Pass Rush - Where are You?

[huskysupporter]

This is a huge problem for this team, and I have no idea what the answer is. We have no speed off the edge on defense. Is there a speedy linebacker we can move to end in passing situations? It looks like Jesse Joseph has lost some of his burst after injuries, although he remains solid against the run.

And the defensive tackle push on pass plays in non existent which really hurts. I have mentioned this before, but we don't need our DT's to sack the qb. We just need them to push the pocket enough to make the qb uncomfortable.

I am at a loss for answers here.

 

[Hoophound]

I think it is Hank's approach. We didn't have much of a pass rush until Don Brown arrived and it left with him. TJ needs to tell Hank to get more aggressive. The goal can't be to pressure the QB, the goal has to be to get him. That raises the bar some.

 

[FDNY99]

Nice to see the 7-9 yd cushion to a wr at the line of scrimagge is back again...and the bs soft zone as well. I have said it on here many times..HH was demoted by RE for a reason! This will make us pull our hair out for the rest of the season!

 

[UConnDan97]

I'm sorry, but this entire thread is ridiculous. If anyone came away from this game...a game that the defense only allowed 6 points and no touchdowns....and you believe that the DEFENSE is the problem, then I would argue that your powers of analysis are the problem. I'm sorry if I sound a little bitter, but that defense did everything that it needed to do for us to win today. Period.

 

[FDNY99]

I'm sorry, but this entire thread is ridiculous. If anyone came away from this game...a game that the defense only allowed 6 points and no touchdowns....and you believe that the DEFENSE is the problem, then I would argue that your powers of analysis are the problem. I'm sorry if I sound a little bitter, but that defense did everything that it needed to do for us to win today. Period.

Giving up 1st down after first down on 3rd and long by using bs schemes during the drive that lead to the winning field goal is what I saw today from my seats. I'm NOT blaming the kids one bit...they play their system pretty good..especially their coverages. I saw one blitz today...1. We have seen the HH show before...he may be a good DL coach but he isn't a good DC.

 

[huskysupporter]

I'm sorry, but this entire thread is ridiculous. If anyone came away from this game...a game that the defense only allowed 6 points and no touchdowns....and you believe that the DEFENSE is the problem, then I would argue that your powers of analysis are the problem. I'm sorry if I sound a little bitter, but that defense did everything that it needed to do for us to win today. Period.

I don't think I said that the defense was the problem in the game. The pass rush is horrid, do you disagree?

I think people are failing to realize that USF is one of the worst FBS schools (we are obviously worse). The USF qb had plenty of time to look for his horrible receivers.

 

[UConnDan97]

I don't think I said that the defense was the problem in the game. The pass rush is horrid, do you disagree?

I think people are failing to realize that USF is one of the worst FBS schools (we are obviously worse). The USF qb had plenty of time to look for his horrible receivers.

The pass rush is not horrible when you consider that they are only rushing four. Rushing four, they were able to collapse the pocket and put pressure on the throws, as well as to bottle up the run. This is Hank Hughes' style. He is not blitz-happy like Don Brown. But his defensive style normally produces an effective defense, which today, gave us EVERY opportunity to win the game.

If a football team loses 13-10, where 7 of the opponent's 13 came from a fumble return for a touchdown, then the defense is NOT the problem...

 

[huskysupporter]

The pass rush is not horrible when you consider that they are only rushing four. Rushing four, they were able to collapse the pocket and put pressure on the throws, as well as to bottle up the run. This is Hank Hughes' style. He is not blitz-happy like Don Brown. But his defensive style normally produces an effective defense, which today, gave us EVERY opportunity to win the game.

If a football team loses 13-10, where 7 of the opponent's 13 came from a fumble return for a touchdown, then the defense is NOT the problem...

They are solid against the run. I like our front 7 as a whole. But the pass rush is horrible. It was horrible for rushing 4 defenders.

 

[UConnDan97]

They are solid against the run. I like our front 7 as a whole. But the pass rush is horrible. It was horrible for rushing 4 defenders.

You like our front 7, but our pass rush is horrible? So why do you like our front 7 again?

Look...if you want 5 sacks a game and don't mind getting hit on the occasional 40 yard pass for a touchdown, then this defense is not going to be the one for you. If you can stomach the other team converting some third downs and not many sacks, but the points stay low, then this might be the defense for you. Either way, complaining about something that had nothing to do with our loss is kind of pointless...

 

[Hoophound]

I think the complaint is that we almost never sack the QB. When we start getting methodically picked apart late in one game after another we get edgy. We've given up a lot of late game points in losses over the years (Edsall years too) and this zone, bend don't break, prevent defense has made many of us crazy. Just occasionally, its nice to chase down the QB and grind him to dust and put the game away.

 

[huskysupporter]

You like our front 7, but our pass rush is horrible? So why do you like our front 7 again?

Look...if you want 5 sacks a game and don't mind getting hit on the occasional 40 yard pass for a touchdown, then this defense is not going to be the one for you. If you can stomach the other team converting some third downs and not many sacks, but the points stay low, then this might be the defense for you. Either way, complaining about something that had nothing to do with our loss is kind of pointless...

It is possible to like the front 7 and think the pass rush is non existent. I am not sure what is difficult to understand there. The line and linebackers that we presently have are solid against the run. They also do not provide a good pass rush.

 

[Jimdish255]

Unfortunately guys like Trevardo Williams take their sacks with them when they graduate.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

This is a huge problem for this team, and I have no idea what the answer is. We have no speed off the edge on defense. Is there a speedy linebacker we can move to end in passing situations? It looks like Jesse Joseph has lost some of his burst after injuries, although he remains solid against the run.

And the defensive tackle push on pass plays in non existent which really hurts. I have mentioned this before, but we don't need our DT's to sack the qb. We just need them to push the pocket enough to make the qb uncomfortable.

I am at a loss for answers here.

The staff tried Joseph playing some Tackle

 

[Chin Diesel]

Giving up 1st down after first down on 3rd and long by using bs schemes during the drive that lead to the winning field goal is what I saw today from my seats. I'm NOT blaming the kids one bit...they play their system pretty good..especially their coverages. I saw one blitz today...1. We have seen the HH show before...he may be a good DL coach but he isn't a good DC.

They were 5-17 on 3rd down conversions. Overall very good. Sure USF got a few that you'd prefer they not get, but it happens.

 

[sportsart]

My understanding was they were going to let it fly again. My only hope is they figured this back up QB was bad enough to just pressure with 4 rushers. They were right...he is not a good QB. If they are going to blitz more this season we'll find out next week.

The same game plan will get us killed vs Cincy. I know their 1st string QB is out and scoring 38 on Temple may not mean much but I fear their offense much more than USF. HH better send somebody, more than once.

 

[hardcorehusky]

There is no Sio Moore or Trevardo Williams off the corners anymore. I think the answers lie in the Redshirts- Stephens and Santos- Battles - smaller edge type rushers as opposed to the bigger ends we employ with Joseph, Willman, Frank and Pruitt. As a matter of fact- the biggest rushers we had were Tyler King and Lindsay Witten- and the game has changed since they were here!!

 

[UConnDan97]

What's being lost in this thread, when it concerns HH's style of defense, is that his defenses turn the ball over much more than Don Brown's. Everyone loves the sack and the crowd goes wild, but the turnovers are normally bigger when it comes to winning and losing (normally, assuming your offense can average more than 10 points per game). Here are the stats with our big improvement in turnover margin from last year to now (+0.3 from -1.2):

http://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/stat/turnover-margin-per-game

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

I hate these big, slow D Ends (not the kids themselves obviously, but the fact that they are being asked to play a position they can't). Our best DE's have been small, quick guys that could cause trouble in the backfield before the QB even finished his drop back.

The IDEA of a 300lb DE is fantastic. Actually, there is one or 2 of these guys every year that are very successful...but it clearly isn't working for us.

 

[mattp]

I'm sorry, but this entire thread is ridiculous. If anyone came away from this game...a game that the defense only allowed 6 points and no touchdowns....and you believe that the DEFENSE is the problem, then I would argue that your powers of analysis are the problem. I'm sorry if I sound a little bitter, but that defense did everything that it needed to do for us to win today. Period.

We gave up just over 100 yards passing and had 3 sacks. Anyone that thinks our pass rush was the problem is an idiot, plain and simple.

 

[FDNY99]

Well one thing I know about HH and his D...we only have 7 more games of it! Todd Orlando didn't get HH's job as DC because HH was a GREAT DC that is for sure. Let's see how his 7+ yd cushion schemes do against teams like UCF, Louisville, and Rutgers. What we should be talking about as a fan base is how we saw some life and emotion from a group of kids for 4 quarters..something we haven't seen in a long time.