The Snowflake Thread: Defense

Thank God we have such a good defense against the run.

With defense its easy, they are getting screwed big time by the offense and i think they get diacourage toward the end

a below average B1G OL push them around and control the LOS! Just wait until we start playing some bigger and better OL. This could turn into a real sieve!

For as good as this defense is, they have been extremely poor in high leverage situations.  Last week they make a great play to tie the game then proceed to give up 120 yards on 2 drives to go down by 10.  This week, they play well right up until the offense finally scores.  They proceed to give up 160 yards on 2 drives to give up the lead, including 90+ yards on one of the most poorly executed 2 minute drills this side of Michigan.  

 

Also they have forced a whopping 2 turnovers in 5 games.  

They just don't feel like dominant players.  When teams have legitimately good defenses, you feel like they are threatening to maul their opponents on any given play, and I don't see that here.  

 

In a way, this defense plays like a bunch of suboptimal players overachieving in a smart scheme.  They feel like they are doing a lot of good things, but don't win many individual matchups particularly hard. I don't feel generally afraid that this team will miss tackles, either. 

 

My uneducated opinion leans towards some smart players that arent physically dominant in their individual position.  Each player does a solid job performing their role, but don't MAKE PLAYS heavily above and beyond what they are designed to make.  They are stout, but not incredibly disruptive.  

 

I feel like the teams we seem to hold up against would be absolutely mauled by a defense from someone like Michigan State. When Michigan State is beating on a bad offense, most offensive plays seem to begin to crumble as soon as the ball is snapped.  O-linemen are pushed out of position, running lanes don't open, and pockets collapse quickly from multiple directions.  

 

Overall, not dreadful but many steps away from being good and not in the same conversation as the elite.

I wish our defense could play offense too. Couldn't hurt....