Bend but don't break

Hunter94 said:
any D that gives up 400 yards is not going to win many games...........period.
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The game has changed in favor of offenses.

Georgia Tech was ranked #59 in total defense last year giving up 401.6 ypg. GT had a 9-4 record.

Hell, Oklahoma went 11-2 while giving up 432 ypg.

By my count 4 teams had double digit wins while giving up more than 400 ypg last season.

Giving up 400+ ypg is certainly going to make winning much harder, but it's not impossible.

 
RedDenver said:
The game has changed in favor of offenses.

Georgia Tech was ranked #59 in total defense last year giving up 401.6 ypg. GT had a 9-4 record.

Hell, Oklahoma went 11-2 while giving up 432 ypg.

By my count 4 teams had double digit wins while giving up more than 400 ypg last season.

Giving up 400+ ypg is certainly going to make winning much harder, but it's not impossible.
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Have to agree.  Penn State allowed over 400 yards 7 times last year.  Over 500 twice. 

 
When you don't have the talent to match up very well; the Bend/dont-Break defense gives you the best shot at being competitive with a more explosive offense by not allowing big plays. This D will make sense when we play Penn-St., Wisc. Mich, etc. However, it made NO sense against Ark. St.; and we really should have allowed our DBs to practice man-up D against (probably) lesser talented WRs.

When you have superior talent on D, Bend/Don't Break allows a lesser offense a chance to compete. Look at the A&M/UCLA game... 1st half; A&M pressures rosen and is constantly behind the line of scrimmage --> result: 34 point lead....

QB goes down so they decide to protect lead and play "conservative defense." --> result: Rosen magically has time to throw; 10-15 yard routes are open downfield (much like our game), and Rosen goes off to lead the best comeback of the season in all likelihood.

Point: DON'T bend-but-dont-break, under (almost) any circumstance, if you don't have to. we may have to against the big boys, though.

 
unlfan said:
"Bend don't break" is just a term people use for bad defenses. It's like "inconsistent" for a quarterback. It is just code for bad quarterback.
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Disagree.  The descriptions sound like what Diaco did at ND in 2012, playing the cbs 10 yards back, and it turned out to be our best scoring defense in modern times even if the drives were long and painful to watch. 

 
Really this is just banker's defense in a different set of clothes.

Decent against the run. But a lot of guys get stuck in man to man coverage which leads to bad pass defense.

 
Nebraska's  defensive strategy is very interesting. They are just letting Oregon score very quickly to keep D off the field to stay fresh.!  

 
I thought this defense was supposed to have complex blitz packages and ball hawk. I don't see any aggression or pressure at all. It seems very passive and reactionary, exactly like what we had. Only now we have three on the line holding hands with five o line men instead of four. I'm very confused. Also, why can adjustments only be made at halftime. Maybe diaco needs to be down on the field talking to the players during the game

 
I think 42 earned points (6 TD drives in the first half) is 'breaking" and well beyond bending.  When you play "prevent" but you fail to prevent anything (like first downs, yards gained, field position changed, points scored, time of possession, etc.), there is really nothing you can say your defense accomplished, except perhaps our bend and break defense literally wore out Oregon's offense as they punched themselves out in the first half as they pummeled us over and over.  Call it Rope a dope except, sadly, Nebraska is the dope on the rope.  

 
HuskerJax said:
I thought this defense was supposed to have complex blitz packages and ball hawk. I don't see any aggression or pressure at all. It seems very passive and reactionary, exactly like what we had. Only now we have three on the line holding hands with five o line men instead of four. I'm very confused. Also, why can adjustments only be made at halftime. Maybe diaco needs to be down on the field talking to the players during the game
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Yep, I thought we'd see a lot of zone blitzes and pressure on the passer.  What we've been handed instead is a junior high defense.  UCONN fans are right.  Diaco sucks.  

 
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