3-3-5 is Great If…

Hookset · September 15

You have 3 monsters that play the D-line and 3 fast linebackers that hit like Mack trucks. Then at least 2 safeties that read the run and become a heat seeking missile.
The power programs that run this defense have all this and are 3-4 deep at each position. Very little drop off when an injury occurs or just when a starter is out for a rest break.
UNT just doesn’t have monsters on the D-line that require double teams and can pressure the QB or crush run lanes. Our linebackers often have to fight off an O-Lineman because our D-line is being single blocked. Our safeties are late and diving at ankles. Even when our linebackers and safeties make a tackle it’s 5-10 yards up the field (because of our under performing D-line).
On passing plays we are ineffective with blitzes because our D-line doesn’t require doubling so the blitz gets picked up. Competent QB’s have all day and our corners and safeties can’t cover forever.
I know Morris has said he chose a DC that runs the 3-3-5 because he struggled against teams that did it well. We just don’t have the monsters up front that make this defense work effectively. He needs to understand this fast and change the scheme with the DC or get a new DC that will stop the run first (4-2-5).

MeanGreen4Life1998 · September 16

The 3-3-5 has never been consistently successful at any level and yet many still choose to run it. The 4-3 is much better and allows the defense to actually get a push upfront

Shark84 · September 16

My biggest problem with playing the 3-3-5 is that you have to have the right personal to run it and they have to have experience in it. With NIL and the transfer portal, it will always be a revolving door. I think you have to play a really basic defense that you can plug and play guys that transfer in. It is a gimmick defense that we don't have the players or experience to run correctly. I can't believe that Caponi couldn't run a basic 4-3 if he wanted to. It doesn't matter if our defense confuses people when they are running up and down the field at will on us. Morris needs to set in and make this decision. Keep Caponi until the end of the year but make him change the defensive scheme. We still have plenty of games left to have a successful season but waiting on this defense to come together isn't working.

rcade · September 16

I don't know defensive schemes but against good teams our 3-3-5 looks like VIP treatment for running backs. They always get to skip the line. Even a half-decent running game is going to look strong if the backs are always scampering past the big dogs.

Green Lantern · September 16

Agree. And our version of it is horrifically bad. We are soft everywhere.

It particularly awful on running plays where the back ends up bouncing outside or passing downs where things break down a bit and the opposing QB decides to run outside. We consistently crash inside and have ZERO outside contain. We let so many teams off the hook in 3rd and medium/long yardage situations because of this alone. It’s soul crushing.

Doesn't even get into CB’s being lined up 10 yards back from WR’s.

None of it makes any sense for the personnel we have or are realistically going to be able to acquire.

TIgreen01 · September 16

The 3-3-5 should be a situational defense. Not a base defense. Need to be able to be multiple against offenses now. Again, problems arise when you don't have depth players who buy in.

Missing on so many transfers that were supposed to help the back half of our defense really hurt us this past weekend, IMO. Whether from injury, legal issues, etc....we are undersized and too slow to play with a Big 12 offense.

aztecskin · September 16

I wrote about our version of the 3-3-5 -- which is known either as 3-high, or 3-3-3. I think it has som e interesting things, and that we have improved. I think Texas Tech killed us and made everything we did wrong.

https://www.meangreennation.com/publish/post/147907725

The best stuff we did was in the first two drives -- those ones where we still allowed 10-points and they ran with ease. Outside of that I think we were laughed off the field. The scheme can be good and our packaging/prep/personnel bad. Or some other combinations.

Last year I thought we didn't have enough talent. This year we level up, but Caponi called a weird game and we were underprepared against a very talented offense with a very talented OC.