Our defensive weakness is against a power running game. Texas and KState have really good offensive lines and the running backs to run straight at us. Toss in a descent QB who can also run and teams can move the ball on us. Our LBs have good speed and quickness but they're not big and physical. Teams have finally figured out how to attack the Cyclone defense..a smash-mouth power game.
What happened to the Defense?
- Thread starter BloodyBuddy
- Start date
Actually, I think our defense has been way too conservative the last few weeks. Against WVU we were consistently getting pressure with 3 DL (with a well-timed blitz mixed in every so often), and it worked well. But then it stopped getting the pressure and teams were slowly finding the weaknesses in the D. K-State exploited those weaknesses and was eating us alive. Then we decided to dial up the pressure and it was like the WVU game all over again. K-State had no time to operate and the QB was making fatal mistakes as a result.
Yes, this D is the best in the Big 12 and one of the best in the country, but it's not good enough to play "bend but don't break" all game. Our secondary overall is excellent, but it will get beaten in the soft spots of the zones. That's why pressuring the QB is so critical. You all saw the difference tonight: 3 quarters of passive D, 1 quarter of chaos.
Yes, this D is the best in the Big 12 and one of the best in the country, but it's not good enough to play "bend but don't break" all game. Our secondary overall is excellent, but it will get beaten in the soft spots of the zones. That's why pressuring the QB is so critical. You all saw the difference tonight: 3 quarters of passive D, 1 quarter of chaos.
4 man front. Against running teams. Just do it. So sick of Iowa State not adjusting to the team they're playing.
What was the time of possession? It seemed to me that the defense was slowing and losing a little concentration when the offense first scored so quickly and then started turning the ball over.
kcbob79clone
Well-Known Member
Once Uwzurik got into the flow of the game our run defense got a lot better which opened up the pressure, can't pressure on 2nd and 1
We could keep the three man front but then the OLB HAVE to hold the edge - force guys back inside, or string them out until help can arrive. Tonight they were collapsing inside or getting blown up by pulling OL.
Yeah they gotta get the QB at least having to start thinking a bit to be effective.
It took a while for ISU to find the timing for their blitzes too.
I'm happy to eat crow along with almost everyone else, through there is still a large grain of truth in what I said before. But right now, just enjoying the win!!!
This defense is only good when they are blitzing agressivly. Its super disruptive and makes their qb play like ****. K-state completed like one pass once we started using pressure packages. Also I saw no. 50 in the game for a couple plays. Good to see that guy back!
Exactly. Then we lose Payne and Young. Then add to it we lost Eisworth for this game. Good thing is the Drake game will provide ample learning time for the young guys.
end of the first half, he didn't play the entire 2nd half. Jatarias Grant got a lot of PT. It looked like Eisworth had a leg injury as he was limping around the sideline, but it didn't look serious. Probably tweeked a ankle.
Our ends tonight consistently got sucked into the inside.. I'm not sure if they're supposed to be accounting for the B gap and there are linebackers not filling gaps, or if they're supposed to be covering the outside run and getting pushed inwards.. either way, when we're only playing 5-6 in the box with their modified 3-3-5/3-2-6 kind of look, when we aren't playing gap sound, we're going to get gashed..
demoncore1031
Well-Known Member
He played tonight. Made 4 tackles. I thought he was done for the year.
I think we need to keep dialing up the blitzes. Yeah you may get beat on a screen pass or slant here and there, but they are very disruptive and it's better than letting teams nickel and dime you all the way to the endzone.
This would be tremendously stupid to do. The way you recruit and play a three man front is vastly different than the way you recruit and play a 4 man front. You don’t just throw an extra guy up there and flawlessly transition.
Really? So every guy that ISU has recruited for the past 3 years was recruited to play in a 3 man front, even though they have only been using it for a year and a half?
The three man front is great for most teams in the Big 12, but teams like KSU, TX, and Iowa like to run between the tackles with big backs, and it just becomes a physical mismatch.
