With Drake Jackson now listed as a linebacker and primarily playing in a standup role, USCs base is essentially a 3-3-5. This offseason, there were more than a few reports potentially linking Orlando to head coach jobs. Arizona State realized that early, and its two main running backs, DeaMonte Trayanum and Rachaad White, rushed 24 times for 160 yards against USC. Eventual Florida defensive end signee Princely Umanmielen cited the three-man front as one of the reasons why he decommitted from Texas back in October. Orlando said hes already adjusted his scheme, which relies on mixed fronts and aggressive blitzing, to fit USCs personnel. That will change Saturday, as USC takes on San Jose State in the 2021 season opener. Overall, the rotation was much shorter than what was utilized last year. Try a week on us. This allows the B backer to be a free player and essentially go get the football! The Longhorns base with a true Nickel as well, and align him opposite the Jack, primarily with the passing strength. The 404 alignment does several things for the box: 1) the offensive line cant climb because of the 4is, and 2) it frees up at least one of the inside linebackers (if not both). Orlando took a job as the linebackers coach and assistant head coach at Texas Tech soon after. And with depth limited at linebacker, Ralen Goforth and Kanai Mauga have emerged as top candidates to start alongside Palaie Gaoteote in roles theyve had to learn on the fly. (213) 740-4204. Its really, really crazy to see., Asked to summarize Orlandos system, Texas senior cornerbackKris Boydsaid succinctly: Just run to the ball and hit.. Herman knew within 10 minutes of talking with Orlando hed found his defensive coordinator. It has been an awful showing for USCs defense, and the coaching has to be the sole reason for the blame. Hes at his best when hes trying to get into the backfield, and thats what he was mainly asked to do on Saturday. If you dont, its going to be limited. Then the injuries and attrition reduced depth at linebacker while inexperienced players tried to fill in, resulting in Orlando moving his best natural pass rusher, B-backer Joseph Ossai, to multiple positions around the field that kept him from attacking downhill. Thanks to some help from the Cyclones and Mountaineers, the Longhorns trashed the Jayhawks to land the No. Stilleto Boy wins the Santa Anita Handicap for trainer Ed Moger Jr. Sierra Canyon girls basketball team is two wins away from perfect season, Practical Move gives trainer Tim Yakteen a win in the San Felipe Stakes, Sam Farmers crystal ball: NFL mock draft 2023 version 1.0, UCLAs freshmen living up to the hype, carry Bruins into Pac-12 title game. For example, to counteract the speed of the Ravens Lamar Jackson, the San Diego Chargers went uber-small and put up to SEVEN DBs on the field at a time. Get your first month for $1. Orlando, despite his concessions against the pass, said the beauty of the lighting package is Texas numbers up front still cover up against the run. Owl fans had seen this defensive scheme recently when defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer coached FAU in 2019 as part of the 11-3 Conference USA and Boca Bowl championship season. The deepest position on the USC defense is safety. Orlando usually sent four rushers when he used this package early in the game, and Sun Devils quarterback Jayden Daniels took advantage of the pressure on the first drive by ripping off a 38-yard run. The main difference here is Jackson is playing as a standup linebacker instead of lining up with his hand down like he did most of the time in 2019. But we understood why we were running it. Gone were the inside linebackers who were so effective as blitzers. Orlando now becomes the seventh defensive coordinator in seven seasons for FAU. Drake Jackson, who spent last season as more of a strict defensive end, shed 25 pounds and shifted into a hybrid linebacker role. Take a look at those QBs 2017 season, youd see their matchup with Texas as a low-end outlier amid exceptional overall campaigns. Click here to buy a copy today or visit your local newsstand! The coaches threw the entire . Imagine if this actually happens. Continue reading Simulated Pressures From a Positionless Defense (2019 Sugar Bowl). Aggressive DCs like Orlando weren't having that for long, and his response is to teach his players to show a blitz to trigger the sideline glance and check from the offense before bringing another call entirely. Its not likely to last forever. But after successfully rebuilding the Texas defense in his first season, the Longhorns experienced a sharp defensive downturn in 2019. - Darnold completed 57.1 percent of his passes against Texas (third worst of the year) and threw a season-high two picks. But so far, its all been against an offense the USC defense knows very, very well. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). On the back end, Orlando typically employs a quarters coverage that allows his defensive backs to break aggressively to the football while preventing big plays. But Orlando paid Herman, a former QB coach, an even higher compliment than that. As the season progresses, look for true freshman Raesjon Davis to sneak his way into the starting lineup. USC has officially found the new face of its defense. He wants his defenders to fly to the football. It was during his time at Utah that he learned to assemble the 3-4 pressure package that made him an attractive hire for Herman and then a successful coach at Houston. Los Angeles Times USC beat writer Ryan Kartje offered this extended answer: Its important to remind everyone listening that I havent actually seen Todd Orlandos defense other than one practice during the spring Weve seen it all over the country that these offenses are running roughshod over defenses. Tackling has been an issue, (as has) lots of defensive miscommunication. One question I am asking to college football experts is this: Should Todd Orlando emphasize complexity of scheme or simplicity of scheme against Jayden Daniels and the Sun Devils on Saturday? The time is now! The Aggies also ranked fourth in the country in sacks in 2014 with 50. Like Iowa State, Texas has a three-safety Dime package that they utilize against pass-heavy offenses (think Kingburys Tech) or in obvious pass downs where Orlando wants to drop eight and flood the zones. We are excited to have Todd join our Trojan football program, USC coach Clay Helton said in a release. New USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, shown during his tenure at Texas, didnt let the COVID-19 shutdown stop him from familiarizing the Trojans to his defense. Antonio Morales covers USC football for The Athletic. Though it did prove to be the origin of one of college footballs best coordinator-head coach relationships. Then well get an idea of what the defense is truly capable of after losing contributors like DT Marlon Tuipulotu, CB Olaijah Griffin and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Talanoa Hufanga. Orlando's favorite scheme against the run in his multiple 3-4. He knows the tendencies of the receivers, the quarterbacks, the linemen, what they have to offer. A fourth linebacker released off the line can more easily pursue the football on outside runs and defend quick passes on the edge. In fact, they often had little to no idea how to defend the run in Texas' exotic defenses, and the Longhorns were regularly trashed by teams with multiple run games that could cause confusion. Visit our online store to order your copy. You have to look at the film and say, This guy can wreck a game, Orlando said. That establishment between Orlando and his team started in earnest following the Longhorns worst defensive effort of the season, a 51-41 loss to Maryland in Week 1. Aggressive, physical, unfearing. Theres no favoritism. The Cyclones and Longhorns most notably did it while using a 3-safety Dime package for parts of the season. Drake Jackson will man the hybrid outside backer position again this season. At Texas, Orlando was inheriting a linebacker crew that was long on talent and exceptionally short on know-how. Texas run defense didnt suffer in that time either. The SEC used to be one of the sole holdouts with only a few teams, namely Ole Miss and Texas A&M, embracing the shift. If that sounds like thinking, its because it is. Coach Todd Orlando of the USC Trojans during USC football practice at the University of Southern California on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. If you take what he says at face value there, maybe they shouldnt be too worried about the additional wrinkles making things confusing or leading to miscommunications. The real issues went beneath the surface. The Big 12 is not new to the concept of smaller faster players playing on the defensive side of the ball. The result was a hurried throw from Daniels, an incompletion on fourth down, and a victory for USC. (Roger Steinman / AP) Ryan Kartje (LA Times) -- Through spring and summer, the physical, hard-nosed brand of defense Todd Orlando promised to bring to USC remained strictly . Sign up for the Trojans Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. This might be the most talented position group on the USC roster, but there are still some concerns. . I think its a smart move. - Mayfield completed a season-low 63 percent of his passes in the Red River Showdown. What is the current state of play for one of the elite QB prospects on the board? Thats not to say those seven months were for naught. There's no better way to demonstrate that than to look at howTexas defended the run. After the second day of pads (last spring) we were like, Golly, we havent do this much hitting in a minute. Its just that mental toughness they instill in us. Johnson and Wheeler added another 17 run stuffs combined as the linebacker position went from being a major deficit to a team strength. Last. Before heading to Utah State and learning the art of disguised zone blitzes and modern 3-4 defense from the Kyle Whittingham coaching tree in the early 2010s, Orlando was a traditional 4-3 coach. There are a lot of questions about how the Trojans offensive line will perform, but having Brett Neilon at center and Alijah Vera-Tucker at left tackle should help. USC essentially ran a 4-2 front last season under former defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast. He said of Orlandos teaching, He has one of those play calls where its constant blitzes. Theyve been physical in the run game but they all kind of complement each other.. Texas Football: Todd Orlando Is a Cutting-Edge Defensive Coordinator Orlando used it during his media availability on Wednesday, too. The Longhorns base out of a 3-4 that utilizes the Tite Front (404) and a stand-up hybrid DE to the weak side, or away from the passing strength (this is Mint in Saban-speak). In turn, this could mean the end of the road for Orlando in Southern California regardless of who takes the job as head coach of the Trojans. Herman's offense is a spread system focused on running the ball downhill, primarily with inside zone runs, and he found 3-4 defenses that played quarters coverage like Orlando's to be the toughest schemes to deal with while at Ohio State. Nothing went right for Texas and the principles Orlando instilled all offseason seemed to evaporate. Its really hard to screw up a run play. The way you practice is the amount of plays youre going to get. After the Sun Devils started to have success on the ground midway through the second quarter, USC started employing a 4-3 front at times. How do you get your players to play hard? The initial conversations went well. It didnt matter much. perspective, he's found Orlando to be a gem of an assistant for a variety of reasons. His defensive coordinator would be Todd Orlando., hiring him from Florida International. I love TO hes one of the smartest defensive minds I ever played for.. A good run defense has been a calling card of. Lincoln RileyandKliff Kingsburycome from the Air Raid tree, but their systems look quite different in the same way Kansas States pro-style, option-heavy scheme varies from Oklahoma States spread. In watching ITS throughout this fall camp and knowing that he has a sense of urgency to really capture that position as well as be elite at it has been really nice to see.. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Though Iowa State and their base Broken Stack that features a three-safety Dime Robber scheme has become the most popular scheme within the league, in truth, it is Todd Orlando at Texas that has made his mark around the country behind his use of a positionless defense and defending the wide-open schemes found in the league. Los Angeles. However, Willie Taggart and his staff still need to find ready-to-play talent in the secondary as FAU loses four of their top five snap getters from 2021. Safeties Talanoa Hufanga and Isaiah Pola-Mao are expected to take on more active roles in directing the defense. In 2021 most defensive coaches will tell you their defensive schemes are "multiple,'' which is true to a degree. And that might just be the way it is moving forward. The defensive line lost more bodies in the offseason when Jacob Lichtenstein opted out of the season, and it was announced that Trevor Trouts season (and possibly his career) would be over with a back injury. But the concern with this unit is depth. Its the reason one of the worst defenses in program history in 2016 transformed into one of the best with the same players in college football's most potent offensive conference. A clearer picture of USCs new defense should crystallize in the coming days, with contact no longer limited. The Tite Front is becoming a popular way to defend the Spread; its important to understand how teams are going to attack it on the ground. Visit our online store to order your copyto get more in-depth analysis on the 2018 season. Orlando said USC utilized 70 to 75 percent of its defensive package against the Sun Devils. Orlando walked into the interview room and saw his Aggie defensive film already on the screen. From there, the hits dont stop. Report: FAU to hire Todd Orlando as defensive coordinator - Owls247.com When Tom Herman hired Todd Orlando to be his defensive coordinator at the University of Houston, Herman was looking for a coach who could teach the kind of defense that always gave him fits. It makes a QB think, said Texas senior defensive endCharles Omenihu. Sean McVay and his 11 personnel under center (UTC) offense has taken over the league en route to a Super Bowl appearance. As I wrote in early 2019 after Texas defeated Georgia, Orlando's defense uses hybrid players and different alignments to put pressure on offenses. Some offense will come out and run the triple-option, which is really different and as a defense really strains us, Orlando said. Orlandos scheme isnt complicated at least by memorization standards. Todd Orlando has plenty of experience arriving at a new school and installing his defensive scheme for the first time. It rotated just one inside linebacker (Kanai Mauga) in, and that was only for a handful of plays. While the scheme is expected to adjust, the possibility of changes to USCs defensive staff is still up in the air. In this particular instance shown above, the Jack backer walls the play by climbing to the RB. Todd Orlando (born March 24, 1971) is an American football coach. Bringing the Heat - by Cody Alexander - MatchQuarters - Substack With Gary Anderson and Dave Aranda's exit to Wisconsin in 2012, the door opened for then Offensive Coordinator Matt Wells to ascend to the Head Coaching position.