Jump to content


** 2018 Opponent Previews: Troy (Game 3) **


Saunders

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, huskered17 said:

UCF's D didn't impress me last year, as they gave up a lot of points to just about everyone they played. 

No they didn’t. They were 43rd in the nation with 24.7 oppg. Only 4 teams scored above that mark on them, those being Memphis(2nd ppg), USF(9th), Auburn(18th), and FCS Austin Peay. Keep in mind they held Memphis(1st game) and SMU(14th ppg) well below their season average. 

  • Plus1 2
Link to comment

7 hours ago, DrunkOffPunch said:

No they didn’t. They were 43rd in the nation with 24.7 oppg. Only 4 teams scored above that mark on them, those being Memphis(2nd ppg), USF(9th), Auburn(18th), and FCS Austin Peay. Keep in mind they held Memphis(1st game) and SMU(14th ppg) well below their season average. 

 

And Austin Peay was beat by 40, which is more than they scored. That UCF defense wasn't great, but it was relatively efficient and got a lot of stops to win key games. 

Link to comment
4 hours ago, brophog said:

And Austin Peay was beat by 40, which is more than they scored. That UCF defense wasn't great, but it was relatively efficient and got a lot of stops to win key games. 

 

Also, my completely anecdotal and unscientific opinion is there are a lot more offensive players to go around than there are defensive players.  So there are enough skill guys that even the Group of 5 teams can find some pretty good players on offense.  But it's a lot harder to find defensive players - especially defensive linemen and cornerbacks - so it's a lot more difficult to get talent at those spots for the smaller schools.

 

So that's another reason that I'm willing to give Chinander a chance to see what he can do with some better athletes.  Obviously the competition will get better as well but I think the talent he has to work with on defense will be a much bigger step up than it will be on offense.

  • Plus1 3
Link to comment
7 hours ago, Mavric said:

 

Also, my completely anecdotal and unscientific opinion is there are a lot more offensive players to go around than there are defensive players.  So there are enough skill guys that even the Group of 5 teams can find some pretty good players on offense.  But it's a lot harder to find defensive players - especially defensive linemen and cornerbacks - so it's a lot more difficult to get talent at those spots for the smaller schools.

 

 

 

Absolutely. The defensive side of the ball is where recruiting really shows. No matter how proactive or aggressive a defensive scheme is, it is still the reactive side of the ball. Any offense can attempt to scheme around their weaknesses by virtue of having the ball and making the defense adjust to what they are doing. The defense, any defense, is prone to getting attacked where it is weak.

 

To that point, two of UCF's best defensive players, Hughes and Griffin, were gambles in their own way. Griffin's story is known at this point, Hughes was a P5 talent that got into some legal trouble. UCF and it's kind has to find defensive talent where it can. 

 

Meanwhile, the offensive side of the ball can plug in an undersized, but speedy running back, even as a freshman because he only needs to do what he's capable of doing. You can so much more easily accommodate a range of players on offense for this reason.

 

IMO, there is no excuse for ever having a bad offense. Small schools, service academies, P5 bottom dwellers...all have shown time and again that you can have a good offense without needing to recruit elite talent. 

  • Plus1 3
Link to comment
8 hours ago, Mavric said:

So that's another reason that I'm willing to give Chinander a chance to see what he can do with some better athletes.  

 

Looking back at Nebraska defenses the better part of this century is why I'm willing to give Chinander a chance. 

 

Regardless of form or nomenclature, two words I'd use to describe Nebraska defenses over this span is Rigid and Passive. Neither of those is how I'd describe a Chinander unit. 

 

At the end of the day, once a play is identified; the RB breaks the line of scrimmage, the pass is thrown, it's about 11 guys chasing down and tackling one guy. It's really that simple. So much of the various past schemes have been about area control, that we've kinda forgot this part. 

 

What Chinander and crew are doing is not eschewing control, but rather being more aggressive through the proper use of leverage. It's about attacking through the ball carrier/blocker with risk mitigation because you've taken the angle that reduces their threat. It's more fair to call it a philosophy than a scheme. He can and will use a lot of schemes, but they're all taught through this conceptual framework. What I love isn't so much where they put the players but that they explain the why to the players. That allows players to break the rules, ultimately allowing 11 to tackle 1.

 

I think we will have a pretty good defensive unit this year. Obviously thin in the secondary, and it may take some time to find the right mix at LB, but the defensive line should be solid out of the gate. At some point, this defense will understand the freedom they have and it'll click. Should be a lot of fun when that happens.

  • Plus1 4
Link to comment

Quote

Four teams in college football that could surprise us in 2018?

 

Troy

 

The Trojans need to replace quarterback Brandon Silvers, but they’re deep almost everywhere else on offense thanks to coach Neal Brown’s scheme—which rolls in waves of players on a regular basis and creates a perpetually experienced group.

 

Troy and Appalachian State likely will fight for the Sun Belt title, but the Trojans have a chance to make national headlines when they host Boise State in Week 1 and when they travel to Nebraska in Week 3.

 

SI.com

  • Plus1 1
Link to comment
1 hour ago, Mavric said:

 

SI.com

 

How is Troy a surprise team? They are not some 6 or 7 win team. They are an 11 win, conference champ that went to LSU and won....and everyone knows this coming into the season. They won't surprise Boise, Nebraska, and certainly not the Sun Belt conference.

 

I find it insulting to suggest Troy is a surprise team, because the only reason someone can suggest that they are such is because of their conference affiliation.

  • Plus1 1
Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...