The following offseason after Houstons Peach Bowl victory over FSU, Orlandos alma mater, Wisconsin, offered him its defensive coordinator role when Aranda left for LSU. 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. Its going to be exciting.. In turn, this could mean the end of the road for Orlando in Southern California regardless of who takes the job as head coach of the Trojans. The reason for this is the design of Orlando's defense, which favors speed over size at the middle linebacker position. Were going to have to work the heck out of this. The notion that the Big 12 doesnt play defense is false. Herman isnt shy about issuing compliments to his defensive lieutenant. 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. From there, the hits dont stop. It has been quick to the ball, aggressive in its pass rush situations, effective at creating interceptions and disruptive in clogging the line of scrimmage on run plays. It comes as no surprise that in a league that is at the forefront of the evolution of the Spread would feature unique defenses within the league to counter the offensive onslaught. He was more of Well keep things simple, well do the same stuff. Orlando usually sent four rushers when he used this package early in the game, and Sun Devils quarterback Jayden Daniels took advantage of the pressure on the first drive by ripping off a 38-yard run. It made it a lot easier for me to make that decision (to stay).. Texas didnt do much to stop the onslaught late in the game (no one did), but there are some definite takeaways. Were not going to know the answer to that question until Nov. 7, but Todd Orlando seems very confident this defense will have everything straightforward and understood., Sign up for the Trojans Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. 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. Find out which 3 #USC players go to the Bears in an NBC Sports Chicago mock draft. Orlando walked into the interview room and saw his Aggie defensive film already on the screen. There has been a critical error on this website. Orlando said USC utilized 70 to 75 percent of its defensive package against the Sun Devils. Schemes aside, Orlandos defense is built on one thing above all his players flying to the ball. Orlando sorts film breakdown by position. 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. A safety begins with his role in installation before even glancing at another spot. You have to look at the film and say, This guy can wreck a game, Orlando said. 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. If you bring four and they have six back in there to block, its not good numbers for you especially if youre covering the heck out of everybody. One of those games came in a 13-10 victory over Texas. 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It could afford to, considering Arizona State wasnt making it pay through the air. Most people know what to expect from USCs offense from game to game. Toughness is for naught if the player and coach relationship isnt strong enough to offset those consistent practice blows. Coach Todd Orlando of the USC Trojans during USC football practice at the University of Southern California on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. In fact, Todd Orlandos defense is towards the bottom of the conference in points allowed per game, per SportsPac12s latest. If you go out there and you dont know what youre doing after meeting with someone for seven months, that pretty much explains how much you care, Orlando said. The play is ultimately killed. So in addition to having a blitz package, Orlando teaches his rover how to disguise insert blitzes through the A and B gaps. The Longhorns seemed to never really find a home base on defense. If that sounds like the start of a football romantic comedy, it isnt you wont find two more hard-nosed personalities than Orlando and Herman. They were delayed for two months from when they would normally have a camp. Texas and Georgia, in particular, had great success all year running similar schemes from a base Tite Front. Get your first month for $1. Orlando has proven in previous stops that hes capable of a quick reboot; though, never quite under the current circumstances he now faces. One was down and distance. Those disguised blitzes are a favorite ploy. If you dont, its going to be limited. Defenses that base out of the Tite Front dont mind the bounce because their speedy (and usually free)LBs can now chase down the RB while its overhangs box everything back inside (think of them like the Double Eagles wide-9s). A Michigan native and University of Michigan graduate, Kartje previously wrote for Fox Sports Wisconsin and the Bloomington (Ind.) There's no better way to demonstrate that than to look at howTexas defended the run. Greg Johnson is the veteran returner at nickel back. Pola-Mao returns and has been a stud in camp, causing chaos in blitzing situations and making plays on the ball in pass coverage that he has not made in the past. He spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons under Mario Cristobal and FIU, where he won a share of the Sun Belt title and a bowl game victory. Behind them, USC has transfers like Xavion Alford and Chris Thompson, not to mention a slew of freshmen. They handled the defending Mountain West champion San Jose State Spartans with ease. Orlando will get his first chance to determine the impact of the tradeoff when the Trojans begin their truncated season . Arizona State realized that early, and its two main running backs, DeaMonte Trayanum and Rachaad White, rushed 24 times for 160 yards against USC. When you get players who can make throws and can run, you have to be mindful, Orlando told reporters on Wednesday morning. Its really, really crazy to see., Asked to summarize Orlandos system, Texas senior cornerbackKris Boydsaid succinctly: Just run to the ball and hit.. Defensive coach Todd Orlando of the Texas Longhorns reacts during play against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second . Since Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman dismissed defensive coordinator Todd Orlando two and a half months ago and even before, to some extent it's become clear just how much. We kind of talked about this going into it. Los Angeles. When Orlando walked out of the room he thought, This is my guy. I mean, there was no question in my mind, Orlando said. Practice your tail off and youre going to be playing on Saturdays. The beauty within Orlandos use of interchangeable players allows him to stay within packages, but get different pre-snap looks. I said I understood why we were running what we ran.. that headline is click bate..but Ill learn how to word things differently so my words cant be mixed up. In an effort to get more speed and versatility on the field, Orlando moved Jefferson to mac linebacker, inserted Johnson, a sprinter, at rover and replaced senior B-backer Naashon Hughes with a sixth defensive back. Texas run defense didnt suffer in that time either. 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. 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 Times first reported his hiring Monday. LOS ANGELES USCs season-opening 28-27 win over Arizona State offered a glimpse of what first-year defensive coordinator Todd Orlandos defense will look like. 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. Orlando said the Big 12 is unparalleled nationally when it comes to offensive playcalling. Visit our online store to order your copyto get more in-depth analysis on the 2018 season. Texas would not allow more than 29 points the rest of the season in regulation. No. Herman wanted a coordinator capable of calling a multiple defense, and Orlando fit that bill. 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. Since L.T. Their camp D was a 3-4, but once the season hit, the packages started to proliferate. MQ takes a look at Texas 3rd Down pressure package versus Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. It is not going to be participation awards. That was the biggest thing that we got caught up in, not using our weapons to our full advantage. Owl fans had seen this defensive scheme recently when defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer coached FAU in 2019 as part of the 11-3 Conference USA and Boca Bowl championship season. The Horns look to close out the inaugural season at the Moody Center with a 17-1 record. The deepest position on the USC defense is safety. Twitter: @tcpfootballIn this video, we learn about the origins of USC Football's Defensive Coordinator Todd Orlando's defense. He brings a passion, energy, toughness and discipline to his coaching, Helton said, and those characteristics were evident in our discussions. So what did game No. I let you guys down. Johnson said Orlando repeated these words for two days straight. After the second day of pads (last spring) we were like, Golly, we havent do this much hitting in a minute. Its just that mental toughness they instill in us. Injuries limited the two best blitzers in the secondary safeties BJ Foster and DeMarvion Overshown while the inexperienced cornerbacks also struggled with injuries and the baptism by fire in the pass-heavy conference. Odd-front defenses with nickel and dime packages on the back end are en vogue across college football. Today will be the day, Orlando said Wednesday morning. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. It's a blitz defense that uses eight defensive backs, two. Were starting to try and create things like that defensively, so at least when theyre coming in there and theyre game planning us, you know, maybe it eliminates some plays youd normally see if youre vanilla. Enter your email address to follow this blog & make sure to follow on MatchQuarters.substackcom. Coach Orlando is a real guy, Johnson said. The main difference here is Jackson is playing as a standup linebacker instead of lining up with his hand down like he did most of the time in 2019. They also began to move Hager into different alignments that made the most of his ability to drop into coverage or work around the edge in conjunction with his ability and willingness to crash into tackles from an inside alignment. That wasnt happening before Hermans arrival in Austin. But instead of sending four rushers, USC sent six (Figueroa, the four linebackers and Hufanga) on the final three plays, which forced Daniels, who rushed for 111 yards, to beat the Trojans with his arm. Once at Texas, though, Orlando was inheriting a defense with great athletes but disparate pieces that hadn't been put together into a cohesive unit. looks seen in many Power Spread offenses. But players say Orlandos greatest strength is the ability to break down complicated concepts into digestible pieces. 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. 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. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. Gone was Omenihu, who proved himself capable of producing in Orlandos scheme. Here is where USCs struggles against the run and its short rotation, particularly on the defensive line, tie together. Orlando served as Hermans DC for two years in Houston, coaching a pair of top 30 defenses. The Aggies also ranked fourth in the country in sacks in 2014 with 50. For a coach to sit there and put it on himself instead of the guys that were out there not executing the game plan, it shows he cares.. Even for much of spring camp. The Chargers based out of it for a whole game! By closing both B gaps, the offense has to either plug it up the A gap (which most Spread teams wont do) or run it outside. Facing an offense that averaged 45 points per game, fourth nationally, Orlando reversed one of the core principles of his defensive philosophy. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The Longhorns created four total sacks (averaged 2.33 a game). 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.. Through spring and summer, the physical, hard-nosed brand of defense Todd Orlando promised to bring to USC remained strictly theoretical. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG) Clancy Pendergast there wasnt a lot of mystery to his defense. With Gary Anderson and Dave Aranda's exit to Wisconsin in 2012, the door opened for then Offensive Coordinator Matt Wells to ascend to the Head Coaching position. When interim defensive coordinator Craig Naivar finally allowed Ossai to play that role, Ossai produced three of his five sacks in the Alamo Bowl. This season has not gone according to plan for anybody, especially the defense, and major changes will be headed USCs way. For most of training camp, Jackson was limited by a hamstring issue, which caused some worry for Orlando, who thought the lack of reps might impact the edge rushers tackling. With Drake Jackson now listed as a linebacker and primarily playing in a standup role, USCs base is essentially a 3-3-5. Until you go against live, at the end of the day youre not going to trick everybody in terms of your scheme, Orlando said. Theres no backside meetings. Jackson played with his hand in the ground a bit, just not as frequently as he did last season. Before arriving at Utah State in 2013, Orlando traditionally ran a four-down front. Aside from one spring practice, the intricacies of his scheme were installed only over Zoom. Senior middle linebackerGary Johnsoncame from a junior college in 2016 where the scheme was significantly less complex. Apr 5, 2021. Try a week on us. His defense consequently has two main types of base pass rush, one in which the B-backer works off the edge like in a normal 3-4 defense and another in which the B-backer drops into coverage while the rover blitzes suddenly through the interior. Schematically, Orlando excels because hes aggressive and prepared. One key element I talked about in my latest book, Hybrids: The Making of a Modern Defense, is the use of a more positionless defensive gameplan going forward into the future. Weve got to be mindful of the stuff were doing or asking him to do. Before heading to Utah State and learning the art of disguised zone blitzes and modern 3-4 defense from the Kyle Whittingham coaching tree in the early 2010s, Orlando was a traditional 4-3 coach. Former Texas DE Malcolm Roach criticizes Todd Orlandos scheme, Quick thoughts from No. "We are excited to have. His role evolves into something else over these next few weeks. 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. Once I left, I thought we were one and the same.. 3 Kansas on Saturday to close the regular season. Before that, his inaugural Utah State defense ranked seventh in points allowed. The Trojans results against Arizona State were mixed. This is where the separation begins.. Its really hard to screw up a run play. It left a big void in our defensive line, experiencewise, Pili said. The image above shows the Longhorns base look against the ever prevalent Y-Off 20 pers. Some of the stuff I was about to say, he was already thinking. Gambling problem? Though Todd Orlandos (DC, USC) time at Texas came to a screeching halt after the 2019 regular season, one thing is clear, the man can create pressure. The Longhorns tried a few different alignments in the secondary, ultimately reverting back to their standard starting group while inserting tweener senior Jason Hall, a 6'2", 220-pounder with physicality and some coverage ability, into the dime role and then expanding that role beyond the robber alignment based off his particular skill set. Boca Raton will not be the first time Orlando coaches in South Florida. 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. Safeties Talanoa Hufanga and Isaiah Pola-Mao are expected to take on more active roles in directing the defense. Email. Most recently, Orlando coached at USC for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. After holding Oklahoma State to 10 points in regulation, Orlando set about tweaking and retooling the base defense around the 3-2-6 lightning package and the robber coverage. Then Utah State's defensive coordinator, Orlando flew to Columbus, Ohio to interview with Herman for Houston's defensive coordinator job. As the season progresses, look for true freshman Raesjon Davis to sneak his way into the starting lineup. Stanley, he has natural mobility. And now former defensive end Malcolm Roach, as he prepares for the NFL Combine, reflected on how much he would have liked to play in Ashs scheme and how much he thinks it will benefit the 2020 Longhorns. Roach believes that Orlandos odd front didnt let the defensive line showcase their abilities. Playing defensive end Marqez Bimage in a similar role produced better results for Texas late in the season. Under Orlando's direction last season, Texas run defense jumped to eighth nationally from 76th the year prior. 2. Innovation comes from desperation, and in the offensive gauntlet that is the Big 12, it has created an evolutionary playground for defensive (and offensive) football. The football bona fides were clear. 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. Thats important to me. Practices under Herman and Orlando are hard. The Tite Front works because it forces the offense to bounce everything outside. Orlando is a linebackers coach in a defense that asks the linebackers to be the primary playmakers on the team. That style of play didnt transfer to the NFL and the NFL didnt understand what type of player this guy was. Orlando has always been multiple, but it seemed like in the end there was just too much going on which was evident by Head Coach Tom Hermans decision to go with Chris Ash as the DC who is known for a simpler style reflecting Ohio State (with more of a Quarters base). None of that stuff. In watching ITS throughout this fall camp and knowing that he has a sense of urgency to really capture that position as well as be elite at it has been really nice to see.. Orlando now resides in Los Angeles with the USC Trojans and it will be interesting to see how the PAC 12 chooses to attack the Orlando system. In Orlandos scheme, the Mike is the plugger and will go away from the Nose. He dropped into coverage just twice against Arizona State, by The Athletics very unofficial count. Bastrop Cedar Creek defensive end Alfred Collins said new defensive coordinator Chris Ashs even front as a reason why he signed earlier this month. 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. When Tom Herman hired Todd Orlando to be his defensive coordinator at the University of Houston, Herman was looking for a coach who could teach the kind of defense that always gave him fits. By Coachlamons @nukeit1981 Dec. Because nobody will throw the ball on you, theyll just run it. Thats where our emphasis is going to be this week.. Tuli Tuipulotu, one of the stars of spring football, brings similar flexibility to the position. 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). 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. Todd Orlandoremembers feeling bad forTom Herman. 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. Adam Grosbard covers USC athletics for the Orange County Register and Southern California News Group. The former is built on repetitive contact. The Trojans were also missing Brandon Pili, an experienced senior who would have definitely been in the rotation, on Saturday. Youre going to be based on how hard you run to the football, how you get off blocks and how you tackle.. Gone were the inside linebackers who were so effective as blitzers. Johnson and Wheeler added another 17 run stuffs combined as the linebacker position went from being a major deficit to a team strength. We try to take the philosophy of trying to make people one-dimensional, run the football on you and control the clock, because, in my opinion, there are less mistakes made on you when you turn around and hand the ball off and they can get seven or eight yards.. 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. That much was clear on Saturday, and its why losing a player like Tufele, who possesses all three traits, hurt so much. Hes a guru, said Texas junior safetyBrandon Jones. Every time USC football scrimmaged, there was one side of the ball that dominated much of the live periods: the defense. 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. https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/2021/10/13/todd-orlandos-defense-has-been-getting-exposed-all-year-long/. perspective, he's found Orlando to be a gem of an assistant for a variety of reasons. Orlando is widely considered a fast-rising coach in the industry, and players, like Roach, say Orlando should be a head coach someday. Two things generally forced USC to shift out of its base defense. 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. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. You hear about soggy eggs and burnt toast. It's 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.. We have the same mentality, Orlando said. Orlando has previously doubled as linebackers coach, a position that USC split last season between Johnny Nansen, who coached inside linebackers, and Joe DeForest, who coached outside linebackers.