Why does Elko repeatedly trot out a rush 3, drop 8 prevent defense? It's been going on a long time, and I can't remember his defense having success with it outside of 1 game:

Ags @ Miss. St. 2020: Ran prevent defense pretty much all game, seemed to work very well (we saw Kentucky do the same just one week earlier this season, Elko wisely copied them)

Miss. St. @ A&M 2021: Ran it pretty much all game, got shredded through the air

Ags @ LSU 2021: Had LSU (especially Max Johnson) dead to rights on their last drive, started running it and Johnson carves us up down the field for the win

ND @ Duke 2023: Got ND way behind the sticks on a 4th down that they had to go for, dropped 8 and allowed Sam Hartman to run for the 1st

Ags @ Florida 2024: Game was already in hand, but started running it and DJ Lagway looked the most comfortable and in-control he had all game. He threw an INT, but not before knifing down the field

Ags @ tu 2025: Got them behind the sticks and ran it, leading to a Manning scramble for a TD


Seems to me no defense he's coached (except 1) has been able to execute this defensive call, leading to disastrous outcomes way more often than not.

Am I missing something? Going crazy? How many times must he put his hand on the hot stove?


FWIW, I think this is the only thing keeping him back from being an elite defensive strategist in my mind. Other than this, he's awesome

At 11-1, it's not that disastrous. I agree on the tu game. We let up in the 2nd half. They flipped the script.

83Aggie said:

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At 11-1, it's not that disastrous. I agree on the tu game. We let up in the 2nd half. They flipped the script.

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This. I do think tu loss was on Elko and going to the 3 man front. Should have never switched. Total Elko fan of course, he deserves a mulligan. But that IMO was the reason we lost, not that tu was good or made halftime adjustments to come back in the second half.

C2 Ag 93 said:

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83Aggie said:

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At 11-1, it's not that disastrous. I agree on the tu game. We let up in the 2nd half. They flipped the script.

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This. I do think tu loss was on Elko and going to the 3 man front. Should have never switched. Total Elko fan of course, he deserves a mulligan. But that IMO was the reason we lost, not that tu was good or made halftime adjustments to come back in the second half.

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I think Texas won the game and deserves credit for how they played including the crowd they was predicted to leave early.

But, sure, if you want to continue BAS give the team an excuse…

83Aggie said:

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At 11-1, it's not that disastrous. I agree on the tu game. We let up in the 2nd half. They flipped the script.

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I agree this year only lost us the 1 game, which wasn't so bad at all given we were 11-0 going into it.

However, it's the pattern we're seeing and I wonder why Elko hasn't seen it too and corrected it. What if he wants to run prevent defense in the playoffs and it goes like it usually does? I'd be a bit more pissed

So six instances in 5 years = "repeatedly". C'mon, man.

Just the ones off the top of my head, his defenses have certainly run prevent more than 6 total downs.

What should concern everybody is the fact it always appears in high-leverage situations, and his defense almost always ends up blowing it.

Why would Elko still want to trot it out there?

I was curious and went back and looked at those games. The '21 game against Miss St. - we did run 3 man front, and their QB #2 was hot, he carved us up. Lot of missed tackles and untimely penalties by the Defense helped though.

LSU in '21, we ran 3 man front most of 2nd half and gave Max everything underneath. It worked for the most part, but again a lot of missed tackles. The play for the game winning TD? We brought 6 and Max made a great play.

It must be an in game decision and based on personnel. I think Elko likes his 2 Corners this season and leaves them on an island. That gives him the luxury of bringing the exotic blitzes.

I think Elko is a master on scheming Defense, albeit, the tu game. We should have kept the pressure on Arch in the 2nd Half.

Have you been watching any tape this year? I suggest you go back and watch some of this guy's breakdown. He is VERY complimentary of our disguised blitzes. Outside the tu game second half (and SC first half) which were both horrible disasters, we've blitzed plenty.

https://www.youtube.com/@TheFilmGuyNetwork/search?query=texas%20a%26m

Why ever quit doing what has been winning?

agchugger said:

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Have you been watching any tape this year? I suggest you go back and watch some of this guy's breakdown. He is VERY complimentary of our disguised blitzes. Outside the tu game second half (and SC first half) which were both horrible disasters, we've blitzed plenty.

https://www.youtube.com/@TheFilmGuyNetwork/search?query=texas%20a%26m

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Tackling (especially at LB and Safety) has, and will continue to be, our limiting factor.

Why do people think a 3 man front is a prevent?

That's strange. In the game I watched we used almost nothing that would be called a prevent defense (rushing three, dropping eight). Certainly not on Manning's 4th quarter scramble for the touchdown.

All defenders were within 10 yards of our split 4-2 on that play, a setup we used much of the game. All four linemen rushed. (Manning was naked in a pistol position but it wasn't really a pass play.)

The problems on the play as I saw it:

- York was no match for the Texas guard as he moved to the play.
- Sanford was too quick to move into the line and nullified himself in a traffic jam.
- Hicks was clearly held by the Texas center.
- And Brooks, as the lone free man, misjudged his angle for an unimpeded tackle that could have held Manning to perhaps three yards.
- Plus, Texas' line blocked pretty well.

We invited them to crack the middle all night with that balanced 4-man front (I don't recall us using it much in prior games), but generally it held up. Until it didn't. Review Texas' first possession of the second half, where Wisner pealed off a 50-plus yard run when Sanford couldn't hold a gap. Line-backing is a problem.

Beat Miami.

C2 Ag 93 said:

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83Aggie said:

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At 11-1, it's not that disastrous. I agree on the tu game. We let up in the 2nd half. They flipped the script.

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This. I do think tu loss was on Elko and going to the 3 man front. Should have never switched. Total Elko fan of course, he deserves a mulligan. But that IMO was the reason we lost, not that tu was good or made halftime adjustments to come back in the second half.

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Why would he make that change at halftime when they had been held to just 3 points? Why not just keep doing what you're doing?

How is what I said BAS? Seems actually quite the opposite if my argument is WE lost that game more than Texas won it. And yes, that is exactly what I am saying.

I am not taking anything away from Texas. IMHO, their narrow loss to OSU says something. They had a starting freshman QB (don't care what his last name is). They looked shaky part of the year, but got better as many teams do towards the end of the season. Them beating Vandy and Arky at home did say something, but it was at home. They are a good team and believe they ended ranked right.

But watching the game, it was quite clear our play calling to start 3Q was the main issue. We led 10-3 at the half. And much of 2Q, our defense had it under control. Near the end of 2Q, I recall TFLs and if memory serves one or two sacks. Yes, Manning ran for key first downs a few times. But he is deadly when you give him time in the pocket. This was known BEFORE the game even kicked off. Let him run for some 1st downs, but don't let him sit in the pocket. All season he has struggled when hurried. It is how Florida beat them, and how they went to OT in MSU and Kentucky. Yet.... We marched out in a 3-4 D to start the 3Q and stayed in it until 4Q, after we let Manning have time in the pocket and burn us for 14 points. Too late.

So again, not taking anything away from Texas, they aren't as bad a team as we would like them to be. But not at all sure why the zoo would interpret my take as BAS. Actually quite the opposite. That was our game to lose... and we did.

PS - I see the comments about prevent D. Agree, we were not in a prevent D. My issue is we should have kept 4 on the line and kept the pressure on Manning with hurries, etc. Not sure why anyone thinks a 3 man front is "prevent". It's just a different configuration. What you DO with the players at positions is prevent.

Houston... I think we're saying the same thing. My point exactly... We never should have switched the D. Manning will get some 1st downs. Let him. But we should have kept the pressure on. We were in a 4 man front in first half. More blitzes, etc. Q3.... came out in 3 - 4 and let him have time in the pocket. We changed our D, they didn't change much on O.

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Yet.... We marched out in a 3-4 D to start the 3Q and stayed in it until 4Q, after we let Manning have time in the pocket and burn us for 14 points. Too late.

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I'm at a loss. At what point (down, time) in the third quarter did we go to a 3-4 defense, or rush fewer than four linemen? And how often (downs) do you maintain that occurred? I'm just not seeing it.

Actually you're right. I stand corrected on the number on the line. Looks like we did have 4 on the line in 3Q. But my point remains. Watch what the 4 are doing between Q2 and Q3. One drops back / spies more often than applied pressure. Then the three behind the line are playing further back.

I think they were trying to control for Manning running for 1st downs, rather than just running the same D and applying pressure like they did in Q2.

Y'all are right, not every 3 man front is a prevent defense, and it was a mistake to call what we did against Miss. St. in 2021 the same, though I'd say the 2021 LSU and 2023 Duke examples hit the mark.

I should amend the charge to this: Elko's 3 man front defenses seem to forgo pressuring the QB. Forgoing pressure seems to be a huge mistake, and it's seemed to burn him several times.

It's not ruined this amazing season, but I'd really hate to see this happen again in the playoffs and send us home.

Thought that this might be an RC Slocum thread.