Ward

[djorange1989]

The dude has been so maligned and it’s time to give him props. Yeah we give up too many chunk plays but our D is light years better than where it was and in today’s no D world of college football we stack up pretty well.
7th in sacks, 5th in interceptions, 23rd in defensive efficiency, 6th in third down defense. Nice job and with most of the D returning and with some studs on the way, the future is bright on this side of the ball

 

[HtownOrange]

And he schemes for most opponent fairly well. With the fast paced offense, his D will see the field a lot. Obviously, this is a tough task.

On a side note, does anyone not see how HCDB has envisioned his style of play? Offensively play 2-minute drill all day long. Rush for 200 yards and pass for 500 yards. Defensively, play tough, aggressive defense. Tight coverage, hit hard, beat O-lines and hit the offensive backfield hard and often.

This is a far cry from the Big12's ban on defensive squads and the typical fast paced offense.

 

[shu 49]

I wash harsh on him in beginning of season and by middle I was beside myself after Clemson and Pitt game. With our run defense now we would have won both them games. He is making strides and I can’t ask for more. We are getting better each week. I shall no longer give him shiiiiiit. Coach ward just remember teach the boys to come downhill on run downs k. If ya need help let me know . Lol just kidding guys c

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I still wish he would rush more than 3 sometimes, but you can't argue that this season we were a big play defense.

 

[shu 49]

I still wish he would rush more than 3 sometimes, but you can't argue that this season we were a big play defense.

I didn’t see a lot of 3 man rushes yesterday did u.

 

[phil77]

The one key for me to look at will be turnovers I think that will determine our success on defense. Those vary from game to game and year to year.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I didn’t see a lot of 3 man rushes yesterday did u.

I distinctly remember talking about it in the game thread, so, yes.

 

[Orangello]

I didn’t see a lot of 3 man rushes yesterday did u.

There were a few in the 4th quarter.

 

[qdawgg]

I think he’s better at game planning prior to the game and making adjustments during the game then the board esteemed cigar smoker. He’s shown an ability to mix things up and let’s face it, even with how well the freshman have played this year they’re still freshman. He’s also had to deal injuries and depth issues since he’s been here that greatly impacts how many adjustments you can logistically make.

 

[Chip]

I know we rushed 3 on a 3rd and long when BC called a screen pass. It was my favorite BC offensive playcall of the game.

Can’t believe it didn’t work out.

 

[CuseLegacy]

I wash harsh on him in beginning of season and by middle I was beside myself after Clemson and Pitt game. With our run defense now we would have won both them games. He is making strides and I can’t ask for more. We are getting better each week. I shall no longer give him shiiiiiit. Coach ward just remember teach the boys to come downhill on run downs k. If ya need help let me know . Lol just kidding guys c

I'll remember you said this in the game threads next year.

 

[shu 49]

I'll remember you said this in the game threads next year.

I think he is slowly getting more aggressive don’t u. The three man fronts I am not a fan of but I can deal if they work. And I’m sure u will remember too lol

 

[cuse62]

I wonder which coach decided to play more linebackers. Didn’t Coach Babers say we need to play more linebackers?

 

[shu 49]

I wonder which coach decided to play more linebackers. Didn’t Coach Babers say we need to play more linebackers?

I couldn’t understand how they didn’t see it. Was as clear as day.

 

[care taker]

How about Trill ... that kid can stick

 

[OrangeDW]

The big plays we gave up were frustrating, but big picture the defense did pretty well this year. And it’s improved greatly the last two years.

We could be even better next year. Ward is doing his job.

 

[TheCusian]

I’ve beaten this drum to death, but it’s been born out with the TO’s and sacks this year. Dino assumes his offense can score faster and more effeciently than yours. He assumes you’ll be passing and be impatient. And that you’ll make mistakes.

 

[money3189]

The dude has been so maligned and it’s time to give him props. Yeah we give up too many chunk plays but our D is light years better than where it was and in today’s no D world of college football we stack up pretty well.
7th in sacks, 5th in interceptions, 23rd in defensive efficiency, 6th in third down defense. Nice job and with most of the D returning and with some studs on the way, the future is bright on this side of the ball

I agree. Really good turn around.

 

[money3189]

There were a few in the 4th quarter.

Those 3 man rush packages is part of the reason why we were one of the top 3rd down defenses in the nation. Teams don't know if we are dropping 8 or bringing 4 ,5 or 6. Ward uses Richards in those packages. Sometimes he rushes, sometimes he drops and sometimes he spies the QB. You can do a lot of stunts with that too. You don't know where that 4th rusher is coming from.

 

[sdhall01]

The dude has been so maligned and it’s time to give him props. Yeah we give up too many chunk plays but our D is light years better than where it was and in today’s no D world of college football we stack up pretty well.
7th in sacks, 5th in interceptions, 23rd in defensive efficiency, 6th in third down defense. Nice job and with most of the D returning and with some studs on the way, the future is bright on this side of the ball

Have you heard the good news about the Ward of the lord?

 

[billsin01]

The one key for me to look at will be turnovers I think that will determine our success on defense. Those vary from game to game and year to year.

Yeah, I don't have a problem with Ward and feel like we do some things well. It was awesome to see a DL that could create pressure and make some plays in the backfield and our TFL numbers as a unit were really solid. Even just in terms of the eye test, I feel like we generally made teams uncomfortable a fair amount of the time (which I realize is incredibly vague, but stay with me).

But I do think the two things that really stood out for this team were A) that we consistently created turnovers and B) we really struggled to prevent big plays ... and we're not talking 20+yard plays, we're talking 60+yard plays. That's insane.

So next year will be interesting to see if we can mitigate and tighten up in terms of being victimized on big plays while continuing to generate turnovers (hard to count on but not impossible if you're playing aggressively). My feelings on Ward are a bit up in the air, but there's no doubting the defense, regardless of the big plays, was a big part of our success this season.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Yeah, I don't have a problem with Ward and feel like we do some things well. It was awesome to see a DL that could create pressure and make some plays in the backfield and our TFL numbers as a unit were really solid. Even just in terms of the eye test, I feel like we generally made teams uncomfortable a fair amount of the time (which I realize is incredibly vague, but stay with me).

But I do think the two things that really stood out for this team were A) that we consistently created turnovers and B) we really struggled to prevent big plays ... and we're not talking 20+yard plays, we're talking 60+yard plays. That's insane.

So next year will be interesting to see if we can mitigate and tighten up in terms of being victimized on big plays while continuing to generate turnovers (hard to count on but not impossible if you're playing aggressively). My feelings on Ward are a bit up in the air, but there's no doubting the defense, regardless of the big plays, was a big part of our success this season.

I can deal with giving up a few big plays if you are being overly aggressive. Unfortunately that had nothing to do with our big plays. At this point I could go either way with Ward. Don’t want him fired but wouldn’t be sad to see him leave.

 

[shu 49]

I wonder which coach decided to play more linebackers. Didn’t Coach Babers say we need to play more linebackers?

I don’t know who decided but I have been saying it since third game. Maybe they hear us lol.

 

[upperdeck]

you played much of the yr with 3 FR at DB, your nickel guy was injured and missed several games too. We played a full yr with 3-4 LBs who had almost no experience. To get pretty good production when you have 5-6 guys playing extended snaps for the first time is pretty crazy. Add to that Coleman/Black missed most of last yr too and you have a D that needed to jell and its not surprising they made big mistakes at times

 

[billsin01]

you played much of the yr with 3 FR at DB, your nickel guy was injured and missed several games too. We played a full yr with 3-4 LBs who had almost no experience. To get pretty good production when you have 5-6 guys playing extended snaps for the first time is pretty crazy. Add to that Coleman/Black missed most of last yr too and you have a D that needed to jell and its not surprising they made big mistakes at times

Yeah, I agree with this. The point I was trying to make was more that some of our good feelings about the defense are based on the turnovers we forced. Whether or not that is something we can repeat is a bit of a question. If we prove we can continue to create a good number of turnovers OR we regress a bit to the mean in terms of turnovers but we get better at limiting big plays making teams work for points next season, then it's all good.