Inside the Gameplan: Overload!

Texas really only utilized two blitzes in the spring game. When you consider the wide world of disguises, stunts, pressure combos, and back end coverages in Orlando’s playbook it’s easy to understand why both the first and second team offenses would be in such sorry shape against the defense in the spring. They each struggled some against the two blitzes that they saw in the spring and it’s easy to see them getting overwhelmed facing Orlando’s full arsenal.

Overwhelming protections is Orlando’s specialty and he’s walked into the perfect roster to attack opponents with provided he can teach sound support on the back end. I’ve been noting for some time now that the best way to utilize Texas’ increasingly DE/OLB-heavy roster was a 2-4-5 package that put two OLB/DEs on the field at the same time. Orlando picked up on this potential dynamic very quickly as evidenced by moving Malcolm Roach to “strongside end” where he’ll probably spend most of his time in his natural role as a stand-up hybrid on the edge.

Orlando’s favorite way to attack protections is with the insert blitzes I broke down after the spring game and with overload edge blitzes, which are better in the 3-4 than the 4-3 but perhaps even better in the 2-4 than the 3-4. Here’s how they work…

Understanding the overload blitz

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This is probably the most popular style of blitz in college football which is why it’s often referred to as “America’s blitz” because every program in the nation runs it. In it’s most basic variety the DE crashes inside, the nickel or OLB blitzes the edge, and then the linebacker loops wide as well. Even if your tackle picks up the stunt AND you send help the defense still usually gets a linebacker working against a back, which is typically an easy win at the college level.

The defense is overloading the edge with numbers (though it only takes five pass-rushers) in order to guarantee that someone can get home quickly. Beyond its usefulness for overwhelming protections, the blitz is also a popular tool against spread-option plays.

Here’s the blitz drawn up against a zone-read:

The safety drops down to cover the bubble screen and if the QB doesn’t realize it and thinks that’s a quick and easy outlet this can often become a tackle for loss since the safety is screaming down unblocked. If the QB sees this and tries to read the edge to know whether to hand off or keep there’s a trap waiting for him in the form of that mac linebacker taking the edge after the blitzing nickel. A handoff risks the RB being chased down from behind by the nickel whereas a QB keeper has to contend with the unblocked mac linebacker.

Blitzes like this play the quick reads of the spread-option offense against itself by giving the QB false keys that can trigger disastrous decisions.

Against traditional runs there are three stages to this blitz finding success. The first is the event that the OL can’t pick up all of the movement, give up penetration, and then Malcolm Roach or Poona Ford is tackling the ball-carrier behind the line of scrimmage.

The next is that the OL and RB navigate the pressure but the ball is funneled into the waiting arms of the middle of the field dropper. In the blitz above that’d be Malik Jefferson and continued growth in his ability to read keys and track things in schemes like this are one of the bigger keys to him having his big breakthrough season.

Finally there’s the chance that a DL gets caught or the offense calls a zone play opposite the movement of the DTs and there’s a crease the RB can dart through which Malik or whoever is dropping there can’t fill in time. Now it’s important that the other two underneath droppers and the three deep defenders are pursuing the ball with good leverage and minimizing the damage. A deep safety that knows how to take good angles and make open field tackles is invaluable in this moment.

Against a pass play things are a bit different. You’re hoping for immediate pressure but the trump card is that looping linebacker that comes a tad late off the edge. Assuming the OL picks things up effectively and inside out, then the goal on defense is to take away the QB’s first read so that the linebacker can get home (or flush the QB into the flat where the Predator hunts).

Two offensive tactics that tend to punish this kind of blitz structure are switch routes that force the underneath droppers to effectively trade off receivers without yielding easy windows and then comebacks outside to star outside receivers. Taking away easy throws in the middle is a crucial skill and TCU’s defensive success in the Big 12 (never ranking worse than 31st in passing S&P) is directly related to the fact that Patterson teaches them to match routes underneath consistently well.

In our clip above you see Malik handle a mesh pattern well, bumping his man to buy time for Hughes to pick him up before running to pick up the new crosser over the middle. His speed and ability to close here is yet another reason why it’s likely that Malik will spend a lot of time playing clean up on blitzes rather than rushing, although he’ll still have his number called plenty often.

The deep defenders need to ensure above all else that the offense doesn’t get a touchdown on the play. The challenge is that this can mean they give up enough grass outside that comeback routes become a real threat to pick up first downs:

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It’s hard to stop a gain on these types of plays if the ball is thrown on time to a big, skilled target. Alabama generally likes to play press to deny these kinds of passes, but that exposes you to risk as well:

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The better bet for Texas is counting on Hill and Boyd’s athleticism to close and contest on these passes from off coverage while demanding that Big 12 passers beat them with timing and precision outside of the hash marks. There may be teams they can press and beat that way but it’s useful to be able to play off and close for when you face a Josh Doctson or James Washington that can beat you quickly when you’d rather make them prove they can beat you slowly.

The other challenge to this blitz are motions that force the defense to be able to adjust who’s doing what. For instance in our example above, you don’t want to bring the same blitz if that second slot receiver motions over to the blitz side:

Now Malik is responsible for getting wide in time to make a tackle on that quick and easy bubble screen or else the whole plan is shot. Malik has better acceleration in the open field than any other 230 pound linebacker I’ve seen in my lifetime but he’s probably not making that play and certainly not if the receiver is someone like Kavontae Turpin.

The defense has to understand how to audible their blitz based on the formation they are facing, in this case probably switching the mac and rover’s roles:

Stuff like this is why communication and experience is so important in today’s Big 12, why it’s essential to have speed in the backfield to erase mistakes but even more essential to have veterans that can play effective team defense together.

Why overloads?

The overload edge blitzes are going to be a major component to the 2017 Texas defense for a few reasons. One is that this defensive roster is the most well designed for attacking opponents with movement and stunts that Texas has ever had. Charlie was recruiting explicitly for that purpose and intended to develop his players to be effective in this strategy, even if that wasn’t working out particularly well.

Chris Nelson and Poona Ford are both very effective now at moving across gaps while in the 2-4 it’s child’s play for Texas to feature DE/OLBs on either edge that are capable of beating a tackle off the ball on one play and making a competent pass drop on the next. Finally on the interior Texas has a variety of options at the inside-backer positions that aren’t guys you just want to ignore on the blitz. Breckyn Hager can come with violence, Malik has change of direction and acceleration that could make him lethal, and everyone else on the roster is big and a plus athlete for the position.

If Texas becomes concerned about teams creating problems with trips and empty formations with four or five receivers it’ll be pretty easy for Orlando to counter with dime packages that flood the field with capable DBs without sacrificing pass-rushing. It might take quite the opponent to get Texas to that point anyways given that the top safeties on the Texas roster (DeShon Elliott, Jason Hall, Brandon Jones, John Bonney) can all play coverage down on a slot receiver as can the top nickel DBs (PJ Locke, Antwuan Davis, Chris Brown).

Orlando will probably build a few different packages based around getting big DBs down around the box that can support the run or on the other end, flooding the field with pass-rushers along the line while perhaps fielding Locke and Davis in the nickel and dime spots to erase matchup advantages for teams like Texas Tech.

If you have enough coverage-savvy DBs on the field then you always have options for bringing overload blitzes from either side of the formation, perhaps showing pressure to one side then bringing it in spectacular fashion and late from the other edge instead.

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Charlie Strong was building a roster that could excel in these tactics, now Orlando has a chance to train that talent to finally make good on the possibilities.