Been there, seen that
FAU offensive coordinator Darryl Jackson saw ULM's new defensive scheme in college.
Originally published on
9/24/2009
by
Chuck King
BOCA RATON - Louisiana-Monroe coach Charlie Weatherbie couldn’t recruit enough quality defensive linemen to play the four-man front he desired, so he called an audible.
This year the Warhawks are running a 3-3-5 defensive scheme that removes a down lineman and adds a player to the secondary.
While some in the Sun Belt Conference consider the formation to be innovative and trend setting, Florida Atlantic offensive coordinator Darryl Jackson has seen it before.
Jackson played for University of San Diego in the early 90s when the Toreros played a New Mexico squad that employed a base 3-3-5.
He said beating the defense requires quarterback Rusty Smith and center Ryan Wischnefski recognize which defenders will blitz and adjust the play and blocking schemes accordingly.
“You could be running up hill into the fourth guy that’s unblocked -not good - or you could be running to the three man side - which is good,” Jackson said. “Between the three linebackers and the three safeties, out of that six you can get a multiple number of guys coming from different spots, which affects your protection.”
While ULM’s base defense only features three down linemen, the Warhawks will frequently walk either their strong or weak side linebackers to the line of scrimmage. The Warhawks also employ a “Hawk” back – essentially a third safety that can lineup anywhere on the field.
The confusion caused by ULM’s somewhat unusual scheme has led to at least a couple of the Warhawks eight sacks this season.
During Tuesday’s practice, a member of FAU’s scout team defense wore a red jersey to help the offense quickly identify the Hawk. The red jersey was there again on Wednesday, as were two orange jerseys aimed at highlighting the outside linebackers.
“It will never be as good a run defense as it is a pass defense,” said Schnellenberger, citing similar defenses that employ “rover” or “hero” backs. “It’s not really a good pass defense unless you blitz one of your linebackers.”
Schnellenberger added that Owls might throw the 3-3-5 right back at the Warhawks. FAU often employs a similar defensive scheme on third downs where the opponent needs more than 10 yards for a first down.
“It’s part of our defensive package,” he said.
Noteworthy: Wide receiver Lester Jean and tight end Jason Harmon returned to practice after missing the past two with flu-like sickness, however illness caused starting left tackle Carl Spitale to miss today's workout.
PracticeBrowser: A look at Thursday’s practice
Making plays: Defensive back Ed Alexander pulled down an interception near the sideline to halt the offense's two-minute drill late in the practice.
Stepping up: With left tackle Carl Spitale out, redshirt sophomore Max Karrick drew the promotion to first team.
Instant message: “We hit a 54-yarder today working on our field goal attack. Our protection is getting better. We hope it doesn't come down to that, but we've got a weapon if it should."
- FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger on the stregnth of kicker Ross Gornall's leg.
Worth a Re-Tweet: The receivers have dropped so many balls that the coaches are calling running plays in the 2 minute drill
- From Twitter post during practice. Follow us at Twitter.com/FAUOwlAccess