"South Florida doesn't have the biggest defense. But the Bulls run fast and tackle sure. West Virginia had nearly as many turnovers (six) as plays of 20 yards or more (eight). Burnham's defense goes through tackling drills every Tuesday and Wednesday. If you miss a tackle Saturday, you drill Monday night, too: 10 hits on the tackling sled for every missed tackle.
"If you don't preach it, you're not gon' get it," Burnham said. But he acknowledged that a defense laden with seniors helps.
"They are flying around, being real aggressive," Burnham said. "You can coach that and you're not going to get it every time on some teams. This team responds to that because of the leadership they have out there. They don't let each other mess around very much." "
from ESPNs gameday final