Defensive line, future plans, old topic, BYU, Texas, OU

The Fake Lonnie Finch · September 9, 2013

Over the summer, I posted clips of the BYU coach explaining their 3-3-5 and why they do it (don't have the athletes to run with "bigger" schools, etc.). Well, they just steam-rolled Texas.

Texas' defense hasn't changed from last year. It still sucks against the run. OU's defense sucked against the run last year as well. But, this year, they have also gone to a 3-3-5/hybrid 50, and it seems to be working for them.

I understand BYU waving the white flag on defense and going to strange formations to make up for it. But, OU?

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/21624514
http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/82124/sooners-hope-new-scheme-cures-all
http://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/2013/9/2/4685934/ou-oklahoma-sooners-football-2013-louisiana-monroe-ulm-trevor-knight

(A little bit of new Texas DC Greg Robison's swim with the 3-3-5 at Michigan under Rich Rodriguez: http://www.burntorangenation.com/football/2013/9/8/4709116/greg-robinson-texas-longhorns-michigan-wolvers-failures)

Looking back to last weekend, had we been able to be more effective at stopping the run, we'd have probably beaten Ohio. If a big dog like OU can finally say, "We're lost with this 4-3 bit, we're going to try the 3-3-5 bit" isn't it something we might look at?

(...or, can we send all of our DLs on a two year mormon mission so that they'll all be 25-26 years old by the time they graduate? Sort of the older, wiser player approach?)

3-3-5 Articles:
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8015709/an-excerpt-essential-smart-football-birth-3-3-5-defense.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3%E2%80%933%E2%80%935_defense
http://deepshadesofblue.com/byus-3-4-defense-a-model-for-success/
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=272&sid=12785897
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/Dec/05/poinsettia-bowl-pits-byus-bronco-mendenhall-agains

The Fake Lonnie Finch · September 9, 2013

What I think our 3-3-5 would look like, had it been employed this season

NG/DT - Richard Abbe, 6-4/320
DE - Brandon McCoy, 6-2/263

DE - Alexander Lincoln, 6-2/267

OLB/DE - Chad Polk, 6-0/223

MLB - Zach Orr, 6-1/240
OLB - Will Wright, 6-0/221

CB - Zac Whitfield, 5-9/190

CB - Hilbert Jackson, 6-1/185

FS - Marcus Trice, 5-8/193
SS - Laramie Lee, 5-10/195
SS/Nickel - Zed Evans, 5-11/198

We actually have enough talent at LB and in the seconday where you could plug any number of guys in there. Putting Akunne in for Wright gives you 20 more pounds of muscle if you suspect more rushing in any given situation.

We've flipped some DEs to DT by necessity. That could be remedied to a greater degree with a three man front.

A lot of this is just me thinking out loud on paper. However, it does look to be an option more schools are using to counter size/talent differences. And, I suppose at Oklahoma, the inability to sign enough blue chip DTs to have an effective 4-3.