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. The trickle-up effect is in full swing. Ryan Kartje is the USC beat writer at the Los Angeles Times. The Aggies also ranked fourth in the country in sacks in 2014 with 50. Or what type of player they would be getting because of the scheme we ran. USC, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Missouri each rushed 34-plus times against Texas but averaged only 4.2 yards per carry. Some of the stuff he was about to say, I was already thinking. The Tite Front works because it forces the offense to bounce everything outside. Orlando walked into the interview room and saw his Aggie defensive film already on the screen. Coach Todd Orlando of the USC Trojans during USC football practice at the University of Southern California on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. One question I am asking to college football experts is this: Should Todd Orlando emphasize complexity of scheme or simplicity of scheme against Jayden Daniels and the Sun Devils on Saturday? Its a pretty substantial change in terms of what theyre doing on defense. In the NFL, the increasing use of 11 pers. Twitter: @tcpfootballIn this video, we learn about the origins of USC Football's Defensive Coordinator Todd Orlando's defense. At Utah State, where he worked in 2013 and 2014, Orlandos defenses also finished in the nations top 20 in fewest points allowed. Schematically, Orlando excels because hes aggressive and prepared. Its very unique, added Texas senior safetyP.J. 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. He joined The Times after six years with the Southern California News Group. During his time as defensive coordinator at Texas, his defense forced 65 turnovers and ranked in the top 10 nationally for . Odd-front defenses with nickel and dime packages on the back end are en vogue across college football. After the opening weekend for USC, things looked good for the Trojans. The result was a hurried throw from Daniels, an incompletion on fourth down, and a victory for USC. Orlando said the Big 12 is unparalleled nationally when it comes to offensive playcalling. 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. Of course, the weight loss and new position might cause some in the fan base to wonder if Jackson is being utilized incorrectly if his production dips, but for now, his responsibilities dont seem much different than last year. Yet, because of the way the Longhorns fly to the ball, it doesnt much matter that the numbers are pushed back. In fact, Gary Johnson and Anthony Wheeler combined for 10.5 sacks, nearly a third of the teams total. 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. To me, hes a special player, Orlando said. Is USC defense ready to take a leap in Year 2, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window). USC played just five defensive linemen against Arizona State. Its three starters (Marlon Tuipulotu, Tremblay and Figueroa) and two backups (Tuli Tuipulotu and Stanley Taufoou) were the only ones who saw action. Drake Jackson, who spent last season as more of a strict defensive end, shed 25 pounds and shifted into a hybrid linebacker role. Until you go against live, at the end of the day youre not going to trick everybody in terms of your scheme, Orlando said. With one of the pass-rushing outside linebackers replaced by a nickel DB, the defense is left with only a single edge rusher on the field (the B-backer in Orlando's defense). in the 80s, most NFL defenses also carry a hybrid DE, regardless if basing out of a three or four-down defense. Before joining Tom Hermans staff at Texas, Orlando was viewed as a rising defensive mind in college football. Texas didnt do much to stop the onslaught late in the game (no one did), but there are some definite takeaways. Preparing for his first season as defensive coordinator at No. There are a lot of questions about how the Trojans offensive line will perform, but having Brett Neilon at center and Alijah Vera-Tucker at left tackle should help. But returning veterans on the roster like safety Isaiah Pola-Mao and defensive end Nick Figueroa have made a point of helping the young players come along and be ready to contribute in 2021. https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/2021/10/13/todd-orlandos-defense-has-been-getting-exposed-all-year-long/. I wrote about Orlandos prowess as a DC in my article discussing how teams attack the Tite Front, the Longhorns base defense, but it is his use of multiple personnel packages within a game that truly shows his knack as a DC. The odd front (three defenders) gave Orlando flexibility. And Charles Omenihu won the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year award in 2018 with 9.5 sacks playing in the same scheme that ultimately limited Orlandos last defense in Austin. 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At Texas, Orlando oversaw a defense that improved from 80th to 24th in points allowed. Under Orlando's direction last season, Texas run defense jumped to eighth nationally from 76th the year prior. 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. Facing an offense that averaged 45 points per game, fourth nationally, Orlando reversed one of the core principles of his defensive philosophy. The familiarity with the opponent will be gone. Before arriving at Utah State in 2013, Orlando traditionally ran a four-down front. Herman said Orlando would be the first assistant in his foxhole. Orlando, 47, is considered a rising head coaching candidate, and his contract reflects that. Aggressive DCs like Orlando weren't having that for long, and his response is to teach his players to show a blitz to trigger the sideline glance and check from the offense before bringing another call entirely. Orlando has proven in previous stops that hes capable of a quick reboot; though, never quite under the current circumstances he now faces. Phone. There has been a critical error on this website. Continue reading Attacking the Tite Front. 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. In order to acclimate, the Longhorns flipped a script that usually prioritized stopping the run first 95 percent of the time. Orlando took a job as the linebackers coach and assistant head coach at Texas Tech soon after. The image above shows the Longhorns base look against the ever prevalent Y-Off 20 pers. He dropped into coverage just twice against Arizona State, by The Athletics very unofficial count. Antonio Morales covers USC football for The Athletic. The Trojans results against Arizona State were mixed. Continue reading Simulated Pressures From a Positionless Defense (2019 Sugar Bowl). Those disguised blitzes cause an opposing quarterback to think, which is critical against tempo. (Top photo: Jose Marin / MarinMedia Pool for USC Athletics). They were delayed for two months from when they would normally have a camp. Todd Orlando (born March 24, 1971) is an American football coach. When Orlando walked out of the room he thought, This is my guy. I mean, there was no question in my mind, Orlando said. The diagram below illustrates the fronts usefulness versus a popular Spread play, the Power Read. From a core principle perspective thats not too far off. The Longhorns created four total sacks (averaged 2.33 a game). 3 overall pick),Baker Mayfield(No. Its going to be real interesting to see how that unfolds in the Pac-12 with USC and everybody., Its a legitimate question in terms of how Orlando is going to play it early in the season, right? We continue to progress in the pass, Orlando said of the group. It made it a lot easier for me to make that decision (to stay).. That's what Orlando labels coachings million dollar question. 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. 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. If you dont, its going to be limited. He said on the first day of practice that it was clear these guys knew more than they would have coming into a fall camp in a normal year, which is quite a statement when you consider they didnt have a spring. Theres a little bit of schematics into it. 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. USC has officially found the new face of its defense. Get your first month for $1. If that sounds like thinking, its because it is. It's pretty common for coordinators to double up as position coaches for the most important position on their unit. You have pass rushers out there, TaQuon Graham, Marqez Bimage, Joe Ossai guys that can get after the quarterback. Get your first month for $1. Theyre helping us as a coaching staff and that stuff, you cant put a price on those things.. 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. Hands-on coaching was limited to distanced learning. Youre in this area and theres some really good high school players in this area, the top guys. He was also inheriting a schedule that included Sam Darnold and USC, Jesse Ertz and Kansas State, Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma, Mason Rudolph and Oklahoma State, Kenny Hill and TCU, Will Grier and West Virginia and ultimately Drew Lock and Missouri -- essentially, some of the cream of the crop in terms of modern spread offense and spread quarterbacking. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. 9 Texas pummels No. 9 Texas hosts No. Lack of preparation, scheme and just overall performance is all tied in, but it hasnt been a good effort whatsoever. Get full team. Orlando, who last coached defense at Texas, called the virtual install time a blessing in disguise. Even if it might only take his new defense so far. FAU's defense . Orlando will get his first chance to determine the impact of the tradeoff when the Trojans begin their truncated season . Texas special assistant to the head coach Gary Patterson stepping down from role. His $1.7 million annual salary is the highest in Texas history for an assistant, and only two assistants nationally earned more in 2017, according to USA Today. Orlandos players have a different term for that distinction. A clearer picture of USCs new defense should crystallize in the coming days, with contact no longer limited. Through spring and summer, the physical, hard-nosed brand of defense Todd Orlando promised to bring to USC remained strictly theoretical. Jefferson went on to lead the team with 110 tackles, including 20 run stuffs, while anchoring the interior of the Texas defense in a 3-2-6 dime package that Orlando unveiled to the bewilderment of Texas' spread-oriented Big 12 opponents. DeForest left last month to coach at North Carolina State. We just had to learn to embrace it, and now we look forward to it.. Though Jackson is officially an outside linebacker now and is listed at 20 pounds lighter than he weighed a year ago (from 275 to 255), it doesnt seem like his role has changed a ton, at least from what he showed Saturday. Todd Orlando sees USC defense as work in progress USC defense showed positive signs in opening win over ASU Coach Todd Orlando of the USC Trojans during USC football practice at the. Defenses in the Leauge were getting scored on at a historic rate. Here is where USCs struggles against the run and its short rotation, particularly on the defensive line, tie together. His role evolves into something else over these next few weeks. - Mayfield completed a season-low 63 percent of his passes in the Red River Showdown. Orlando believes the only way a team will play fast and hard is if they do so in practice. 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. The Trojans run defense would be better with defensive lineman Jay Tufele, who opted out of the season a few months ago and entered the NFL Draft. Orlando turned down that job, too. Former Texas DE Malcolm Roach criticizes Todd Orlandos scheme, Quick thoughts from No. But while Herman's motives started from a simple "What gave me fits as an offensive coach?" Even further, turn on a Cowboys or Seahawks game and you are likely to see multiple ways to run the Zone or Arc Read. He also spent two years covering preps for the Orange County Register and Torrance Daily Breeze. (Roger Steinman / AP) Ryan Kartje (LA Times) -- Through spring and summer, the physical, hard-nosed brand of defense Todd Orlando promised to bring to USC remained strictly . 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. The play is ultimately killed. That establishment between Orlando and his team started in earnest following the Longhorns worst defensive effort of the season, a 51-41 loss to Maryland in Week 1. 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.