Echols was the extra linebacker who came onto the field in those scenarios. 3 Kansas in 75-59 win. Herman just needed to know if the pair would mesh personally. Herman isnt shy about issuing compliments to his defensive lieutenant. Its the reason one of the worst defenses in program history in 2016 transformed into one of the best with the same players in college football's most potent offensive conference. Drake Jackson will man the hybrid outside backer position again this season. USC names Todd Orlando its new defensive coordinator One of the areas in which Orlando has excelled as a teacher is in the art of disguising pressures and dictating to opponents with stop calls. Hermans old college buddy,Dave Aranda, recommended Orlando highly Orlando took over as DC at Utah State when Aranda, now at LSU, went to Wisconsin. I love TO hes one of the smartest defensive minds I ever played for.. Find out which 3 #USC players go to the Bears in an NBC Sports Chicago mock draft. Stanley, he has natural mobility. Continue reading Attacking the Tite Front. The inside LB corp consists of a Mike and what is referred to as a B backer. Orlando first will bring up a picture to show the correct placement for a player. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament. One was down and distance. One thing to not overlook is the away side 4i who has leverage on the away side tackle. If you dont, its going to be limited. But those arent the only areas that were to be evaluated starting Wednesday. However, Orlando was stubborn in keeping his defensive ends playing heads up on opposing offensive tackles instead of giving them early-down opportunities from the five technique like James Lynch enjoyed at Baylor. Last year, Orlando helped the Longhorns shed more than 10 points per game allowed on defense despite working with 10 of the 11 starters from2016's porous unit. Roach believes that the changes will produce better results on the field and better position future defensive lines to make the jump to the next level. And Charles Omenihu won the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year award in 2018 with 9.5 sacks playing in the same scheme that ultimately limited Orlandos last defense in Austin. Contact drills were reduced to virtual cues. The point behind that question is not that hard to grasp: Is a complex scheme necessary to give USC a winning edge, or should a simplified scheme be used in Week 1, to not load players with too many assignments, reads, or details? One question I am asking to college football experts is this: Should Todd Orlando emphasize complexity of scheme or simplicity of scheme against Jayden Daniels and the Sun Devils on Saturday? New USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, shown during his tenure at Texas, didnt let the COVID-19 shutdown stop him from familiarizing the Trojans to his defense. Orlando, 48, spent the last three seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas, where he was one of the highest paid assistants in college football. Herman knew within 10 minutes of talking with Orlando hed found his defensive coordinator. Nothing went right for Texas and the principles Orlando instilled all offseason seemed to evaporate. Arizona State realized that early, and its two main running backs, DeaMonte Trayanum and Rachaad White, rushed 24 times for 160 yards against USC. looks seen in many Power Spread offenses. Get your first month for $1. In both cases, Orlando said, those defenses simply needed a kickstart., I think thats what [Ive done], the places Ive been coming into, is just to try to free these guys up, Orlando said. At Utah State, where he worked in 2013 and 2014, Orlandos defenses also finished in the nations top 20 in fewest points allowed. As I wrote in early 2019 after Texas defeated Georgia, Orlando's defense uses hybrid players and different alignments to put pressure on offenses. And with depth limited at linebacker, Ralen Goforth and Kanai Mauga have emerged as top candidates to start alongside Palaie Gaoteote in roles theyve had to learn on the fly. He served as the defensive coordinator at the University of Texas at Austin from 2017 to 2019 and the University of Southern California (USC) from 2020 to 2021. FAU's defense . Hybrid players allow an almost endless amount of ways to blitz and pressure an offense without losing coverage ability (youre dropping a speedy LB/DB instead of a rigid D-lineman). I just feel like now that burden is on me, being the veteran.. This allows the B backer to be a free player and essentially go get the football! The Longhorns base with a true Nickel as well, and align him opposite the Jack, primarily with the passing strength. Todd Orlandoremembers feeling bad forTom Herman. Playing defensive end Marqez Bimage in a similar role produced better results for Texas late in the season. But Barry and USC opted not to continue their discussions, and Orlando became the leading candidate. Email. Weve got to be mindful of the stuff were doing or asking him to do. Just the traditional tailback running game, if youre not doing good you have no chance of playing elite defense. They were delayed for two months from when they would normally have a camp. The name of the game for Orlando is attacking opponents where they are always weakest -- in their ability to handle pressure and confusion with little reaction time. On the back end, Orlando typically employs a quarters coverage that allows his defensive backs to break aggressively to the football while preventing big plays. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. So its difficult to judge just how good the defense truly is at this point. Its going to be exciting.. LOS ANGELES (AP) Todd Orlando has plenty of experience arriving at a new school and installing his defensive scheme for the first time. But it can look that way. (Liberty vs Arkansas 22), Dec. 22 Blitz of the Month Georgias Pod Alignment, Blitzing from the Odd Stack vs a Pro Style offense (Ole Miss vs Kentucky 22). Its OKto fail, man. Odd-front defenses with nickel and dime packages on the back end are en vogue across college football. But that moratorium on full-contact practice was lifted Wednesday, finally offering Orlando a long-awaited glimpse of what his USC defense is made of. But when asked what separates Orlando from other defensive coaches, Herman pointed out a single aspect of Orlandos repertoire: Its just his creativity, his adaptability.. Tuli Tuipulotu, one of the stars of spring football, brings similar flexibility to the position. Thats where adaptability comes into play. Its a pretty substantial change in terms of what theyre doing on defense. Thats important to me. This offseason, there were more than a few reports potentially linking Orlando to head coach jobs. I would have loved to be in a 4-3, Roach told Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth-Star Telegram. One of the key subplots to USCs season opener against Arizona State is the performance of the Trojans defense, more specifically the secondary. Visit our online store to order your copyto get more in-depth analysis on the 2018 season. Theyre the best in the country. Orlando's favorite scheme against the run in his multiple 3-4. In 2021 most defensive coaches will tell you their defensive schemes are "multiple,'' which is true to a degree. Schemes aside, Orlandos defense is built on one thing above all his players flying to the ball. Their rotation would be a bit deeper, too. Orlando has a long coaching career with multiple stops across the country. In the illustration above, the play side offensive tackle will either have to handle the 4i by himself or rely on the guard for a double team. Gone was Omenihu, who proved himself capable of producing in Orlandos scheme. Hes a guru, said Texas junior safetyBrandon Jones. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. You hear about soggy eggs and burnt toast. But Orlando paid Herman, a former QB coach, an even higher compliment than that. Aside from one spring practice, the intricacies of his scheme were installed only over Zoom. It rotated just one inside linebacker (Kanai Mauga) in, and that was only for a handful of plays. He joined The Times after six years with the Southern California News Group. 'Different in a good way': USC DC Todd Orlando on installing a scheme Orlando used it during his media availability on Wednesday, too. There's no better way to demonstrate that than to look at howTexas defended the run. I wrote about Orlandos prowess as a DC in my article discussing how teams attack the Tite Front, the Longhorns base defense, but it is his use of multiple personnel packages within a game that truly shows his knack as a DC. Today will be the day, Orlando said Wednesday morning. Now they brought in a new staff, giving those guys the opportunity to rush the passer and show what they have.. Of course, the weight loss and new position might cause some in the fan base to wonder if Jackson is being utilized incorrectly if his production dips, but for now, his responsibilities dont seem much different than last year. Click here to buy a copy today or visit your local newsstand! Todd Orlando - Football Coach - USC Athletics How you practice around here is going to be how many reps you get, Orlando said. Orlando's new USC defense set to debut after pandemic delays After that hell usually return to the picture one last time before moving to the board to draw different concepts out of the same look. Once I left, I thought we were one and the same.. The pairing, if things break right, could bring Texas back to where it expects to be annually. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. If the guard decides to climb for the Mike (illustrated), the 4i can easily get penetration and maybe even block or negate the pull (I have a clip of this later vs TCUs 11p single-back Power). 'He's a guru': How Todd Orlando transformed the Texas defense - 247Sports Among current players, defensive end TaQuon Graham was something close to ecstatic about the potential for rushing the quarterback in Ashs defense following the Alamo Bowl win over Utah. The Times first reported his hiring Monday. It took a toll on our bodies, Locke said. The Longhorns used lightning package variation the remainder of the season, allowing only 21 points per game the rest of the way. USC needs more size, speed and athleticism at every level of its defense. I let you guys down. Johnson said Orlando repeated these words for two days straight. Then well get an idea of what the defense is truly capable of after losing contributors like DT Marlon Tuipulotu, CB Olaijah Griffin and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Talanoa Hufanga. What I think were all starting to learn defensively theres some four-down stuff thats really good but the number of people you can get off the ball based on how the offense is attacking can be advantageous to you.. He knows everything thats going to happen. A look at how Texas defenders fit in Todd Orlando's scheme The Longhorns have plenty of returning talent for the prospective defensive coordinator to utilize. This season has not gone according to plan for anybody, especially the defense, and major changes will be headed USCs way. This "lightning" package was built off a "robber coverage" and an alignment that looked like this: Basically, the Longhorns traded a man up front for the ability to play Cover 2 to either side of the formation with a "robber" in the middle who could read the play and then serve either as inside help against the dreaded double-post combinations that Oklahoma State liked to run or as an extra man coming just a touch late in the run game. Were going to have to work the heck out of this. Orlando, despite his concessions against the pass, said the beauty of the lighting package is Texas numbers up front still cover up against the run. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG) Boca Raton will not be the first time Orlando coaches in South Florida. The Chargers based out of it for a whole game! Drake Jackson, who spent last season as more of a strict defensive end, shed 25 pounds and shifted into a hybrid linebacker role. Herald-Times. A good run defense has been a calling card of. Brandon Pili And Marlon Tuipulotu Talk Learning Defensive Schemes via It is not going to be participation awards. Twitter: @tcpfootballIn this video, we learn about the origins of USC Football's Defensive Coordinator Todd Orlando's defense. The defense made the final stand to seal the victory, but it also gave up some big plays and surrendered 258 rushing yards to the Sun Devils. Orlando told his team, Its my fault. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, Winter storms ease drought conditions in California, report shows, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, David Lindley, guitarist best known for work with Jackson Browne, dies at 78. As defensive coordinator at Houston in 2015 and 2016, he oversaw a defense that finished 20th and 13th in the nation in yards allowed. The arrangement wasnt ideal for anyone involved, least of all the new defensive coordinator tasked with toughening up a unit that, for seven months, was barred from standing next to each other, let alone colliding. Even for much of spring camp. Even the NFL saw many of its teams embrace a more open style of play. Then Utah State's defensive coordinator, Orlando flew to Columbus, Ohio to interview with Herman for Houston's defensive coordinator job. Enter your email address to follow this blog & make sure to follow on MatchQuarters.substackcom. USCs defense got two hits on Daniels and forced three incompletions on those three plays. 3. Boca Raton, Fla. - Just over 24 hours after FootballScoop.com first reported that FAU defensive coordinator Mike Stoops was heading to Kentucky to coach with his brother Mark Stoops, the Owls have quickly found his replacement in former Southern California defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Todd Orlando, per Bruce Feldman. He said on the first day of practice that it was clear these guys knew more than they would have coming into a fall camp in a normal year, which is quite a statement when you consider they didnt have a spring. The timing between Daniels and his receivers was off all game. His defenses would mix in three-down looks, but that was only about 20 percent of the time. DeForest left last month to coach at North Carolina State. This is something, until this year, fathomable only on a 3rd and Long or an end of a half situation in the NFL. Imagine if this actually happens. Lack of preparation, scheme and just overall performance is all tied in, but it hasnt been a good effort whatsoever. Theres a reason why he was let go. The modern spread offense is defined largely by quick-hitting pass plays, run/pass options and finally play-action shots that often feature six- or seven-man protections. Its a testament to what a normal offseason has done for second-year coordinator Todd Orlando and his ability to install the defense and instill the mentality he wants from his players. Orlando is now a handsomely paid football coach, in his third year as the Texas defensive coordinator having progressed up the career coaching ladder, from Penn to UConn to FIU to Utah State to. There are a lot of questions about how the Trojans offensive line will perform, but having Brett Neilon at center and Alijah Vera-Tucker at left tackle should help. Its not likely to last forever. I dont know how theyre going to play it, but thats going to be worth watching against a quarterback (Jayden Daniels) who is a veteran.. The real issues went beneath the surface. Stilleto Boy wins the Santa Anita Handicap for trainer Ed Moger Jr. Sierra Canyon girls basketball team is two wins away from perfect season, Practical Move gives trainer Tim Yakteen a win in the San Felipe Stakes, Sam Farmers crystal ball: NFL mock draft 2023 version 1.0, UCLAs freshmen living up to the hype, carry Bruins into Pac-12 title game. Orlando now becomes the seventh defensive coordinator in seven seasons for FAU. Todd Orlando has plenty of experience arriving at a new school and installing his defensive scheme for the first time. USC, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Missouri each rushed 34-plus times against Texas but averaged only 4.2 yards per carry. 1 overall pick), Rudolph (3rd-round pick),Will Grier(preseason All-American) andDrew Lock(projected first-round pick). FAU brings back a solid core talented defenders in their front seven and have also added numerous former blue-chip transfers to solidify their front seven. For instance, before the snap he might show a field overload to induce an audible from the offense only to drop those players back and bring the overload from the boundary: These styles of blitzes can really mess up an offense's protections, option reads, passing progressions or blocking schemes, but they have their own vulnerabilities, in particular the man coverage the defense tends to play behind them. In that game, the Longhorns consistently confused a seasoned and well-coached offensive line, garnering two sacks and seven tackles for loss (TFLs). Get full team previews, schedules, scouting reports, conference predictions, and national rankings. Texas didnt do much to stop the onslaught late in the game (no one did), but there are some definite takeaways. Is Todd Orlando's Big Picture Coming Into Focus? Texas also got produced seven sacks from the secondary because the experienced group on the back end was able to cover long enough for those deep blitzes to get home. The Cyclones used the Dime look as their base defense for the entire season, leading to victories over high-powered offenses like Oklahoma (#1 in BCfToys Offensive Efficiency) and Memphis (#16). In fact, Todd Orlandos defense is towards the bottom of the conference in points allowed per game, per SportsPac12s latest. Todd Orlando was announced as USCs defensive coordinator Friday, ending a lengthy search for Clancy Pendergasts replacement that had dragged into its fourth week. The Big 12 is not new to the concept of smaller faster players playing on the defensive side of the ball. Herman's offense is a spread system focused on running the ball downhill, primarily with inside zone runs, and he found 3-4 defenses that played quarters coverage like Orlando's to be the toughest schemes to deal with while at Ohio State. Yet, because of the way the Longhorns fly to the ball, it doesnt much matter that the numbers are pushed back. A simplified picture combined with an athletic QB who could improvise if things got hairy made the spread offense absolutely deadly. I do think that is the gambit this season with the defense: You have to risk the fact that while there may be some miscommunications, and maybe its getting a little too complicated, also that complication is what could give this defense a leg up from past defenses USC has fielded. The Longhorns were putrid in 2015 and 2016, allowing the third- and sixth-most rushing yards in school history. Texas goal is to play fast on defense, forcing opposing QB to play slow. If the Trojans are going to take a step forward as a program this season, its going to need its defense to make some serious progress. It makes a QB think, said Texas senior defensive endCharles Omenihu. After leaving FIU, Orlando went north to coach Utah State, where their defense ranked 7th and 12th in scoring defense during the 2013 and 2014 seasons, respectively. Arizona State just out-executed the Trojans defense in the run game. Todd Orlando's defense has been getting exposed all year long Share this article 31 shares Matt Wadleigh October 13, 2021 4:15 am PT After the opening weekend for USC, things looked good for. Though Todd Orlando's (DC, USC) time at Texas came to a screeching halt after the 2019 regular season, one thing is clear, the man can create pressure. Some of the stuff I was about to say, he was already thinking. FAU's defense ranked 50th in the country in 2019.In 2021 FAU's defense had its up and downs, ranking 99th against the pass, 75th against the run, and 86th overall, but was in the top 50 in scoring defense. That wasnt happening before Hermans arrival in Austin. The "mac" or middle linebacker helps call the defense and serves as the "first responder" for the defense against the run, looking to plug gaps and spill blocks to the outside linebackers (or nickel and dime defenders as the case may be) and his partner the "rover" linebacker. Todd Orlando, who has 16 years of experience as a collegiate defensive coordinator, was named USC's defensive coordinator in January of 2020. We kind of talked about this going into it. Former Texas DE Malcolm Roach criticizes Todd Orlando's scheme Behind them, USC has transfers like Xavion Alford and Chris Thompson, not to mention a slew of freshmen. However, Willie Taggart and his staff still need to find ready-to-play talent in the secondary as FAU loses four of their top five snap getters from 2021. One question I am asking to college football experts is this: Should Todd Orlando emphasize complexity of scheme or simplicity of scheme against Jayden Daniels and the Sun Devils on Saturday? From a core principle perspective thats not too far off. Fail big.. When we sat down and started to talk it was just so similar, Orlando told 247Sports. Pac-12 reporter and columnist Jon Wilner, on the first episode of our USC Trojans: Wired Podcast, responded to those questions as follows: The two units that require the highest level of cohesiveness take quarterback out are the offensive line and the secondary. Orlando needs opposing offenses to be one-dimensional, and against great quarterbacks that means sacrificing numbers in the box. If you practice soft, youre going to play soft, Orlando said. Todd Orlando's defense has been getting exposed all year long Texas special assistant to the head coach Gary Patterson stepping down from role. He joined The Times after six years with the Southern California News Group. That will change Saturday, as USC takes on San Jose State in the 2021 season opener. With one of the pass-rushing outside linebackers replaced by a nickel DB, the defense is left with only a single edge rusher on the field (the B-backer in Orlando's defense). Preparing for his first season as defensive coordinator at No. Orlandos players have a different term for that distinction. It's a blitz defense that uses eight defensive backs, two.