re: Defensive success against HUNH

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Is there an inverse relationship between defensive success against HUNH teams and power running teams?

It seems the last two years, LSU has gone to lighter and faster defenses and has had great success over HUNH teams. At the same time, the teams they have lost to and struggled against have been(exception Ole Miss) traditional power attacks.

Bama on the other hand has stayed with a larger, slower D and has struggled against HUNH teams.

Thoughts?

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Yes. That's one of the reasons, likely the main reason, Saban wanted to slow down the HUNH and uptempo spread teams. The trouble with HUNH and spread isn't that you can't defend it but rather that you can't defend it very well using giants who are mainly there to serve as as run stoppers.

In order to stick with big boys on D you'd have to have a whole team of DLine of Kahlil McKenzie's (outrageously big and fast DT recruit) and Clowneys and they just don't make very many players like that. Chavis solves that problem the same way he did at UT. He converts players from their natural positions (where 90 percent of DCs would have them) and instead selects for high athleticism. He's always favored speed on defense, likely because he came up trying to stop Spurrier's fun n' gun, Urban's spread, and other fast paced O's.

Unlike a lot of DCs though Chavis doesn't go too far in the lighter faster category but tries to keep the weight while finding and plugging in good athletes. So LSU typically has a very balanced D.

Having multiple offenses that cater to such different strengths (size vs speed) and player types in the league and in the greater CFB world is one of the reasons that we're seeing the end of dominate defenses based upon size. You can't specialize your D to stop ALL of these formations - choices have to be made and coordinators must now figure out how to balance their Ds against both pro-style and spread systems.

With more teams using HUNH, spread, and uptempo elements it's becoming a disadvantage to recruit and design Defenses solely based on being big powerful run pluggers. There just aren't enough big boys who can move and stay uptempo every down without getting gassed for even Alabama which typically has its pick of 5*s to do that.

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BUT the close scores in the two outings under freeze means we are EVENLY matched. That still means we play OM's offense well. Just not as well as we do others.

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but when you take into consideration talent gaps....it absolutely has something to do with schemes.

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You can't specialize your D to stop ALL of these formations - choices have to be made and coordinators must now figure out how to balance their Ds against both pro-style and spread systems.

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It'll be interesting to see how college football schemes shape up in the coming years.

You either put all of your best players on offense, and run a HUNH, and play just enough defense to get by.

Or you specialize your D to stop a HUNH then you need a power running attack on offense to keep your D rested, otherwise the D will get worn out.

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but turned it over 5 times and missed a few field goals. Bama played A&M later in year when offense was clicking.

In 2013 Manziel played with thumb he dislocated the week before and were shut down

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but BUT BUT

How can there be any doubt that the relationship is real?

Also, I think the distinction needs to be made that its not just HUNH that Bama looks vulnerable to, its Spread + HUNH.

The point of HUNH isn't simply get more plays in, as commentators will point out, if you're bad at offense, HUNH just makes you bad fast. The point of HUNH is to lock in the defense to that personnel AFTER you have found a weakness. That's why you see teams scoring 2-3 plays into a game. It's impossible for the fatigue factor to be relevant that early.

The teams that are giving Alabama trouble are Spread offenses. Spread offense was designed specifically to counter teams with a talent advantage. in college football, where national recruiting means the haves (Alabama) can recruit whoever they want, the haves dont have to adapt. They can overcome a lack of competitive ingenuity with excessive talent.
Alabama is one of the few schools that can win playing traditonal football. traditional means a collection of meatballs playing push-o-war in the middle of the field and whoever is better at it can move the chains simply by running power-I.

Of course, it should be noted Alabama is still *winning* a majority of the games we are talking about. The real way this is an issue for Alabama (and everyone else) is with the introduction of the CFB Playoff. If your path to a national title goes through a power team like Alabama/Stanford/Mich St AND a spread HUNH like A&M/Oregon/OU, you pretty much got no shot. Especially if you're getting the one week prep time against the style you are already less effective against.

I'd pick Alabama to beat Michigan St or Oregon, but if its 1Bama 2FSU 3Oregon 4Mich ST, I wouldn't put a dime on Bama to get rings.

A&M is going about this differently this year - just don't have the players recruited yet to mimic LSU or Alabama's defensive talent. These next few weeks some personnel changes will be made at LB when playing the spread offense - lighter, faster LB. Totally different than the LB's that will be on the field when Arkansas comes to town. Will it work? It will be interesting to see

You defeat the HUNH with talent, which LSU and Alabama have in spades.

Alabama's problem is between the ears. Not the players.