the first 3 drives don't happen if our guys don't whiff. The 41 would have been a tackle for loss and the 38 maybe a 6 yard gain. Clean up the tackling and the scheme may work. Our guys were in the right positions to make plays, just didn't execute.

[C Rod]

19 minutes ago, GMG_Dallas said:

This. I'm re-watching the game and it's insane how many blown tackles we had, even early on. I'm still in the first quarter of the replay and Ott's 41 yard and 38 yard runs in the first 3 drives don't happen if our guys don't whiff. The 41 would have been a tackle for loss and the 38 maybe a 6 yard gain. Clean up the tackling and the scheme may work. Our guys were in the right positions to make plays, just didn't execute.

First, I applaud you for being able to rewatch the game. My stomach couldn’t handle that. 
Second, what bothers me about this issue is tackling is a fundamental aspect of football. It’s the foundation, the bedrock, ground zero of what it means to play defense. How does this get overlooked after an entire offseason of practice?! Get low, wrap up, and tackle the player with the ball. That’s how this works fellas!

[untjim1995]

I remember that one of the Air Raid complaints is that practices aren’t done with a lot of physicality. That the defense isn’t really getting to hit or tackle as hard to protect the offensive guys. This was a known issue under Todd Dodge. 
 

Hope that is not the case here at all.

Edited September 5, 2023 by untjim1995

[keith]

4 minutes ago, C Rod said:

First, I applaud you for being able to rewatch the game. My stomach couldn’t handle that. 
Second, what bothers me about this issue is tackling is a fundamental aspect of football. It’s the foundation, the bedrock, ground zero of what it means to play defense. How does this get overlooked after an entire offseason of practice?! Get low, wrap up, and tackle the player with the ball. That’s how this works fellas!

They need to go to the archives and watch how Kenny Buyers made tackles (before he was moved to the offensive side of the ball). Our players bouncing off is because they are going in too high and is another symptom of being smaller/lighter than the other guy.  They can still be effective if they focus on technique and Buyers is a great example of it.    

[El Paso Eagle]

21 minutes ago, C Rod said:

How does this get overlooked after an entire offseason of practice?!

It makes you wonder how much actual live tackling occurs during the practices. I realized that there are more and more restrictions on what you can do in practice, but there seems to be nothing that can simulate tackling, like doing the real thing in a live situation.

[El Paso Eagle]

24 minutes ago, C Rod said:

Second, what bothers me about this issue is tackling is a fundamental aspect of football. It’s the foundation, the bedrock, ground zero of what it means to play defense........  Get low, wrap up, and tackle the player with the ball. That’s how this works fellas!

Sadly, and I am not saying this was our issue, many players seem more concerned about making the highlight hit or forcing a turnover rather than using fundamental techniques and tackling the man with the ball. 

[DentonLurker]

23 minutes ago, El Paso Eagle said:

many players seem more concerned about making the highlight hit or forcing a turnover rather than using fundamental techniques and tackling the man with the ball. 

I got this same vibe on quite a few plays Saturday. I think that gets fixed this week.

[GMG_Dallas]

51 minutes ago, keith said:

They need to go to the archives and watch how Kenny Buyers made tackles (before he was moved to the offensive side of the ball). Our players bouncing off is because they are going in too high and is another symptom of being smaller/lighter than the other guy.  They can still be effective if they focus on technique and Buyers is a great example of it.    

One of the best open field tacklers I've ever seen. Seemed like he got a foot every single time and just didn't let go. Where we lack in size can be made up with proper technique.

1 hour ago, C Rod said:

First, I applaud you for being able to rewatch the game. My stomach couldn’t handle that. 
Second, what bothers me about this issue is tackling is a fundamental aspect of football. It’s the foundation, the bedrock, ground zero of what it means to play defense. How does this get overlooked after an entire offseason of practice?! Get low, wrap up, and tackle the player with the ball. That’s how this works fellas!

I agree. It's frustrating, especially going up against a bigger opponent. It's like knowing the answers to the test and still bubbling in the wrong answer. 

[UNTcrazy727]

On 9/4/2023 at 5:10 AM, MeanGreenTexan said:

I have really bad news for you.

This is not 2001-04 when we play a ranked Big12/SEC team in our 1st game, then get to kick the crud out of the SBC.

That Cal team was maybe a middle-of-the-pack AAC team.

Disagree that Cal is an average AAC team. I think they'll end up being better than everyone except Tulane and SMU. 

Still no excuse for the embarrassing performance we displayed. 

[MeanGreenTexan]

28 minutes ago, UNTcrazy727 said:

Disagree that Cal is an average AAC team. I think they'll end up being better than everyone except Tulane and SMU. 

Still no excuse for the embarrassing performance we displayed. 

I feel pretty confident that, in addition to those two, UTSA, Memphis, & ECU would beat them.

[NorthTexasWeLove]

5 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I feel pretty confident that, in addition to those two, UTSA, Memphis, & ECU would beat them.

Utsa would certainly go toe to toe in the trenches with them and I'm not sure they'd have an answer. Memphis has better OL/DL than we do and better athletes than Cal. 

I think they'd both highly compete with Cal, whether they beat them or not, I have no idea. Very possibly. 

I can't speak on ECU. 

[UNTLifer]

I prefer a 4 man front, but Iowa State's defense, the one our defense is modelled after, ranked #1 in the Big XII last year.  The system is a modification of the 3-3-5 stack called a 3-3-3 or a 3-3-5 broken stack.

Edited September 5, 2023 by UNTLifer

[El Paso Eagle]

11 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

I prefer a 4 man front, but Iowa State's defense, the one our defense is modelled after, ranked #1 in the Big XII last year.

I think it can work if you have the right players. Iowa State has also got it done without a lot of higher-rated recruits. Hopefully, we have a recruiting plan to get the transfer players that fit this system.

[UNTLifer]

3 hours ago, El Paso Eagle said:

Iowa State has also got it done without a lot of higher-rated recruits. 

Who were playing against recruits rated higher than them.

Edited September 5, 2023 by UNTLifer

[South Texas Green]

On 9/3/2023 at 5:04 PM, DentonLurker said:

The coaches can’t make tackles for them. A lot of those big plays we’re big because they didn’t tackle.

Completely agree. Yea, the scheme didn't give Cal any problems - but for me, the larger issue were missed tackles. Bottom line is if you can't tackle, you won't stop anyone regardless of the scheme. If memory serves, there were a few plays where it looked like guys sold out for a big hit, but didn't wrap up. Other times our guys were in position for a TFL or to at least hold them to a short gain and the initial tackler couldn't make the stop. Hoping things get better. GMG

[UNTLifer]

3 minutes ago, South Texas Green said:

Completely agree. Yea, the scheme didn't give Cal any problems - but for me, the larger issue were missed tackles. Bottom line is if you can't tackle, you won't stop anyone regardless of the scheme. If memory serves, there were a few plays where it looked like guys sold out for a big hit, but didn't wrap up. Other times our guys were in position for a TFL or to at least hold them to a short gain and the initial tackler couldn't make the stop. Hoping things get better. GMG

Bingo