Jim Leonhard - as good an outside schematic fit for Saban's defensive philosophy as exists

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Today, Leonhard's approach is still very similar to Ryan's while also borrowing from some of the game's best minds (such as Nick Saban). In fact, the Badgers operate strikingly like the Crimson Tide on early downs.

The Badgers like to bring a safety down into the box for run support on the wide side of the field, giving them 8 defenders near the line of scrimmage. With three big-bodied defensive linemen eating up interior blockers and a safety plugging one of the holes, an inside linebacker is often left free to run and make tackles.

Against the pass, the system can often look like straight, man-coverage with a free safety in the middle of the field (known as Cover 1). But in reality, it's a Cover 3 zone with pattern-matching principles, meaning the defenders play the receivers tight once in their zone.

With the back of the defense employing traditional coverages with seven defenders dropping back, that means one of the linebackers can join the three down linemen in their pass rush. On nearly every single snap, one of the four 'backers will be sent on a blitz, but the the offense is forced to guess which one.

When Leonhard began studying the college game with Aranda in 2015, however, it quickly became apparent that this exact approach didn't translate directly to stopping the spread offenses that had become so prevalent at that level. As such, Leonhard incorporated the simulated pressure packages for which Aranda has become known. Within coaching circles, however, it is Ryan who often gets credited with their development.

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With opponents often operating in 11 (1 RB, 1 TE) packages at the college level, the Badgers respond by removing one of their down linemen in place of a fifth defensive back, creating a four-man front with the two outside linebackers acting as stand-up ends. Along with the two inside 'backers, the defense then has six potential pass-rushers crept up near the line on any given snap.

Despite showing blitz from all six of these players, however, the defense rarely still only sends just four rushers, dropping two linebackers back into coverage. This allows the back end to maintain its integrity downfield while still confusing the offensive line and quarterback.

This adaptability at the linebacker spot - to both rush the passer or drop in coverage - was amplified against Washington State two weeks ago. With the visiting Cougars trotting out 10 personnel (1 RB, 0 TE) most of the day, Leonhard matched it by removing two down linemen in place of two defensive backs and lining up in a 1-4-6 that harkened back to Ryan's most potent third-down looks while Leonhard was with the Jets a decade ago.

But despite the Badger defense bringing pressure from all angles, it still only rushed four.

Behind the four-man pressure, Leonhard mixed up his coverages, especially in passing situations. The Badgers played Tampa-2 on multiple passing downs against WASU, but only after initially lining up in a single-deep look before the snap.

This doesn't mean Leonhard is only using NFL concepts from a decade ago, however. He also includes modern, complex match coverages found in the Quarters family, especially when facing more advanced passing offenses like the one employed by Ryan Day and the Buckeyes.

"[They're] multiple up front, in terms of the different fronts that we're seeing, the different coverages that you get." Day said this week of what he's seen from the Badgers in preparation for Saturday night's showdown in the 'Shoe. "We've got to be prepared because they're very intelligent, they can handle high levels of information, and they're a good team."

Ohio State won't be the first opponent to take the Badgers seriously this season, as the Cougars came away with an upset victory during their recent visit to Camp Randall by attacking the tendencies of Leonhard's system. In an effort to match the speed put on the field by the Cougars' 4-receiver base offense, the Badgers found themselves defending the goal-line with just one down lineman, allowing the Cougars to easily push their way into the end zone on the ground.

The Cougars found themselves in the red zone thanks to their efforts to put the extra run defender in conflict via RPOs. By packaging WR screens with an inside run, Washington State forced the field safety to be in two places at once, lunging awkwardly to make a tackle in space after getting caught in no man's land.

Despite finishing atop the nation in total defense last season, Leonhard and his team struggled in their late-season matchup with Scott Frost and the Nebraska Cornhuskers gave, who averaged nearly 6.5 yards per play in what became an unexpected shootout. Frost and his staff clearly knew to expect the Cover 3-Match concept preferred by Leonhard on early downs and dialed up a variety of play-calls to attack it.

First, the Huskers used 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TE), knowing the Badgers would respond with their base 3-4 that ensured only four defensive backs were on the field at once. From there, however, Frost often split one of his tight ends out wide to emulate more of a spread formation, with both wide receivers aligned to the boundary.

Second, the Huskers assumed the defense would play with just one deep safety and called concepts such as double-posts that drew the free safety away from helping the corner outside.

While the Badgers' coverage philosophy is meant to provide balance to both sides of the field with a free safety sitting in the middle, the Huskers continually overloaded one side with receivers to create an open man downfield.

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