Do one of you smart guys have access to a site that shows the different defensive alignments that the Aggies run.

For example, the number of times we were in dime, nickel, a standard 4-3, 3-4, 4-2-5, etc.

I'm always curious about this and the off-season seems like a good time to discuss it. I know it really doesn't matter, but I usually get so lost in the games that I don't pay attention. I think it would be interesting to know what our overall defensive philosophy is. Most of us just watch the games but I do like to be as educated as possible. Obviously, it's easier to follow the offensive formations. At least, it is for me.

Multiple.
Hope that helps.

Check this page out OP. Good stuff: https://secstatcat.com/

We play a lot of nickel and dime. That's why you only see two linebackers on the field a lot of the time. We would play some 4-3 if we actually played a team similar to ourselves but there are not many offenses out there predicated on running the ball. Most have gone to some sort of spread attack passing the ball which means more Wr's and more DBs. If you remember Ohio st tried to use 4-3 alignments against bama and you saw how that turned out. Linebackers cannot run with Wr's. Hence mostly nickel and dime coverages.

as long as the Ags continue to have a strong d-line...

any alignment should be okay

I dont have stats, but 5DBs was the norm. Erick Young is physical, which helps. I dont remember seeing a lot of 2TE or 2RB (with a FB, not just 2 tailbacks). I want to say that we mostly stayed in 4-2-5.

In a tpyical Elko defense, he uses a platoon system at the NB. A true Nickel for passing opponents, and a hybrid for running opponents. But Erick Young was the best for both roles, so we did not need to platoon.

Elko did play some 3 man fronts in passing situations.

Alpha Texan said:

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Nice try, Saban, but you'll have to do your own scouting.

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Dang it! You got me. I thought the AgTag would throw you off. Lol

ZofranAggie said:

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Check this page out OP. Good stuff: https://secstatcat.com/

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Thanks for the website. It's a good read, but seems to be more offensively specific. Of course, I could have missed something or read it wrong. I'd love to find something that broke down our defense for each game.

I think you are looking at it invertedly. What the offense does dictates what the defense does, unless an obvious weakness. We had no glaring weaknesses. The minor weakneses were in the passing game. They tried to isolate either a CB, NB, or LB against a faster WR. Nobody was daring us to bring in LB3.

Even the run-first opponents typically played with 3 WR.

The CBs/NBs were not fast enough to run with the elite SEC WRs. They were not bad, just not elite. Buddy struggled some against RPO. Buddy was stout vs run and a decent blitzer. Very few college MLB can play downhill and matchup well with the RPO.

So, anything but 4-2 was situational: usually very short or long yardage, except the change-up.*

Only 3 opponents had plus TEs: FL, LSU, SC. I dont remember much about SC, other than we won big. FL and LSU both had such good WRs, that they were not about to bring in a blocking TE nor a FB except situationally.

The SC game might be telling if you rewatched it. Maybe someday I will. They had 1 good WR and an effective TE. I dont think their other WRs were all that. They might have gone more 12 and/or 21.

The 1 change-up Elko liked was to go 3-3 on 3rd and long. He would take Brown or McKinley out and bring in Andre White. Brown was a good pass rusher, but it gave him a rest and forced the QB to react to something new. We would usually move Peevy to the NT and sub in Tyree Johnson if he was not already in the game. Buddy/Hansford/White are all decent blitzers.

I wish I could tell you how frequency. My guess would be ~20% of 3rd and 7-15, but just a guess.

OP, you and I may be the only ones who care. I re-watched the first half of the '20 SC game. We went up '21 right before the half and the game was out of reach.

For those new to the conversation, I thought it would be an interesting game since they are one of the few teams to regularly play with less than 3 WR. Against 3 or 4 WR, my memory says we pretty much played base 4-2-5.


They ran 26 offensive plays (excluding punts/fg attempts)

-1 time we got in 4-3 (they almost broke a big pass play, so that was the end of 4-3)
-5 times we got in a modified Dime (3-2-6), all on 3rd downs
-20 times in base 4-2-5

They got in 12 personnel 11 times. They got in 21 once (or maybe it was just 12, with the TE as the FB in the I) on the first play of the half.

They only showed 12 on 3rd down on a 3&4. Every other 3rd down attempt was longer and they got in 11.

All 5 plays in modified dime were on 3rd downs. We played it once on 3rd&4, 8, 10(twice), and 11. On a 3&12 and 3&15, we played base.

I say modified b/c we brought in Brian Williams, instead of a CB. He was matched up on the TE Muse.


SC was an interesting team. They had a good RB. They had a good WR in Shi Smith. They had Muse. Their other weapons were not very threatening. They usually lined Muse up on the boundary side. They usually lined up Smith on the Field side, or motioned him from the Boundary to the Field. Myles is tall and wiry. Muse is big. At the same time, Shi Smith is short and they probably did not like him against Myles.

Myles is 6'4" 185. Williams is 6"1" 210. He still gave up alot of weight to Muse, but is denser than Myles.

The last series of the half, they started mixing in both Muse and Smith to the Field side. They played exclusively 11 personnel that last series.


++++++One other note on the Excellence of Elko++++

Elko figured out how to deal with their 12 sets. He flipped Leal and Tyree. Tyree got to jam the LOS TE (usually not Muse) while Leal destroyed the weakside OT. Once they realized they were getting no benefit from having a blocking TE, they went back to 3WR sets.

Their problem was that their blocking TE was not a very good blocker. Guessing they just had success in other games b/c alot of defensive coordinators do not suffeciently plan for 12 sets.