Leave No Doubt Tour: ULM Defensive Preview
by kriess on Aug 31, 2009 9:20 PM CDT
14 comments
Bumped from the FanPosts, in case you missed this excellent first look from kriess. Check the recommended FanPosts in the right column for his first installment on the offense. --PB-- 
How did this happen? Where did the Defense of 2007 go?
After getting a fairly positive response from my Offensive preview of ULM, I decided to do some more research and put out a preview for the other side of the ball. Lets take a look at what Colt and Co. are going to be facing this Saturday.
In 2008, the Warhawk Defense was a complete let down from a very promising year in 2007. It was so poor that in the offseason they decided to axe their complete Defensive system and start over from scratch. Out goes DC's Phil Elmassian and Manny Michel, in comes ex New Mexico DC Troy Reffett. Out goes the 4-2-5 Nickel, and in comes Reffett's 3-3-5 Stack Alignment.
Their LB Corps looks to be their best unit on D, their secondary looks experienced yet they need to get healthy. The Defensive front for the Warhawks has the tools and skill sets, but do not seem to be productive enough to compete with their conference. Lets break down each starting position in the 3-3-5 stack and see what their possible tendencies are for Saturday.
THE DEFENSIVE LINE: Big Hawks up front--or not
Yeah, not too much on size. But what they lack in stature, they make up for it in speed.
- Aaron Morgan DE, Sr. 6-5 220 lbs.
- Aaron Williams NT, So. 6-0 295 lbs.
- Jameson (Irish Whiskey) Jordan DE, Sr. 6-5 235 lbs.
The Rundown--
Their star on the line is DE Aaron Morgan(see above-#8-).. Morgan is a 2 time all Sunbelt DE and plays with a quick motor, which you should expect because his frame is built like a Flanker. Expect Morgan to go against the (much) bigger Ulatoski and try to use his speed to get to Colt. Senior Jameson Jordan is the other DE. Jameson doesn't have the motor that Morgan has and he doesn't seem to be a threat to rush the passer. His inconsistent play will put a larger burden on the NT, Aaron Williams (not that AW). AW's main job is to clog up the lane and stuff the run, however his lack of hugeness will make that difficult. Look for AW to draw double teams while the LB's fill the gaps against the run. How effective thats going to be...well thats a different story. The lack of a pass rush by the D-Line is certain to fair worse than last years' squad.
Reserves--
With only 3 D-Linemen, expect ULM to rotate the reserves more than usual to get fresh legs out there against us. JUCO-transfer DE Quantez Hunter, a 6-4, 240 lbs playmaker will rotate with Morgan. 5-10, 285 lb Jr. Aaron Moore will rotate with AW and try to improve his 10 tackles and 1 sack from last year. And finally, 6-1, 243 lb Sophmore Troy Evans will back-up Jameson and is expected to be a roving DE (or Buck). Regardless of how many fresh legs they throw out there, they do not seem fit to be able to handle the run nor rush the passer, which is going to add much more pressure on their LB's duties.
THE ONLY DIAMOND IN THE SWAMP--The LB Corps.
This kid is a stud.
- LB SR. Cardia (Heart Attack) Jackson 6-2 240 lbs.
- LB SR. Josh Thomas 6-2 223 lbs.
- LB JR Theo Smith 5-11 204 lbs.
The Rundown--Cardia Jackson is a playmaker. No doubt about it. He has started all 3 years prior to 2009 and in that time he has notched 264 tackles and 19.5 tackles for loss. Not only does he have good size for his position, his speed to the ball is second to none on his team. His pass coverage skills have improved over the past 2 years as well, so expect him to be an impact on our game this Saturday. Josh Thomas, a former walk-on, brings experience to the table, but thats about it. He is a poor tackler in the open field and by all means seems to have been bitten by the Bobino bug. Theo Smith gets his first shot at starting since the new DC moved from the base nickel D to the 3-3-5 stack. While somewhat undersized, he makes up for it with excellent speed. Look for him to try chasing down McGee into the secondary.
The Back-ups--
6 ft, 208 lb Fr. Antonio Hoskins,
5-11 237 lbs So. Jason Edwards,
6-3 224 lbs. rsFR DaCarris Ford.
--Expect to see Hoskins on the field Saturday to get some quality PT. The kid has a motor with a 4.5 40 and hits like a brick. Along with Ford, he is ULM's future for their D.
COLT MCCOY'S DINNER--The ULM Secondary
I said dinner, not dessert. Think THEY would defend a "pass" by Colt?
The Main Course--Starters
- DB Greg James, Sr. 6-1 210 lbs.
- DB Josh Thompson, Sr. 6-2 215 lbs.
- NB James Truxillo, Sr. 6-2 210 lbs.
- CB Nate Brown, So. 5-10 175 lbs.
- CB Otis Stamps, Sr. 5-10 181 lbs.
The Rundown-- Greg James is an All Sunbelt Preseason 1st team Safety who is a ball hawk and a decent tackler. Its not a good thing to have your secondary in the top 3 in tackles (Blake Gideon/Earl Thomas), however that happens when you run the stack Defense. James needs to get out of the coach's doghouse and back into a leadership role for the secondary. Thompson is pulling a Shipley and was granted a 6th year of eligibilty by NCAA this offseason, which means the Safeties are stout with playmakers. Thompson, aged 31, is another All Conference Preseason DB that ULM will field. Truxillo will play Nickelback this year, however he is not a Leader of Men. He's not likely to be a factor unless he remains healthy, which given the past 2 years is not a given. The weakness of the secondary will be at both corners as neither Brown nor Stamps are proven ballers. Both are ex-WR's yet they seem to not have the hands needed to become a lockdown corner. Time will tell, and Im sure they will be tested early and often by Colt and hopefully Garrett.
Colt's Side Dishes--The Reserves--
6-1, 197 lbs So. Darius Prelow--(All around decency, nothing too special)
6-0, 200 lbs Jr. Troy Giddens--(The "supposed" next big star, 4.32-40 speed)
6-3, 206 lbs Jr. Alex Ibe--(The Enforcer of the Future, not great speed but can hit like hell)
THE OUTLOOK--Sept 5th, 2009
Expect our offense to try and establish some sort of identity in the run game. Obviously thats expected in EVERY game, however we can exploit this Defensive Line early and give Vondrell and our O-Line some confidence, which will be important further on in the season. Also we're going praying to see Colt exploit the CB's with some deep sideline routes with Malcolm. Malcolm has 4-6 inches over the CB's so thats a matchup we need to look at very closely.
When a team runs a 3-3-5 Stack Defense, all 3 units HAVE to work as a very cohesive unit, much more than you would expect out of a 4-3. This team has the skilled players and the young energetic new Defensive Coordinator to reform their defensive attack, however they do not seem be able to gel as a complete working defense. It seems that all 3 units work in their own little sewing circle and that they do not compliment each other.
Studs to watchout for: Greg James DB, Cardia Jackson MLB, and Aaron Morgan DE
Duds to exploit: Nate Brown CB, Otis Stamps CB, Aaron Williams NT, and Josh Thomas ILB
2009 ULM Football Preview (via ULMAthletics)
Not that great of a video, but thats what happens when a Warhawk fan uses a Camcoder--Circa 1991
Check out my Offensive Preview of ULM here
Also, here is Huckleberry's take on Saturday's game from our friends over at BC.
All comments, FanPosts, and FanShots are the views of the reader-authors who create them.
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nice write-up
My favorite quote. I found it hilarious for reasons unknown.
Truxillo will play Nickelback this year, however he is not a Leader of Men.
Also, have you seen Colt McCoy’s girlfriend? Those ULM cheerleaders might be nice, but I think Colt is doin just fine.
by jc25 on Aug 31, 2009 11:05 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
She's not bad. nt
Get off your knees Greg, you're blowin' the game.
by kriess on Aug 31, 2009 12:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
With his new stache Colt's passes are sure to be completions
My favorite line was “pulling a Shipley” for an extra year of eligibility. Isn’t he Colt’s roommate?
Great write up, at least now I know what I am suppose to be looking at from the upper deck.
by Wrangler86 on Aug 31, 2009 8:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
In high school at Vail Christian High School in Edwards, Colorado, this 6-foot blond beauty was an all-conference and all-state selection in basketball and volleyball her sophomore, junior and senior seasons and an academic all-state selection and member of the honor roll.
Now a senior at Baylor University, which is conveniently situated about 90 miles north of UT-Austin, she majoring in athletic training.
Note to Deloss: when you send flowers to the McCoys for the birth of any and all of their children, stuff a letter of intent in the card.
Similar action recommended for any Ross-Richards babies.
by burntorangehorn on Aug 31, 2009 10:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
is she on Baylor's athletic training staff?
by Beergut on Aug 31, 2009 10:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Probably, although that’s what you’d expect of someone who is an athletic training major, no? We had lots of grad students doctoring us up in the training room when I was in school. Hard to justify paying a real salary to someone for applying icepacks and ultrasound.
by burntorangehorn on Sep 1, 2009 10:32 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
well
I was thinking of an interesting “how they met” story, where Colt get hits hard in the Baylor game, both training staffs come out, and then Colt sees her.
The problem is that I don’t think Colt has ever been hit hard against Baylor…..
by Beergut on Sep 1, 2009 6:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
He doesn't, unless she's on top.
Zing!
Just kidding Colt, I know you’re saving yourself.
by notsofst on Sep 2, 2009 4:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
hmmm
Its not a good thing to have your secondary in the top 3 in tackles (Blake Gideon/Earl Thomas), however that happens when you run the stack Defense.
Actually, if you run a 4-2-5 (which you said they did in ‘08), it wouldn’t be unusual for your Rover (the 5th DB who is a safety/LB hybrid, think OU’s Roy Williams) to be a leading tackler. That would actually be a good thing.
In a 3-3-5 or 3-5-3 stack, you would want your Dogs, or safety/LB hybrids aligned outside the three stack LBs, to be your leading tacklers. If they are, it means you defense is doing a good job. If your two CBs or free safety are leading the team in tackles, then you’re in trouble.
You seem to be looking at the data and results from last season, and extrapolating that onto the new scheme they will be running this season, which confuses the issue.
As for their DL, some teams who run the Stack want the NT to control the strongside A-gap, the DEs control the C gaps, and the stack backers fill in the weakside A and both B gaps, so the run fits are simplified. This would allow them to play lighter players outside at DE.
The key for texas in the running game will be recognition of the fronts by center Chris Hall, so the OL will get their double-teams correctly in the zone running game. The hardest part about facing a stack defense is blocking the stack backers, b/c they’re hidden behind the DL.
This is actually going to be a poor game to judge the OL on.
by Beergut on Aug 31, 2009 10:12 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Another Good One kriess
This is a meaningful post. These guys shouldn’t be taken lightly, but what a day Buckner and Malcom could have. Colt should have a lot of fun in this one. Garrett too.
Leading with a fullback on runs could bust some seams with OL getting to their backers or sealing off running lanes against a 3 3 stack. I think our OL will do just fine. They’ve been going up against the best defense in the nation and I think they’ll be ready to thump some people. Their DB’s are going to have a very long day regardless.
Sergio’s gotta be pumped along with the entire D. We need positive turnovers this year and no better time to start than right here.
by orangetower on Sep 1, 2009 9:01 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I am not very familiar with ULM’s version of the 3-3-5, but usually you want your ends to be able to occupy blockers to spring outside rush linebackers. At 6’5" 220 and 6’5" 235, those senior ends might have speed, but blocking them out of a two-point stance in the shotgun would seem to be a very easy way to approach and defeat that speed with just single-team assignments. That leaves an interior double-team on the nose tackle, and then the last interior blocker…well, he could probably busy himself with his iPhone on passing plays. A 3-3-5 with an undersized front would seem ready prey for a shotgun spread as prolific as UT’s. Nonetheless, I would assume that the coaches would want to work on being able to run even when it’s easier to pass, which violates the “take what the defense gives you” principle, but would probably better prepare the team for more troublesome matchups down the road.
by burntorangehorn on Sep 1, 2009 10:47 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
You need to remember
Rice was able ot sack McCoy out of their 33 Stack two years ago. It isn’t as easy as you think to block, even against undersized DEs (which Rice had, too).
by Beergut on Sep 1, 2009 6:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I know it’s hard—even the type of blocking a little guy (5’9" 130lbs. at the time) was asked to do. Heck, it was probably harder for me, since I was usually giving up at least fifty pounds to anyone I was blocking or tackling.
But I honestly cannot recall how lanky or stout the Rice ends were.
by burntorangehorn on Sep 1, 2009 9:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
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