One of those games came in a 13-10 victory over Texas. USC needs more size, speed and athleticism at every level of its defense. Before joining Tom Hermans staff at Texas, Orlando was viewed as a rising defensive mind in college football. 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. This positionless style of play allows hybrid players, primarily at linebacker and defensive back, to play a larger role. - 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. Orlando's favorite scheme against the run in his multiple 3-4. The result was a hurried throw from Daniels, an incompletion on fourth down, and a victory for USC. It's a blitz defense that uses eight defensive backs, two. Playing defensive end Marqez Bimage in a similar role produced better results for Texas late in the season. Defensive coach Todd Orlando of the Texas Longhorns reacts during play against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second . After the opening weekend for USC, things looked good for the Trojans. Texas Football: Todd Orlando Is a Cutting-Edge Defensive Coordinator As spread offenses became a prevalent force in the college game, Orlando knew he needed to adapt. 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. Hands-on coaching was limited to distanced learning. Theres no backside meetings. After the Sun Devils started to have success on the ground midway through the second quarter, USC started employing a 4-3 front at times. It's only once that information is digested when a defender will hear how his role factors into the overall play call. With his ability to teach fundamentals to raw athletes, train and equip defenders to attack offenses with disguise and pressure and adapt his tactics around the strengths of his roster, Orlando is proving to be a cutting-edge coordinator. Then, facing the ultra-explosive Oklahoma State offense, he made a big change to his defensive structure that probably revolutionized his own philosophy and perhaps changed prevailing best practices across the college game from here on out. LOS ANGELES USC has its new defensive coordinator, Todd Orlando. Todd Orlando remembers feeling bad for Tom Herman. We have the same mentality, Orlando said. In 2019, that all fell apart. Nearly every defensive coordinator will say theyre multiple in the various looks theyll give an offense. - Rudolphs Cowboys managed a season-low 13 points (All-American wide receiverJames Washingtonmanaged just 32 yards in the win). If you allow that to happen and know its going to happen, thats a crime in my opinion. There's no better way to demonstrate that than to look at howTexas defended the run. Greg Johnson is the veteran returner at nickel back. He wants his defenders to fly to the football. Orlando said the Big 12 is unparalleled nationally when it comes to offensive playcalling. Orlandos scheme isnt complicated at least by memorization standards. Todd Orlando seems very confident that the extra time they were afforded to work on film, to work on installing that scheme, really did help them. Former Texas DE Malcolm Roach criticizes Todd Orlando's scheme That was the biggest thing that we got caught up in, not using our weapons to our full advantage. The reason for this is the design of Orlando's defense, which favors speed over size at the middle linebacker position. The guy could be a linebacker coach. After all, he fired Orlando and brought in Ash as an agent of change. Take a look at those QBs 2017 season, youd see their matchup with Texas as a low-end outlier amid exceptional overall campaigns. We need everyone to execute at the utmost level to make things work. We all saw how that worked. No. Considering how long players have had to learn the scheme, Orlando made clear he wont be as forgiving when it comes to forgetting assignments. Texas removed what would often be a disadvantaged linebacker in pass coverage and added a dime safety as a robber in the middle of the defense. (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 . Thats where adaptability comes into play. The main difference here is Jackson is playing as a standup linebacker instead of lining up with his hand down like he did most of the time in 2019. Herman clearly agrees. Is USC defense ready to take a leap in Year 2 under Todd Orlando? 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? Should USC's Todd Orlando use a simple or complicated scheme vs ASU? Arizona State realized that early, and its two main running backs, DeaMonte Trayanum and Rachaad White, rushed 24 times for 160 yards against USC. In that game, the Longhorns consistently confused a seasoned and well-coached offensive line, garnering two sacks and seven tackles for loss (TFLs). - Darnold completed 57.1 percent of his passes against Texas (third worst of the year) and threw a season-high two picks. But the concern with this unit is depth. 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. As expected, USC hired Todd Orlando as its defensive coordinator on Friday. Spread offenses search for the B gap because that is where the conflicted player usually is for a defense. A fourth linebacker released off the line can more easily pursue the football on outside runs and defend quick passes on the edge. Defenses in the Leauge were getting scored on at a historic rate. Odd-front defenses with nickel and dime packages on the back end are en vogue across college football. Todd Orlando's USC defense: What we learned after 60 minutes Texas also got produced seven sacks from the secondary because the experienced group on the back end was able to cover long enough for those deep blitzes to get home. Today will be the day, Orlando said Wednesday morning. FAU's defense . A look at how Texas defenders fit in Todd Orlando's scheme Once at Texas, though, Orlando was inheriting a defense with great athletes but disparate pieces that hadn't been put together into a cohesive unit. And as Saturday showed, thats a group with a long way to go. Arizona, the Trojans opponent this weekend, had its first game canceled, so its difficult to predict what the offense will look like, but USC can probably expect a heavy dose of running back Gary Brightwell, who is stepping in to replace the departed J.J. Taylor. But when asked what separates Orlando from other defensive coaches, Herman pointed out a single aspect of Orlandos repertoire: Its just his creativity, his adaptability.. I let you guys down. Johnson said Orlando repeated these words for two days straight. Brandon Pili And Marlon Tuipulotu Talk Learning Defensive Schemes via His defenses would mix in three-down looks, but that was only about 20 percent of the time. #FightOn pic.twitter.com/Jorj04g0b6, Orlando will take over a talented Trojans defense that progressively declined over Pendergasts four seasons. For instance, before the snap he might show a field overload to induce an audible from the offense only to drop those players back and bring the overload from the boundary: These styles of blitzes can really mess up an offense's protections, option reads, passing progressions or blocking schemes, but they have their own vulnerabilities, in particular the man coverage the defense tends to play behind them. Last year, Orlando helped the Longhorns shed more than 10 points per game allowed on defense despite working with 10 of the 11 starters from2016's porous unit. "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. 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. 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). A good run defense has been a calling card of Orlandos units at his previous stops. 20 Southern California, however, has been different because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG) Orlando served as Hermans DC for two years in Houston, coaching a pair of top 30 defenses. Though Todd Orlandos (DC, USC) time at Texas came to a screeching halt after the 2019 regular season, one thing is clear, the man can create pressure. The defense has numbers and is plus-one on the pulling guard. He did some things out there that were pretty special.. Then the injuries and attrition reduced depth at linebacker while inexperienced players tried to fill in, resulting in Orlando moving his best natural pass rusher, B-backer Joseph Ossai, to multiple positions around the field that kept him from attacking downhill. 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. Orlando's new USC defense set to debut after pandemic delays Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. Hes got that mindset. 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. Orlando said that shift occured because of practice habits and strong relationships between the defensive staff and its players. This season has not gone according to plan for anybody, especially the defense, and major changes will be headed USCs way. in the 80s, most NFL defenses also carry a hybrid DE, regardless if basing out of a three or four-down defense. Tuli Tuipulotu, one of the stars of spring football, brings similar flexibility to the position. . The 2015 and '16 Texas defenses had been defined by what could be called "youthful" linebacker play from former five-star recruit Malik Jefferson and former four-star Anthony Wheeler. That wasnt happening before Hermans arrival in Austin. The trickle-up effect is in full swing. Texas would not allow more than 29 points the rest of the season in regulation. A Michigan native and University of Michigan graduate, Kartje previously wrote for Fox Sports Wisconsin and the Bloomington (Ind.) 9 Texas 75-59 win No. He was more of Well keep things simple, well do the same stuff. 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. It's pretty common for coordinators to double up as position coaches for the most important position on their unit. Texas goal is to play fast on defense, forcing opposing QB to play slow. Snow, at his fifth FBS post as defensive coordinator, has evolved his scheme to become more multiple and detailed. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. I just feel 3-4 didnt let us showcase our abilities the way we wanted to. In this years (2018) THSCA Football Lecture, Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart attributed his use of the Tite Front and how he played the secondary behind it to his meeting with Texas own, Todd Orlando. 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. 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? 16.2ASU19.6Washington21.8Oregon23.0Utah23.2OSU23.8Colorado24.8WSU26.5UCLA27.0Stanford27.3USC27.6Cal31.6Arizona, SportsPac12 (@SportsPac12) October 10, 2021. Orlando, 48, spent the last three seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas, where he was one of the highest paid assistants in college football. Orlando has also recently had stops at Texas (2017-2019), Houston(2015-2016), and Utah State (2013-2014). Orlandos defensive turnaround in Austin stems back to that interview in Columbus. USCs defense got two hits on Daniels and forced three incompletions on those three plays. That will change Saturday, as USC takes on San Jose State in the 2021 season opener. You hear about soggy eggs and burnt toast, but its the pad popping thats the real story of these daily efforts. It was during his time at Utah that he learned to assemble the 3-4 pressure package that made him an attractive hire for Herman and then a successful coach at Houston. We understood the reason why we were running what we were running, Roach said. Theyre not only making plays, but theyre trying to help other guys. You look toward the tail end of the game, our intent was to bring enough guys we could go at least six (defenders) for six (blockers) on them and force them to throw the football.. I think its a smart move. Scrimmages will be over. 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. Even further, turn on a Cowboys or Seahawks game and you are likely to see multiple ways to run the Zone or Arc Read. Youre going to be based on how hard you run to the football, how you get off blocks and how you tackle.. And with depth limited at linebacker, Ralen Goforth and Kanai Mauga have emerged as top candidates to start alongside Palaie Gaoteote in roles theyve had to learn on the fly. Through spring and summer, the physical, hard-nosed brand of defense Todd Orlando promised to bring to USC remained strictly theoretical. Want to keep up with all the latest FAU football and recruiting news? He spent just two weeks as an assistant in Lubbock, before Helton and USC came calling. The time is now! I would have loved to be in a 4-3, Roach told Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth-Star Telegram. As I wrote in early 2019 after Texas defeated Georgia, Orlando's defense uses hybrid players and different alignments to put pressure on offenses. Weve changed that.. Todd Orlando will finally see his USC defense in action Find out which 3 #USC players go to the Bears in an NBC Sports Chicago mock draft. The Cowboys averaged more yards passing than any team in the country. The Chargers based out of it for a whole game! Todd Orlando, defensive coordinator, Houston. Theyve been physical in the run game but they all kind of complement each other.. It's a testament to what a normal offseason has done for second-year coordinator Todd Orlando and his ability to install the defense and instill the mentality he wants from his players.. 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. Drake Jackson, who spent last season as more of a strict defensive. The Longhorns created four total sacks (averaged 2.33 a game). Antonio Morales covers USC football for The Athletic. It rotated just one inside linebacker (Kanai Mauga) in, and that was only for a handful of plays. Get full team. He finished with three tackles and one tackle for loss, which counts as a quiet night for the sophomore linebacker. The Horns look to close out the inaugural season at the Moody Center with a 17-1 record. 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. Previously, he spent three years at the Clarion Ledger in Mississippi, where he covered Ole Miss for two seasons and Jackson State for another. He is an experienced and successful defensive coordinator who has made an impact everywhere he has coached.. Former Texas DE Malcolm Roach criticizes Todd Orlandos scheme, Quick thoughts from No. Aside from one spring practice, the intricacies of his scheme were installed only over Zoom. Theres a little learning curve for him just the speed of the game and all that, but then Stanley also being very new to the position has his own learning curve.. Examine Texas schedule last season, and youll see a murders row of quarterbacks:Sam Darnold(No. In reality, Texas players say their responsibilities change little from week to week. A clearer picture of USCs new defense should crystallize in the coming days, with contact no longer limited. Imagine if this actually happens. There has been a critical error on this website. Saban has finally embraced the change as well, throwing the ball more than he ever has before with Tua Tagovailoa. He served as the defensive coordinator at the University of Texas at Austin from 2017 to 2019 and the University of Southern California (USC) from 2020 to 2021. Jackson played with his hand in the ground a bit, just not as frequently as he did last season. 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. Its a pretty substantial change in terms of what theyre doing on defense. Thats where our emphasis is going to be this week.. It has been quick to the ball, aggressive in its pass rush situations, effective at creating interceptions and disruptive in clogging the line of scrimmage on run plays. 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. Schematically, Orlando excels because hes aggressive and prepared. Find out which 3 #USC players go to the Bears in an NBC Sports Chicago mock draft. Orlando did present Arizona State with several different looks on Saturday. The loss of Jay Tufele, who opted out to focus on the NFL draft, has already thrust senior defensive tackle Brandon Pili into the starting lineup. 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. The Trojans results against Arizona State were mixed. Practice your tail off and youre going to be playing on Saturdays. Aggressive, physical, unfearing. But beyond those six players, USC has question marks. Orlando said he's already adjusted his scheme, which relies on mixed fronts and aggressive blitzing, to fit USC's personnel. Those four-man fronts are great at plugging gaps and helping a team defend the run, but they also mean one less defender on the second level to stop the pass and run to the football. Herman wanted a coordinator capable of calling a multiple defense, and Orlando fit that bill. Be sure to follow us on Twitter at: @Owls247, @MarinelliShane, and @TheKevinFielder. We continue to progress in the pass, Orlando said of the group. They also began to move Hager into different alignments that made the most of his ability to drop into coverage or work around the edge in conjunction with his ability and willingness to crash into tackles from an inside alignment. Orlando is widely considered a fast-rising coach in the industry, and players, like Roach, say Orlando should be a head coach someday. Todd Orlando Leaving Texas Tech After Less Than 2 Weeks 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.