Looking at the Defense

[UConnJim]

All of us have been looking at the defense and the roster and we are trying to figure out what is going on as the defense was never this bad in the past. Diaco recruited and built the defense to run a 4-3, but the new regime has decided to run the 3-3-5. Let's take a look at DT and DB. (I could have analyzed the DE and LB issues, but I think DT depth and DB depth are the biggest issues.)

First, here is the defensive 2 deep from last year:

DE: Ormsby, Lawley
DT: Fatukasi, Marinan
DT: Myers, Murphy
DE: Carrezola, Stapleton
LB: Diggs, Stephens
LB: Walsh, Levenberry
LB: Joseph, Britton
CB: Williams,, Green
SS: Watkins, McAllister
FS: Melinfomwu, Terry
CB: Summers, Robinson

UConn returned 7 starters on defense and 15/22 on the 2 deep, although Levenberry is out with injury. On paper, most of us probably thought that the defense would be at least OK this year, but it hasn't worked out.

When you look at the current roster, I see a lack of depth at DT after Fatukasi and Murphy which supports Edsall's point that they don't have the DL depth to play a traditional 4-3 defense. We have 5 DL over 266 lbs on the roster and Okounam is out for the season and 1 is a true freshman, so we have basically 3 DL over 266 lbs that are playing. That said, I think Crocker needs to think about using 3 down lineman plus Carrezola or Stapleton as a hybrid LB/DE to rush the passer on occasion as they can be disruptive pass rushers as they are strong and relatively agile.

What we don't know is if Diaco understood his DT problems and would he have brought in a couple JC or grad transfer DTs or converted an OL to DT that would have provided DT depth. I think the current regime did not prioritize DT depth as the new 3-3-5 defense didn't require it and now with the lack of DT depth they can't switch to a 4-3.

Let's look at DBs. UConn's defense is using 5 DBs so you need 10 to fill out a 2 deep and probably need a total of 13 to 14 ready to play DBs for depth. Here's the problem. UConn has 19 DBs on the roster with 16 on scholarship and with one injured and out for the season, UConn has 15 scholarship DBs available. Here is the DB class breakdown:

Fr: 6
RFr: 3
RSo: 3
RJr: 1
Sr: 2
RSr: 1

So, 9 out of the 16 scholarship DBs are either Fr or R Fr. With the current roster it's pretty clear that UConn does not have the DB depth or experience to play a 5 DB defense. Most of us realize that the kids that UConn recruits need to be developed as they are not kids that can step in as freshmen and compete. We are seeing this with the DBs as they are not ready to compete at this level.

Bottom line, we don't have the DB depth and experience to play a 3-3-5 and we don't have the DT depth to convert to a 4-3. Thus, I think we are stuck with the current defense, but I hope Crocker makes some adjustments to make the defense more competitive.

 

[huskymedic]

Nice analysis Jim...

 

[JMick]

All of us have been looking at the defense and the roster and we are trying to figure out what is going on as the defense was never this bad in the past. Diaco recruited and built the defense to run a 4-3, but the new regime has decided to run the 3-3-5. Let's take a look at DT and DB. (I could have analyzed the DE and LB issues, but I think DT depth and DB depth are the biggest issues.)

First, here is the defensive 2 deep from last year:

DE: Ormsby, Lawley
DT: Fatukasi, Marinan
DT: Myers, Murphy
DE: Carrezola, Stapleton
LB: Diggs, Stephens
LB: Walsh, Levenberry
LB: Joseph, Britton
CB: Williams,, Green
SS: Watkins, McAllister
FS: Melinfomwu, Terry
CB: Summers, Robinson

UConn returned 7 starters on defense and 15/22 on the 2 deep, although Levenberry is out with injury. On paper, most of us probably thought that the defense would be at least OK this year, but it hasn't worked out.

When you look at the current roster, I see a lack of depth at DT after Fatukasi and Murphy which supports Edsall's point that they don't have the DL depth to play a traditional 4-3 defense. We have 5 DL over 266 lbs on the roster and Okounam is out for the season and 1 is a true freshman, so we have basically 3 DL over 266 lbs that are playing. That said, I think Crocker needs to think about using 3 down lineman plus Carrezola or Stapleton as a hybrid LB/DE to rush the passer on occasion as they can be disruptive pass rushers as they are strong and relatively agile.

What we don't know is if Diaco understood his DT problems and would he have brought in a couple JC or grad transfer DTs or converted an OL to DT that would have provided DT depth. I think the current regime did not prioritize DT depth as the new 3-3-5 defense didn't require it and now with the lack of DT depth they can't switch to a 4-3.

Let's look at DBs. UConn's defense is using 5 DBs so you need 10 to fill out a 2 deep and probably need a total of 13 to 14 ready to play DBs for depth. Here's the problem. UConn has 19 DBs on the roster with 16 on scholarship and with one injured and out for the season, UConn has 15 scholarship DBs available. Here is the DB class breakdown:

Fr: 6
RFr: 3
RSo: 3
RJr: 1
Sr: 2
RSr: 1

So, 9 out of the 16 scholarship DBs are either Fr or R Fr. With the current roster it's pretty clear that UConn does not have the DB depth or experience to play a 5 DB defense. Most of us realize that the kids that UConn recruits need to be developed as they are not kids that can step in as freshmen and compete. We are seeing this with the DBs as they are not ready to compete at this level.

Bottom line, we don't have the DB depth and experience to play a 3-3-5 and we don't have the DT depth to convert to a 4-3. Thus, I think we are stuck with the current defense, but I hope Crocker makes some adjustments to make the defense more competitive.

this is a very good post. people have chosen to ignore Edsall's comments about depth but when you look at the break down it's pretty clear that we were screwed going into this season regardless of scheme or DC

 

[ATLDYKA]

And I Willa say it gain. Robinson was 2nd team last year and played well. Yet our secondary is atrocious this year and I have yet to see him Step on the field. What is going on there?

 

[noeynox]

And I Willa say it gain. Robinson was 2nd team last year and played well. Yet our secondary is atrocious this year and I have yet to see him Step on the field. What is going on there?

I been calling for him as well. He showed aggression last year. We could sure use some of that right now.

 

[Palatine]

The 2011 defense finished 51th in the FBS.
The 2012 defense finished 9th in the FBS.
The 2013 defense finished 53th in the FBS.
The 2014 defense finished 50th in the FBS.
The 2015 defense finished 44th in the FBS.
The 2016 defense finished 65th in the FBS.

They are currently 128th in the country, only East Carolina is worse.

As was previously stated, we returned 7 starters. The difference in our performance is MASSIVELY worse. It's an outlier. It's the scheme.

 

[HartfordHank]

DT is the single most difficult position to recruit in college football.

 

[Bubba1957]

My seats are 11 rows right behind their bench. I don't see a lot of big athletic looking DEs, DTs or LBs waiting to get their chance. Matter of fact I see too many short dumpy guys that look like long snappers. When Luke got banged up and came out, Memphis ran three straight plays right at Freeborn for about 20 yards. That's our depth situation. I also don't see or hear a lot of popping. Playing relatively soft coverage then punishing the receiver after the catch works, but you have to punish. One of the other posts talked about the lack of fundamentals. That seems to be the biggest problem on D. I also think they had some decent pressure on the QB at times but the lack of fundamentals (turning to find the ball) hurt them. I would guarantee that the coaching staff is working really hard on those fundamentals. The turnovers hurt and Sheriffs did not play a particularly good game. The best defense is going to have to be a good offense. If they put up 4o or more, they would limit possessions enough to make the games close.

 

[huskysupporter]

I’ll post my comment in the Jacobs thread here as well.

As a coach once put it: “It’s not about the X’s and O’s, it’s about the Jimmy’s and Joe’s”.

How anyone can watch that game yesterday and conclude the scheme is the problem amazes me. There is a shocking lack of talent on that defense.

The only above average D 1 player on that D is Foley. That’s it.

 

[UConnJim]

The 2011 defense finished 51th in the FBS.
The 2012 defense finished 9th in the FBS.
The 2013 defense finished 53th in the FBS.
The 2014 defense finished 50th in the FBS.
The 2015 defense finished 44th in the FBS.
The 2016 defense finished 65th in the FBS.

They are currently 128th in the country, only East Carolina is worse.

As was previously stated, we returned 7 starters. The difference in our performance is MASSIVELY worse. It's an outlier. It's the scheme.

If your offense plays slow and methodical, you will limit the possessions of the other team and make your defensive stats look better than they are. That is what you see in those rankings. When you play hurry up offense, you run the risk of turning the ball over in a 3 and out in a minute +/- and handing the ball back to the other team.

What we are seeing is a worst case scenario. A hurry up offense that is paired with a defense that changed schemes and doesn't have the right roster or experience to run the defense.

 

[SubbaBub]

Disco wanted to run a 3-4. They rest is pretty good. Our ends are too light to be playing a 3-4 and we don't have enough D tackles to play a 4-3. In either a 3-4 or a 3-3-5 the onus is on the LB to create pressure and make tackles on the edge. The line's job is a push and clogs the middle runs. The 3-3-5 is supposed to disguise that rush.

We don't do any of this. 1 defensive play in 10 at best. Add in an secondary that seems lost and you get the worst defensive squad in the nation.

 

[HurricaneDave]

At one point in the offseason it did look like the defensive tackle who was kicked out of school at Miami would end up here. He would've been a huge help up front and makes me think the staff knew there would be depth issues and were trying to address them.

 

[UConnJim]

At one point in the offseason it did look like the defensive tackle who was kicked out of school at Miami would end up here. He would've been a huge help up front and makes me think the staff knew there would be depth issues and were trying to address them.

He wouldn't have been able to play this year due to transfer rules.

 

[Exit 4]

He wouldn't have been able to play this year due to transfer rules.

And I thought I read that same kid is no longer at Houston.

 

[huskymedic]

And I thought I read that same kid is no longer at Houston.

Yup... left the team.

 

[CTMike]

The 2011 defense finished 51th in the FBS.
The 2012 defense finished 9th in the FBS.
The 2013 defense finished 53th in the FBS.
The 2014 defense finished 50th in the FBS.
The 2015 defense finished 44th in the FBS.
The 2016 defense finished 65th in the FBS.

They are currently 128th in the country, only East Carolina is worse.

As was previously stated, we returned 7 starters. The difference in our performance is MASSIVELY worse. It's an outlier. It's the scheme.

Your ability to try and “prove” something and completely miss the mark is remarkable.

If you want to test a hypothesis (“it’s the scheme”), you might have a control, and you might change one variable at a time. For example, keep the personnel the same, keep the coaching the same, and change only the scheme. See what the results are.

When there are half a dozen or more variables at play in each case, YOU DONT PROVE ANYTHING.

Could it be the scheme? Possibly. Possibly not. Trying to draw definitive conclusions on it is pure folly. Because there is a lot more at play than that and right now all the variables are trending bad.

 

[Exit 4]

My biggest concern about the defense going forward is that we have seemingly no plus level recruits coming in. Maybe Eli Thomas and Dylan Harris bring something. The rest are question marks really.

Fatusaki is the only plus level player here now.

Crocker's scheme installation could not be going worse, not at all.

But when I look at next year, unless the defensive recruiting picks up big time, it's not changing. There is more than a learning problem here, many of the new kids playing as true freshman are showing nothing. No flashes of something better, just lack of skill.

As bad as Crocker's D has been, the recruiting so far on D is equally as alarming.

 

[Nostical]

I'm not buying this "lack of talent" justification for our atrocious defensive performance. That was the same rationale we kept hearing about our offense for years. So let's test it. Take our current offensive personnel and put them in a George DeLeone, Mike Cummings or Frank Verducci system and tell me how we'd be looking. We'd be saying the same thing about our O talent. Some would say we've got FCS talent. Others would say we have some talent but we need a better OC. Now take our current D talent and let Todd Orlando or Don Brown create the D system to run. Think we'd be as pitiful? I'm not saying we've got great D talent (despite what Stairmaster thinks). We need lots of upgrades. But don't tell me this 3-3-5 D scheme is the answer. And if it was Diaco's idea you'd all be screaming he's delusional. I'm not saying we've currently got the roster that can excel at the 4-3-4. I'm saying I'd rather use who we have now in a scheme that gives us a fighting chance to hold an opponent to under 600 YD's and 50 points. What is it about our performance in the 3-3-5 that would make you want to keep at it? Given whatever the level of the talent we have we need to try a different scheme or look for a different scheme architect. This one ain't working.

 

[huskysupporter]

I'm not buying this "lack of talent" justification for our atrocious defensive performance. That was the same rationale we kept hearing about our offense for years. So let's test it. Take our current offensive personnel and put them in a George DeLeone, Mike Cummings or Frank Verducci system and tell me how we'd be looking. We'd be saying the same thing about our O talent. Some would say we've got FCS talent. Others would say we have some talent but we need a better OC. Now take our current D talent and let Todd Orlando or Don Brown create the D system to run. Think we'd be as pitiful? I'm not saying we've got great D talent (despite what Stairmaster thinks). We need lots of upgrades. But don't tell me this 3-3-5 D scheme is the answer. And if it was Diaco's idea you'd all be screaming he's delusional. I'm not saying we've currently got the roster that can excel at the 4-3-4. I'm saying I'd rather use who we have now in a scheme that gives us a fighting chance to hold an opponent to under 600 YD's and 50 points. What is it about our performance in the 3-3-5 that would make you want to keep at it? Given whatever the level of the talent we have we need to try a different scheme or look for a different scheme architect. This one ain't working.

I don’t think you are going to find anyone who would shed a tear if the 3-3-5 is scrapped. But scheme is not the issue here. It’s a lack of talent. We have don’t have much speed and athleticism. And it’s at all levels - d line, linebacker, and DB. One thing I would be a fan of is moving players up a level - convert a linebacker to d end, or a ss to LB. We have to find a way to increase speed.

 

[Palatine]

Your ability to try and “prove” something and completely miss the mark is remarkable.

If you want to test a hypothesis (“it’s the scheme”), you might have a control, and you might change one variable at a time. For example, keep the personnel the same, keep the coaching the same, and change only the scheme. See what the results are.

When there are half a dozen or more variables at play in each case, YOU DONT PROVE ANYTHING.

Could it be the scheme? Possibly. Possibly not. Trying to draw definitive conclusions on it is pure folly. Because there is a lot more at play than that and right now all the variables are trending bad.

Yes, I know, you are not comfortable with the concept of using facts and observation to support a position.

But you're truly remarkable with name calling and hysteria.

Perhaps if you opened your eyes and watched us play the 3-3-5, you might notice that we don't play it well.

 

[Bubba1957]

A couple of points:

• In a league full on gunslingers and no huddle offenses why would you not play 5 d-backs?
• What are people advocating a 4-3-4, 5-2-4, 4-4-3? Explain why another alignment would be better?
• Unlike Diaco's alignment, where they lined up like blocking dummies in basically the same spot, I see lots of movement and different looks.
• Anything they could do to keep blockers off Junior would be a good adjustment. He's aggressive and probably needs to make at least 15 tackles a game.
• It would be great if they could game plan to try and take away the things teams to well.
• 3-3-5 makes sense. Need to execute better and to free up playmakers (maybe just Junior) to make plays.

 

[gioff23]

This is the 3rd coach this decade who gets to use the "cupboard is bare" line. I'm exhausted. Each coach took over a squad with talent and made it worse in Y1. We are the only program in the country who can't seem to change coaches and move forward. We had a lot of issues last year, D was not one of them. Overnight we have no talent, no depth, no hitters, no tacklers, no pass coverage guys. I was not expecting a top 10 D, but there is simply no excuse for this.

 

[Saab04]

A couple of points:

• In a league full on gunslingers and no huddle offenses why would you not play 5 d-backs?
• What are people advocating a 4-3-4, 5-2-4, 4-4-3? Explain why another alignment would be better?
• Unlike Diaco's alignment, where they lined up like blocking dummies in basically the same spot, I see lots of movement and different looks.
• Anything they could do to keep blockers off Junior would be a good adjustment. He's aggressive and probably needs to make at least 15 tackles a game.
• It would be great if they could game plan to try and take away the things teams to well.
• 3-3-5 makes sense. Need to execute better and to free up playmakers (maybe just Junior) to make plays.

And to be honest, junior is still not fast enough. We need speed from the linebacker position badly.

 

[bigAbruns]

A couple of points:

• In a league full on gunslingers and no huddle offenses why would you not play 5 d-backs?
• What are people advocating a 4-3-4, 5-2-4, 4-4-3? Explain why another alignment would be better?
• Unlike Diaco's alignment, where they lined up like blocking dummies in basically the same spot, I see lots of movement and different looks.
• Anything they could do to keep blockers off Junior would be a good adjustment. He's aggressive and probably needs to make at least 15 tackles a game.
• It would be great if they could game plan to try and take away the things teams to well.
• 3-3-5 makes sense. Need to execute better and to free up playmakers (maybe just Junior) to make plays.

So many different looks that end up resulting in the defense giving up yards on the same pass play to the sides every play

 

[UConnJim]

This is the 3rd coach this decade who gets to use the "cupboard is bare" line. I'm exhausted. Each coach took over a squad with talent and made it worse in Y1. We are the only program in the country who can't seem to change coaches and move forward. We had a lot of issues last year, D was not one of them. Overnight we have no talent, no depth, no hitters, no tacklers, no pass coverage guys. I was not expecting a top 10 D, but there is simply no excuse for this.

I don't agree. The current coaches have taken the worst offense in FBS and made it respectable. I see so much offensive improvement. I see an OL that creates a pocket for Shirreffs. I see Shirreffs step up in the pocket instead of bailing. I see WRs and TEs that were totally forgotten under the last regime utilized and actually make plays. Clearly, there was talent on offense, but the past coaching was suspect.

On defense, I have stated the issues that I have seen so I won't repeat them.

My biggest complaint is that the coaches haven't seemed to find a way to utilize our defensive players in a way to make them effective. We know that the roster doesn't fit the 3-3-5 scheme and that the DBs are very young, but what adjustments are the coaches going to make?