This article appeared in Athlon Sports' 2018 Big 12 Regional Football Preview Editions. Cornerback is a different situation. 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). After missing the first week of camp in health and safety protocols, Jackson was practically unblockable in practices, using his finesse moves on the edge to cause havoc in the backfield. As I wrote in early 2019 after Texas defeated Georgia, Orlando's defense uses hybrid players and different alignments to put pressure on offenses. USC's new defensive coordinator didn't waste time schooling Trojans on new scheme New USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando didn't let the COVID-19 shutdown stop him from familiarizing the Trojans to his defense. Todd Orlando, defensive coordinator, Houston. The beauty within Orlandos use of interchangeable players allows him to stay within packages, but get different pre-snap looks. The image above shows the Longhorns base look against the ever prevalent Y-Off 20 pers. 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. LOS ANGELES It was clear for most of fall camp. USC played just five defensive linemen against Arizona State. - Mayfield completed a season-low 63 percent of his passes in the Red River Showdown. I just feel like now that burden is on me, being the veteran.. 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.. Theyve been physical in the run game but they all kind of complement each other.. As defensive coordinator at Houston in 2015 and 2016, he oversaw a defense that finished 20th and 13th in the nation in yards allowed. 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. I would have loved to be in a 4-3, Roach told Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth-Star Telegram. Herman said Orlando would be the first assistant in his foxhole. 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. Orlando said hes already adjusted his scheme, which relies on mixed fronts and aggressive blitzing, to fit USCs personnel. USC, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Missouri each rushed 34-plus times against Texas but averaged only 4.2 yards per carry. Texas junior defensive endMalcolm Roachsaid an Orlando film session is everything youd want it to be. That means a detail-oriented outlook focused to the point where Orlando will call out a player for a 12-inch step instead of a 6-inch one. Were going to have to work the heck out of this. Boca Raton will not be the first time Orlando coaches in South Florida. Schematically, Orlando excels because hes aggressive and prepared. The odd front (three defenders) gave Orlando flexibility. Preparing for his first season as defensive coordinator at No. Orlando, 47, is considered a rising head coaching candidate, and his contract reflects that. Practices under Herman and Orlando are hard. After all, he fired Orlando and brought in Ash as an agent of change. Before joining Tom Hermans staff at Texas, Orlando was viewed as a rising defensive mind in college football. The only two Pac-12 schools behind them are Cal and winless Arizona. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Want to keep up with all the latest FAU football and recruiting news? 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. A clearer picture of USCs new defense should crystallize in the coming days, with contact no longer limited. To me, hes a special player, Orlando said. If the guard stays on the 4i (double team), both the Mike and Will are left free to flow with the play and what DC doesnt want is ILBs free-flowing to the ball? We need everyone to execute at the utmost level to make things work. We all saw how that worked. 20 Southern California, however, has been different because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Trojans defense shifted into different looks, sometimes showing two down linemen with Jackson and defensive end Nick Figueroa standing up. He beats the tackle clean, forces the throw fast and its an incomplete. "I feel like I need to take some time for my wife, kids and grandkids while also looking to see if I can help college football on a larger scale," Patterson told Horns247. 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. Nearly every defensive coordinator will say theyre multiple in the various looks theyll give an offense. It didnt matter much. The numbers back up that decision, as Texas tied for 66th nationally with 27 sacks in 2019, down five from 2018. Yet, because of the way the Longhorns fly to the ball, it doesnt much matter that the numbers are pushed back. Aside from one spring practice, the intricacies of his scheme were installed only over Zoom. Contact drills were reduced to virtual cues. And sometimes they went with a 3-4 look with its normal defensive line (Figueroa, Marlon Tuipulotu and Caleb Tremblay) and Jackson and Hunter Echols as outside linebackers. End Jacob Lichtenstein is expected to be a contributor this season, and freshman Korey Foreman will be ready on third down early in the season. 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. The Trojans results against Arizona State were mixed. Orlando utilizes a number of disguised blitzes and coverages out of his 3-4 front, which can cause havoc for an offense trying to sort through things quickly. USC essentially ran a 4-2 front last season under former defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast. On Arizona States final possession, Orlando went back to the 1-4-6 look for the entire drive. I think its a smart move. Not all of its issues were alignment-related though. As expected, USC hired Todd Orlando as its defensive coordinator on Friday. Thats important to know, because Orlando turned down an opportunity to be Pittsburghs DC in his hometown that offseason. It could afford to, considering Arizona State wasnt making it pay through the air. Texas special assistant to the head coach Gary Patterson stepping down from role. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. He brings a passion, energy, toughness and discipline to his coaching, Helton said, and those characteristics were evident in our discussions. Orlando is a linebackers coach in a defense that asks the linebackers to be the primary playmakers on the team. So its difficult to judge just how good the defense truly is at this point. 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. 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. But it can look that way. But structurally, in our opinion, its still so sound.. It took defenses a while to catch up, but Orlando is at the cutting edge with his defensive packages that can disrupt the process and even the playing field. 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. Texas run defense didnt suffer in that time either. Lincoln RileyandKliff Kingsburycome from the Air Raid tree, but their systems look quite different in the same way Kansas States pro-style, option-heavy scheme varies from Oklahoma States spread. "We are excited to have. 20 Southern California, however, has been different because of the coronavirus pandemic. The rover is the tip of the spear for the Orlando defensive scheme, and he uses that position as a solution to the main problem for the 3-4 defense in the modern era: How to create a multi-pronged pass rush from a nickel package. Orlando said USC utilized 70 to 75 percent of its defensive package against the Sun Devils. This offseason, there were more than a few reports potentially linking Orlando to head coach jobs. Its three starters (Marlon Tuipulotu, Tremblay and Figueroa) and two backups (Tuli Tuipulotu and Stanley Taufoou) were the only ones who saw action. Visit our online store to order your copyto get more in-depth analysis on the 2018 season. 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. And that might just be the way it is moving forward. Against the more run-heavy approaches from USC, Oklahoma and Kansas State, Orlando utilized his traditional blend of nickel defense, moving quarters coverages and zone blitzes. He joined The Times after six years with the Southern California News Group. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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. 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. As I wrote in early 2019 after Texas defeated Georgia, Orlandos defense uses hybrid players and different alignments to put pressure on offenses. Todd Orlando looks to bring more physicality to USC's defense this year. It also means Orlandos weekly priority of taking away what he calls "game wreckers" is even more imperative. 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. That will change Saturday, as USC takes on San Jose State in the 2021 season opener. Orlando will get his first chance to determine the impact of the tradeoff when the Trojans begin their truncated season . CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. You hear about soggy eggs and burnt toast. Todd Orlando was announced as USCs defensive coordinator Friday, ending a lengthy search for Clancy Pendergasts replacement that had dragged into its fourth week. He would have. in the 80s, most NFL defenses also carry a hybrid DE, regardless if basing out of a three or four-down defense. In 2019, that all fell apart. Longhorns defensive coordinator Todd Orlando debuted his "cowboy" package in a 45-14 win over Louisiana Tech last Saturday. Spread offenses search for the B gap because that is where the conflicted player usually is for a defense. Orlando was fired by head coach Tom Herman on Dec. 1 and Naivar the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the Longhorns who has worked with Herman across four different stops (Sam. Considering how long players have had to learn the scheme, Orlando made clear he wont be as forgiving when it comes to forgetting assignments. 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). We just had to learn to embrace it, and now we look forward to it.. Scrimmages will be over. 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. Here is where USCs struggles against the run and its short rotation, particularly on the defensive line, tie together. I feel the 4-3 will help those guys to show their talents and more people will come out of Texas.. Even further, turn on a Cowboys or Seahawks game and you are likely to see multiple ways to run the Zone or Arc Read. 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 not likely to last forever. There has been a critical error on this website. Be sure to follow us on Twitter at: The time is now! But we understood why we were running it. From Georgia in the SEC to the Longhorns and Cyclones in the Big 12, the new-age Double Eagle took flight as one of the top ways to contain high powered Spread offenses. Safeties Talanoa Hufanga and Isaiah Pola-Mao are expected to take on more active roles in directing the defense. From this ultra-quick 3-2-6 package, the Longhorns then unleashed a small part of Orlando's third-down package with such tremendous force that they started calling it every play against Oklahoma State and then expanded it over the rest of the season into a new base defense. Sometimes when youre a good player, youre just worried about yourself and making your plays, Orlando said. It wasnt all about the front either, the use of Match 3 (Rip/Liz) and the rebirth/redesign of the (Dime) Tampa 2, was a big contributor to how teams attacked the Longhorns, Cyclones, and Bulldogs. Even for much of spring camp. A four-run fourth inning broke the game open for the Longhorns, but they gave it all back and dropped the series opener. The Tite Front works because it forces the offense to bounce everything outside. Schemes aside, Orlandos defense is built on one thing above all his players flying to the ball. He was more of Well keep things simple, well do the same stuff. When you get players who can make throws and can run, you have to be mindful, Orlando told reporters on Wednesday morning. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. The notion that the Big 12 doesnt play defense is false. 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. The Spread offense has touched every corner of college football. The Tite Front was all the rage during the 2017 season. 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. When interim defensive coordinator Craig Naivar finally allowed Ossai to play that role, Ossai produced three of his five sacks in the Alamo Bowl. It made it a lot easier for me to make that decision (to stay).. The Cowboys averaged more yards passing than any team in the country. And as Saturday showed, thats a group with a long way to go. Orlando is widely considered a fast-rising coach in the industry, and players, like Roach, say Orlando should be a head coach someday. This is something, until this year, fathomable only on a 3rd and Long or an end of a half situation in the NFL. You have to look at the film and say, This guy can wreck a game, Orlando said. USC defense has different feel in camp after full offseason Due to the pandemic, USC was unable to implement new defensive coordinator Todd Orlando's scheme in person before the 2020. Feb 18, 2023 . Overall, the rotation was much shorter than what was utilized last year. USCs defense got two hits on Daniels and forced three incompletions on those three plays. If that sounds like thinking, its because it is. 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. A Michigan native and University of Michigan graduate, Kartje previously wrote for Fox Sports Wisconsin and the Bloomington (Ind.) USC defense has different feel in camp after full offseason Due to the pandemic, USC was unable to implement new defensive coordinator Todd Orlando's scheme in person before the 2020 season, so players were learning on the fly as they prepared for the delayed season. Email. Or what type of player they would be getting because of the scheme we ran. 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. Once the guard pulls (the 4is key), he can chase and climb to the mesh. Drake Jackson, who spent last season as more of a strict defensive. USC coach Clay Helton says hes noticed benefits from the Trojans unprecedented start to an unusual, pandemic-shortened season. Youre going to be based on how hard you run to the football, how you get off blocks and how you tackle.. If you take what he says at face value there, maybe they shouldnt be too worried about the additional wrinkles making things confusing or leading to miscommunications. 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. Hes at his best when hes trying to get into the backfield, and thats what he was mainly asked to do on Saturday. Orlandos players have a different term for that distinction. We continue to progress in the pass, Orlando said of the group. When we sat down and started to talk it was just so similar, Orlando told 247Sports. 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. Orlando sorts film breakdown by position. For example, to counteract the speed of the Ravens Lamar Jackson, the San Diego Chargers went uber-small and put up to SEVEN DBs on the field at a time. Orlando has also recently had stops at Texas (2017-2019), Houston(2015-2016), and Utah State (2013-2014). - Grier hurt himself early in the contest against Texas, but Locks 52.9 completion rate in the Texas Bowl was one of his worst of the year.