Auburn Football: Will Muschamp, New Auburn Defense 101
Jan 3, 2015; Birmingham, AL, USA; Florida Gators defensive back Vernon Hargreaves III (1) catches the ball for an interception to seal the game for the Gators against the East Carolina Pirates during the 2015 Birmingham Bowl at Legion Field. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Philosophical Pillar No. 3: Play Man-to-Man, if Possible, and Especially on Third Down
Will Muschamp’s defense will play man-to-man and they will play zone. They will play a lot of Cover 3 and Cover 1, and they’ll also mix in plenty of other things, but in a perfect world, Muschamp would prefer to play man coverage.
In the previous video, Muschamp explains that because he has an All-American at corner, he can be creative and aggressive when it comes to rushing the passer. Being able to lock down a receiver in man coverage offers the best possible scenario.
RELATED: The Importance of Cover Cornerbacks in a Will Muschamp Defense
In the real world – especially considering that Auburn doesn’t have a future first round pick it can put on an island on the outside, the Tigers will need to play zone.
“From a standpoint of basics, fundamentals are never going to change,” Muschamp said at his introductory presser. “I am going to ask the kids every day to give me great effort, a great attitude when they hit the field and great energy. Those three things are on you as a player, and we will handle the execution and other stuff as we move forward. That is always my idea defensively and what we need to do.
“It is our job as coaches to identify with the players what they can do. If they can not play man coverage, you need to figure out how to play zone and stop them.”
On third down, especially in obvious passing situations, the Tigers will play man-to-man as often as possible – as much as 90% of the time. Why? So Muschamp can exploit the matchups up front in order to get to the quarterback and in turn force a sack or turnover.
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