Football Articles
UTEP and the 3-3-5
Posted by HenryJames on September 4th, 2008 under Football
The only thing that should concern Texas about UTEP’s defense is that the Miners run a defense I can’t recall a Mack Brown Texas team having ever faced before: the 3-3-5. There’s only a handful of teams that run this defense at the D1 level, the most prominent being West Virginia. It’s more popular at the high school level than the collegiate level.
It was born partly out of necessity. It’s easier to find little guys who can run than big guys who can run. Not every team has a Gerald McCoy or Roy Miller on their roster. If your defensive tackle is 6′2″ 250, you need to find a defense that will allow him to play. It wasn’t invented to combat the spread, but a lot of high schools use it for just that purpose.
The alignment of this defense consists of three down lineman lined head up over the center and tackles. If it’s the Stack, the linebackers will then be ’stacked’ behind the down linemen. The secondary consists of two strong safeties, two corners and one free safety.
The defensive linemen can be assigned two gaps, or they can be slanted to either side. Because UTEP is an attacking defense, the linemen will mostly likely be slanted. If the lineman is slanted, then the linebacker stacked behind him has the other gap. The strong safeties have outside contain responsibility, and the free safety is the safety valve. The corners most important job is pass defense, particularly man.
The standard pass defense is three deep zone with the corners and free safety having deep thirds, and the five other defenders having underneath zones. UTEP will play a lot of man though with all their blitzing.
Advantages
1. More speed on the field. You have eight guys who can run to the ball. It helps prevent big plays in the running game, and gives the defense an extra man who can get into an advantageous pursuit angle if an opponent does bust through.
2. Don’t need to substitute personnel against certain formations. Versatility is the name of the game. You can get eight players in the box or drop eight without making any substitutions. Change your front or your coverage with the same eleven guys on the field.
3. The confusion it causes for QBs and offensive linemen. Because hardly anyone runs it, it can be difficult for offenses to prepare. Pre-snap reads become more difficult for the QB because the defense is either balanced and not shaded to one particular side of the formation, or they are constantly shifting around with pre-snap motion. Because there are more second level players, it can be hard for the offensive linemen to reach them. And because any linebacker can rush the QB through any gap, it can lead to mistakes in pass protection.
Disadvantages
1. The defensive linemen are usually undersized and thus might have a hard time covering both gaps or holding off a double team. The defense is certainly more effective at stopping outside running plays than it is inside plays because both guards are uncovered.
2. The two tight end sets are tough for safeties in the run game. Most safeties will have a hard time matching up against a larger tight end.
3. If you don’t have good corners who can play man, you’re going to give up big plays in the passing game. Mack Brown said UTEP blitzed about 75% of the time against Buffalo, and they gave up a lot of big plays in the passing game. So I’m not sure they have the cover guys to pull this defense off yet.
So what does Texas need to do?
1. Chris Hall needs to have a great game preventing the UTEP nose from getting penetration. If he can handle the nose one on one, we have a greater chance of success in the running game.
2. Colt McCoy needs to make the correct reads. UTEP will do a lot of shifting so McCoy needs to understand which defenders are actual keys and which ones are false keys.
3. Greg Davis needs to give them different looks. Don’t let them get comfortable against one formation.
4. Be patient in the running game.
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Activity
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Scipio Tex commented on the blog post Bracket Breakdown & Gambling Tips 37 minutes ago
Thanks, dick. Interesting perspective.
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dick commented on the blog post The Definitive Bracket: 63 Guaranteed Winners! 1 hour ago
KB,
You are going to be too smart for your own good. A common fault amongst Bracket makers. There’s a reason why the 55 year old admins win 80% of these things every year.
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dick commented on the blog post Bracket Breakdown & Gambling Tips 1 hour, 4 minutes ago
“which impresses me since I know he didn’t hear the podcast.”
You shouldn’t be, after reading both guys over the past year, KB knows more about basketball and gambling than Millman does and it’s not even close.
A little warning about Chad Millman. I was pretty excited when I heard that ESPN hired a
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Luke wrote a new blog post: Some perspective for a generation of Wildcats 1 hour, 5 minutes ago
Kansas State is beginning the NCAA tournament as a #2 seed with legitimate final four hopes (just ask the president) in less than 24 hours.
I’m going to need a moment to admire that sentence…….
OK, I’m good.
As the anticipation has built over the last few days, I’m sure I’m not the only one who has taken
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Welcome to the first of what I hope will be many installments of “Chalk Talk” with LB Coach. I am excited to introduce LB Coach as a new contributor to One Foot Down. LB Coach has a significant amount of experience playing football at Notre Dame and on the professional level. He also has a
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dick commented on the blog post Early NCAA Tournament Bets 1 hour, 46 minutes ago
I’ll post all of my first day games tonight.
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srr50 wrote a new blog post: Now THAT’S Taking One For The Team 4 hours, 6 minutes ago
Aggie Corp with “Squeeze Army?”
POSERS
Texas Tech forward Darko Cohadarevic doesn’t just talk the talk — he walks the walk.
Tuesday night Tech faced Seton Hall in a first round NIT contest. With the game tied at 10, Seton Hall forward Herb Pope delivered two below-the-belt blows to Cohadarevic.
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Kevin Berger commented on the blog post Bracket Breakdown & Gambling Tips 5 hours, 50 minutes ago
Louisville has a great chance if Jerry Smith is healthy.
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Kevin Berger commented on the blog post Final Four Prediction 5 hours, 51 minutes ago
Good team that took number 1 seeded Louisville to the wire in last year’s tournament. Start 3 seniors and two juniors, very athletic. Solid pass first point guard. Their leading scorer was player of the year in the conference.
Good club that plays multiple defenses.
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ghostofagroundgame commented on the blog post Bracket Breakdown & Gambling Tips 6 hours, 16 minutes ago
I just took Baylor going to the Elite 8. It’s a crazy mixed up world we live in.
Is it just me, or does it pain anyone else to not be able to determine who is going to beat Duke early? It’s bound to happen, but who will it be?
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Art Vandelay commented on the blog post Final Four Prediction 6 hours, 18 minutes ago
By “we” I meant the Horns. Kevin, why should I take Siena over A&M?
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Kevin Berger commented on the blog post Bracket Breakdown & Gambling Tips 6 hours, 32 minutes ago
colorado ag, Utah State is as athletic as Nebraska. You’ll be fine as long as they don’t go 16 for 31 from three.
Siena, on the other hand, is going to beat you like you stole something. Maybe not, but the Saints should win.
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Kevin Berger commented on the blog post Bracket Breakdown & Gambling Tips 6 hours, 36 minutes ago
Great article Scipio. Also, thanks for the dime.
Looking at the Tournament futures market, Vegas is telling us what they think about Onuaku’s health. The Orangemen have the easiest region and road to the fianl four, yet they’re +700 to win it all, while UK and Kansas, teams with much tougher roads, are +250
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Art Vandelay commented on the blog post Final Four Prediction 6 hours, 41 minutes ago
My brackets are pretty much locked down except the South. Can’t get myself to take Baylor, and Duke doesn’t feel right. Nobody seems to be high on Nova. It’s all about the Big East and Big 12 this year.
It’s a crying shame we suck so bad. We are in a good
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James commented on the blog post Bracket Breakdown & Gambling Tips 6 hours, 51 minutes ago
Scip, like a peaceful Indian in the 1800’s, I never trust a Mormon that can shoot. Utah State has me worried.
If we escape the first weekend, things get very interesting with a potential Sweet 16 match-up with Duke. Ugly up the game and guard like hell on the perimeter in front of a
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Scipio Tex commented on the blog post Bracket Breakdown & Gambling Tips 7 hours, 21 minutes ago
CJD -
Possibly. However, I’m telling you – the beauty of these intergame lines is that when you see that all-too-familiar big early game lead that you know will evaporate down the stretch as soon as the team starts regressing to their 3 point shooting mean, there’s some money to be made.
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Scipio Tex commented on the blog post Bracket Breakdown & Gambling Tips 7 hours, 23 minutes ago
uthookem-
I’d say you have your priorities straight.
colorado -
Anytime. How far do you think the Aggies go? A lot of people think Utah State is the most dangerous pure shooting team in the tournament.
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uthookem commented on the blog post Bracket Breakdown & Gambling Tips 7 hours, 34 minutes ago
Last year in Vegas, Friday morning, stumble to the line at 8:30 to make my bets, put $20 on a four-team parlay on the four 9:00 am games, nailed it! Three of the four games’ spread was determined in the final 0:30. Walked away with $220.
Yeah, so what if that is the only
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James commented on the blog post Sending Aggies to the NFL 7 hours, 35 minutes ago
Jordan, all just wild, premature conjecture. I’d hedge that only a third of that 2013 list ever makes an NFL roster. It is picking which third that is the tough part.
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James commented on the blog post Bracket Breakdown & Gambling Tips 7 hours, 37 minutes ago
Very interesting piece. These games can’t start soon enough. Thanks, Scip.
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Scipio Tex commented on the blog post Final Four Prediction 7 hours, 47 minutes ago
I have:
Syracuse
Kansas
West Virginia
BaylorThese will all likely change 3-4 times before tomorrow morning.
I don’t have as high an opinion of Ohio State as you do. Evan Turner is fantastic, but I don’t like their odds of taking down Georgetown and KU back-to-back.
Baylor scares me. They have no idea what
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Kevin Berger wrote a new blog post: Final Four Prediction 7 hours, 51 minutes ago
Arinze Onuaku’s injury has forced me to turn this year’s bracket prediction into a “Multiple Endings” story. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not hyper-geeks playing Dungeons and Dragons here. We may be wasting billions of dollars in worker productivity, but we’re not killing Orcs with plus 10 vorpal swords of magic.
So, in
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Kevin Berger wrote a new blog post: The Definitive Bracket: 63 Guaranteed Winners! 7 hours, 57 minutes ago
But only if you call now! I’ve gone 85 percent against the numba for the last two decades!! So picking straight up winners is, bada-boom bada-bing, easy! Only Sammy “the nose” Pistachio and Billy “buttercups” Birmingham can approach this many winnaz! It’s ridiculoso, hermoso!!
Call now and we’ll throw in an opening round N-I-T super-dupa live dog
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Scipio Tex commented on the blog post Making it Official: Tighter Officiating’s Effect on the Tournament 7 hours, 57 minutes ago
Awesome write up.
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Scipio Tex wrote a new blog post: Bracket Breakdown & Gambling Tips 8 hours, 5 minutes ago
So I’m listening to Bill Simmons’ podcast and he has on Chad Millman, Vegas Insider. Basically, Chad’s job is to interact with the guys who set the line, professional gamblers, sharps, and wise guys. He had some interesting comments about the tournament:
By the end of the year, markets are fairly efficient as
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Bob Jones commented on the blog post Math… Everyone’s favorite subject 8 hours, 56 minutes ago
As a Baylor fan I loathe math: it’s either inexorably against us or when favorable, completely inapplicable.
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Kevin Berger commented on the blog post Making it Official: Tighter Officiating’s Effect on the Tournament 9 hours, 38 minutes ago
Should have that up soon, ts.
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I was reading a thread on OUInsider whining about how a beat writer for a UT website seemed to favoring UT recruits. Get the hell out of here with that nonsense. Next, you’re going to tell me that Oklahoma sports media coverage is slanted towards OU.
While Ketchum’s rankings seemed to be
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J Rog commented on the blog post March Mad(nba)ess! 9 hours, 44 minutes ago
EVERYTHING would be different. Great post!
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James commented on the blog post Two Loops & A Hooey – Herm Edwards Edition 9 hours, 46 minutes ago
ha, nice Tim burn.
I was wondering where you went Ded. I got sick of looking at the same article everyday for 2 weeks. I’ve been up to Taos a few times this season, but it’s not that far from ABQ. I am absolutely convinced that everyone in Texas has been to Angel
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kriess said:
September 4th, 2008 at 8:46 am
GREAT post my friend. Very insightful.
13evO said:
September 4th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Rice ran a 3-3-5 in the past.
Mack Brown said:
September 4th, 2008 at 8:48 am
isn’t this what wash st ran against us a few years ago in the holiday bowl? That was one of my better games when it comes to adjustments…Wash St just came out and could have beaten anyone that night.
Chooky said:
September 4th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Solid.
ChrisApplewhite said:
September 4th, 2008 at 8:59 am
They are going to do an A&M and outnumber the run and defend the deep ball. We need to be crisp, and we need to run a lot of misdirection. 8 midgets could tackle me, but leave me one on one and that midget is getting his ass trucked.
I don’t really worry about Colt finding the open guy if he’s calm, but I do worry about forcing it deep like he did against Baylor a few years ago.
Ag_in_TX said:
September 4th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Nice write up.
Indeed, the 3-3-5 is very popular in the Texas HS ranks as a formidable defense against the Spread. At my son’s school, the LB who blitzes (and there is one at least run blitzing a gap on every play) is called the Dog LB (UTEP calls their the Miner). He may blitz on the run, timing his approach on the snap, but often will simply stand up at the line of scrimmage between the NT and DE.
In HS, the offenses will often check out into a play to the other side of the Dog, which works to varying degrees depending on who the Dog is.
My son’s team also will play a second Dog, one of the 5 DB’s, to blitz on passing plays. In fact, you almost always go with a 5 man rush in this defense on passing downs – one LB and one DB. That is why Coach Brown said UTEP blitzed 75% of the time – that is a fundamental element of the 3-3-5.
The confusion is that you never know which LB or which DB will be crashing which gap. They will sometimes shoot B Gap one side and C Gap the other. Or they’ll flood one side if they want to force the QB to cut the field in half a certain way.
Of course, your CB’s have to REALLY play man to man well for this to work. UTEPs are not all that good, so if McCoy can get enough time, he ought to be able to find guys.
Look for the OL to have to communicate quite a bit to keep the defense out of the backfield due to the confusion the 3-3-5 brings. Also, look for UTEP to flood the defensive left on passing downs to try and force McCoy to roll to his left (which he clearly hates to do).
Beergut said:
September 4th, 2008 at 9:30 am
They have some excellent articles on the 33 Stack on AFM, don’t they?
There might be minor issues for the OL early while they get used to facing a 3 Down front all game. It is must easier to face a 4-man line, b/c that is what they play most of the time.
This is one of the reasons texas had issues with K-State the last two seasons.
The success of your running game will depend on how well your linemen identify the Mike and Duck backer so they can get their combos right.
Rice ran a 33 Stack against texas in ‘06.
In pass coverage, CBs have #1, Dogs have #2, Backers have #3.
HenryJames said:
September 4th, 2008 at 9:39 am
They have some excellent articles on the 33 Stack on AFM, don’t they?
If you subscribe, which I don’t.
BringBackHuskerThugs said:
September 4th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Didn’t Turner Gill’s Buffalo team beat these dudes last week like 42-17? You could probably run the second string out there and cover the spread.
Savage said:
September 4th, 2008 at 11:03 am
UCLA ran a 3-3-5 back when we played them in 97/98. That didn’t go too well for UT, but it was 10 yrs ago.
ChrisApplewhite said:
September 4th, 2008 at 11:34 am
The 335 requires speed and the ability to penetrate. I will eat my hat if UTEP has either.
dedfischer said:
September 4th, 2008 at 11:42 am
So does your mother.
Black Scholes said:
September 4th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
That’s what she said.
Spider said:
September 5th, 2008 at 7:04 am
UCLA ran a 3-3-5 back when we played them in 97/98. That didn’t go too well for UT, but it was 10 yrs ago.
That was run by Rocky Long, who took the system to NM, where UTEP’s DC picked it up.
As in, “this is the son of the system that gave us 66 – 3″. But that wasn’t a Brown team.
Beergut said:
September 7th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Actually, I think Rocky Long was at Oregon State still at that time.
Rocky Long and Bronko Medenhall invented the 33 Stack while at OSU.
Barking Carnival — Blog — Getting Ready for UTEP said:
September 11th, 2009 at 11:17 am
[...] the Miners run a 3-3-5. And from it, they get absolutely no pressure. Henry James dissected it well a year ago when Texas was preparing to play them – strongly suggest you take a look. Based on his [...]