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Let’s talk Defense vs. Syracuse

Genghis Cane

Genghis Cane

Chicken Wing Connoisseur
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This thread is for all posters on the board who want to discuss our defensive game plan against Syracuse.

McCord leads the country in passing yardage. He’s thrown the ball 50 times more than the next closest QB in division 1. It’s clear what they want to do. How do we stop it?

What formation would you run?
What coverages would run?
Are we blitzing McCord or praying our front 4 can get pressure on their own?

I live 5 minutes from the Dome. I’m surrounded by obnoxious SU fans. Everyone I work with says we’re going to lose. They have never been more confident. We can’t come out slow or we are toast. Defense needs to get some early stops/turnovers and our offense has to keep the pressure on them.
 
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I haven’t watched them at all. What are their tendencies?

I see they have 3 guys with lots of yards. Not sure if they’re all WR or have a TE mixed in.

Do they work a quick game or throw lots of screens? Or slow-developing deep routes? Do they use TEs or work seams?

What about pre-snap, how are they with shifts and motions?

Someone tell me what’s coming.
 
I expect a lot of passing yards, their TE will be tough to stop, but McCord will throw it to the other team so getting pressure up front will be important.

Getting Damari and Alston back will help too

I also expect more 4th down attempts this game to keep their offense off the field ala Louisville.

EDIT: Their slot is also VERY reliable and McCord looks to him a lot.
 
It doesn't matter what we run. We don't have the talent. It's not the coaches fault. We could have Nick the cheater Saban as our DC and the defense would still be historically bad.

Why waste time thinking of strategy?

Look, we have 11 guys on the field with 2/3 of them in proper alignment to the call? I'm pleased! It's about progress.
 
Im not going to lie I’m not sure what kind of offense Syracuse runs besides wanting to air it out.

The last two teams we faced had the same game plan of trying to keep it on the ground and chew clock, only one of them was successful doing so. I don’t think Syracuse has the personnel to even replicate that game plan due to being a pass heavy offense.

The key is putting mccord under constant duress. Hopefully Guidry being creative like when he walks 5 to the line but not blitzing every time or a well timed db blitz . If he tries to generate pressure by stunting and or crazy man assignments forget about it.

That being said it is a positive step with the personnel swaps last game by reducing barons role, moving messidor to the edge, having meesh at nickel, having any other lb in pass coverage not kiko and keeping him down hill. I don’t know how much of game shape damari will be in but he will be critical if he can go and not be rusty.
 
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what we ran vs wake in more of a 4-3 is probably not ideal but they seem most comfortable there.

Probably looks different assuming Damari plays. Curious myself to see where they use him and what we run with him in. Gadsden is a good matchup for him.

Generally speaking I think you blitz McCord and make him get it out quick and he becomes turnover prone like against Pitt
 
JayCane20 said:
what we ran vs wake in more of a 4-3 is probably not ideal but they seem most comfortable there.

Probably looks different assuming Damari plays. Curious myself to see where they use him and what we run with him in. Gadsden is a good matchup for him.

Generally speaking I think you blitz McCord and make him get it out quick and he becomes turnover prone like against Pitt
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Ya, a 4-3 is a nightmare against pass-happy teams running mostly 10 personnel.

I’d love to see us play a 3-3, but I understand we may not have the personnel to handle it.

At the end of the day, line up in whatever will prevent the most mental **** ups.
 
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Call me crazy....but this is actually a matchup where I think the D could surprise. I'm a h e l l of a lot more worried about a team like SMU due to the fact they can, and will, run the ball and supplement it with a passing game.

Syracuse is more of a pure pass, one dimensional team. I feel like we've had good moments defensively when the threat of the running game isn't there and we can just play basic pass defense. Switching Mesidor back to DE and the possible return of Damari also could not have been timed better.

I think we go up to the dome and play a solid game. I think SMU is the looming matchup where our defense might still get torn apart.
 
Watch their game against Pitt, they had their guys rushing up field all game barely playing the run, McCord also loves to try and spin out of the pocket and then throw back across his body similar to Cam... would love to see us use our speed rushers more, the young guys like Pickett
 
JayCane20 said:
what we ran vs wake in more of a 4-3 is probably not ideal but they seem most comfortable there.

Probably looks different assuming Damari plays. Curious myself to see where they use him and what we run with him in. Gadsden is a good matchup for him.

Generally speaking I think you blitz McCord and make him get it out quick and he becomes turnover prone like against Pitt
Click to expand...
Pitt was switching up pressure, guys were showing pressure then blitz was coming from the other side, then they were dropping right into the middle of the field. Iirc most of the 3 picks early on were in the middle of the field.
 
dukemv said:
Pitt was switching up pressure, guys were showing pressure then blitz was coming from the other side, then they were dropping right into the middle of the field. Iirc most of the 3 picks early on were in the middle of the field.
Click to expand...
Was gonna say Alston coming back is probably best case scenario because we like to fake pressure and drop him down in the middle and in the flat.

I’d like to see some corner blitzes. Easy to do against Syracuse because they don’t always spread out too wide. They give you guys close to the formation. Damari could be effective there lined up on Gadsden and then coming on a blitz. Not sure if they put him in that role right away or more on boundary at first
 
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Gadsen the TE is their leading receiver with 65 receptions, 810 yds

Meeks and Pena are the two leader WR, with 66 receptions,801 yds and 73 receptions, 743 yds respectively

their RB, LaQuint Allen, has 819 yds rushing AND 55 receptions, 423 yds receiving. He does it all..

As a team, they average 11.6 yds per catch
 
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They want to air it out. Run game wasn’t that effective against UConn. Maybe they went vanilla. Need damari back to play on gadsen. He’s a dude. Maybe best receiving te in the nation. McCord isn’t a burner. He’s a decent scrambler. They have guys back there no doubt. Bet the over lol. If we go straight 4-3 they will light us up.
 
You guys keep calling Gadsen a te he isnt.

Hes just like his dad just a big wr, they play him out wide. We cant play any of our lbs on him other than maybe Pruitt in spot duty here n there

Their guy is they have a restrepo in the slot the hispanic kid and he can be a real threat. Need to bracket him

Im hoping this is the game our dl ggoes wild because they wll drop back 40 times..take the over.
 
1. Stop LeQuint Allen in the run game. If 'Cuse can run the ball well our defense has no chance.
2. Pressure McCord, preferably with just the front four/front four + 1

McCord lacks mobility which eliminates one of our defense's weaknesses. (Watch him run for a 60 yard TD next week now, lol). After the distaster agaisnt Pitt, they dropped McCord back less against VT and ran Allen a lot more, but since then they're back to dropping him back 50+ times a game. He hasn't thrown an INT in the last 3+ games, which I don't think is sustainable. Pressure him, force 'Cuse to have Allen and Gadsen help out blocking our rushers, and get multiple picks.

At least early on in the game I think the best defense will be Dawson and Cam commiting to the run game and controlling the ball and the clock. 'Cuse is awful against the run. Potential is there to have Edge vs. UCLA type day in the run game
 
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