USD Football 1991

SNATCHING DEFEAT

of teams employing the so-called prevent defense? "That term ' prevent defense' is a mis- nomer," Allen alleged. " If you're succeeding o n defense and the n change what you're doing 10 suit a certain game situation, you're not doing the sman thing," Allen said. Actually, Allen, along with defen sive coordinators at two other major programs, believes there is a place for the prevent. "Sometimes you have to rush an extra man or put in a nickel man on the sec- ondary," said Allen, who has worked for Trojan Head Coach Larry Smith at both Arizona and USC, moving with him to Los Angeles in January, 1987. " It depends on what you're trying 10 pre- vent- a team from gelling into fie ld goal range 10 win the game or a long pass 10 win ii," Allen said. Al Florida State, defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews said, the offense and defense practice hurry-up drills several times each week. "We line up like time is running out in a game and we ask the offense 10 try to score in one minute or two minutes," Andrews said. "The defense will rush the passer with an extra man and we' ll have an extra man going back deep on pass coverage," he "We don't call it a 'prevent defense.' That sounds negative. We call it our 'victory defense."' -Chris Allen went on. "That's what that kind of defense is all abou1--ei1her try to stop the quaner- back from gelling the pass off or, if he does gel it off, keep a receiver from catching it." At Penn State, Jerry Sandusky said, "We try 10 tell our people in those situations to try 10 keep the ball out of the air. By that I mean even if the quarterback throws, we want 10 knock the ball down and we'll try 10 do that instead of going for the intercep- tion. A lot of funny 1hings-denec1ions, tipped balls, a nd all that-can happen when the ball is in the air and a lot of peo- ple are going after it." USC's Allen points 10 the final seconds of the Trojans' 1990 game against Pac- I0 rival Arizona State as an example of how his team plays the prevent defense. USC was leading I3-6 and the Sun Devils had the ball for one last series staning from their 18. A tough job for Arizona State, but

not impossible with their fine quanerback, Paul Justin, directing the anack. Justin immediately got his team out of a hole by completing a pass 10 Eric Moss to the Sun Devil 45. "With time running out, we kne w he'd have to keep throwing, but instead of mak- ing switches in personnel we kepi our reg- ular people in the game," Allen recalled. "They're the ones that have been playing well for us all day, so we just ask them to keep doing what they've bee n doing. Except maybe we'll go after the passer a linle harder." Justin's next pass was incomplete. Then, with I2 seconds 10 go and pressure coming at him from both sides, Justin was hit j ust as he let go a wobbly pass, which easily was broken up by Terry McDaniels. With eight seconds left, the Trojan line again came after Justin, who this time tried to go deep. But Stephon Pace in the Trojan secondary knocked the ball away. The Sun Devils were penalized for illegal procedure back to their 40, the origin of their final play of the afternoon. This time Justin cut one loose for Kevin Snyder, but Mall Gee broke it up and USC held on to its seven-point victory in a key Pac- IOmatchup. "We don't call it a 'prevent defense,' " Allen said. "That sounds negative. We call it our 'victory defense.' And that's what it turned out 10 be in that game.'' At Penn State, the Nittany Lions' Sandusky, a veteran of 20 years under Joe Paterno, pointed out, "We haven '1 usually had big people in our secondary so we've always stressed good, solid coverage.

"Sure, we'll use the nickel back, a fifth man back there, when the situat ion war- rants. We just don't believe the situation warrants it that often. If we're in our regu- lar coverage all day and it's doing well, we just won't change it just to be changing it." An exception 10 that practice, Sandusky said, might be when it's the last play of the game and victory or defeat is at stake. "Then you' ll try 10 rush everyone you can and cover everyone you can because there's no margin or mistake," Sandusky said. "The whole thing is you try to avoid get- ting into that situation in the first place. Bui there's no way you can always prevent it, so you have 10 be ready for it." Florida State's Andrews, who's been on the job in Tallahassee for eight years: said game situations are the c hief factor in de te rmining what kind of defen se is employed-and who'll be on the field. "If the other team needs a field goal to tie or wiri, that's a different mailer than them needing a touchdown, so you play accord- ingly," Andrews said. "In either case, you don't want them 10 be in position 10 win the football game. But if a field goal will win it, field position becomes a real important fa ctor. Sometimes, you'll let the other team have the shon gainers, but when a field goal can win the game, those short gainers can add up and get their kicker into his range.

The ideal situation. Andrews said, is to get the opposing offense into a situation where they have 10 try to do something they don'1really want to try. "If their passing game isn't 1ha1strong or THE BASIC 3.5.3 PREVENT DEFENSE

Variations on the 3-5-3 include the 4-5-2 (extra pass rusher), the Nickel (safety man replaces a linebacker) a nd the Dime (two safeties replace both outside 'backers).

TOUCHDOWN ILLUSTRATED