Falcon Preview---Defense

I was thinking about these previews, and I just wanted to capture one thought, so Falcon fans remembered where last season ended.  In the last two games of the season, BG was down 19-0 and 27-0 before they made a first down.  UT and WMU--two teams we play this year, lit our defense up mercilessly.

I talked yesterday about how the offense looks this year (I am optimistic we will improve, though perhaps not big time), and now we need to look at the defense, which also had severe issues last year.  (see above....and below).

• Scoring defense:  (100th)  out of 120
• Rushing Defense (112th)
• Total Defense (102nd)
• Pass Efficiency Defense (91st)
• Sacks (T-94th)

So, there were some issues here, too.  That teams returns 7 starters, which is pretty good, and (as you will below) hopes to fill in some of the gaps in the secondary.  I am also optimistic the defense will be better, and I think the ceiling for improvement is actually a little higher here than on offense.

It is no secret that the major weakness for our defense has been an inability to stop the run.  This, in turn, has been caused by a lack of playmakers on the D-line, and poor tackling in open space.  Just to illustrate, here are the last 5 seasons on yards per carry (the best measure of run defense) and our rank in the same category.  These are MAC games only.

Yeah.  3 of the last 5 years have been pretty bad, and the other two were on the high end of average, but certainly nothing to brag about.  And, the two most recent years have been the worst during this period.  This sets the tone for everything.  When you don't stop the run, your d-backs start to move into the box, and then teams go right over our heard (as we saw in last year's final two games).

One of the reasons I have some optimism is that I think the Falcons will be much stronger on the line.  It will start in the middle, where Chris Jones was very strong last year, and is joined by Jarius Campbell and Ted Oulette, giving the team a 3-way rotation that is needed on the inside of the line.  They were also able to move Kevin Moore (formerly Alvarado) from tackle to end, getting another player onto the field and really leaving just one of the end spots as an open question.  Obviously, this has to be demonstrated, but I think the line will be much stronger than in the past two years, somewhere in the upper middle part of the MAC.

And if the Falcons can stop the run in base defense, everything else will get easier.

BG's linebackers should be a strength--especially if they are not being blocked by the offense's o-lineman.  Dwayne Woods was 2nd team All-MAC last year, and if he is healthy will be a force in the middle.  Paul Swan looks to really be coming around on the strong side, and Keith Morgan is moving up to play rover.  There is some depth (albeit young) but if they have a shot to do their thing, I believe our LBs can be very productive.

Which takes us to the backfield, which was as patched up last year as the o-line was...with walk ons and a JUCO WR playing back there.  The players who played this year and competing for their jobs, which is a good sign on its own.  We have some young talent moving into place, but they are still very young.  Best case scenario here is that BG's line gets pressure on the QB from base, the LBs can support coverage, and with some help, the d-backs can be effective.  I would worry if BG gets into situations where it has to blitz heavily to get pressure.  The future is probably pretty good in the secondary, but for now, young players are going to be tested a lot early.

I do think the defense will be stronger, and if this team succeeds, I believe it will be because the offense is a little better and the defense is "more better."