Getting to know OU's odd defensive front
Previously, we talked about what the Oklahoma Sooners’ 4-2-5 base defense might look like this season. Brent Venables occasionally rolls out a “3-3-3” scheme with an odd front to combat pass-happy offenses.
Modeled after Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock’s anti-spread scheme, the defense gets its name from its trios of defensive linemen, linebackers and safeties. The image below shows what it looked like last season when the Sooners broke it out for their Alamo Bowl matchup against the high-flying Arizona Wildcats.
Although the Sooners ultimately fell in a 38-24 final, the defense made a game effort of slowing down the explosive ‘Zona offense. Dynamic Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita had a solid performance through the air, but OU still managed to sack him five times and pick him off once. Netting out sacks, Arizona gained a meager 76 yards on 21 rushing attempts for an average of 3.6 yards per carry.
Let’s take a look at what might be in store for the Sooners this year if and when Venables and defensive coordinator Zac Alley bust out the 3-3-3.
The changeup: 3-3-3
Whereas OU’s customary even-front defensive line hinges on one-gap assignments, the 3-3-3 generally asks the big uglies to play a two-gap scheme. That entails the DLs lining head-up on the offensive linemen in front of them, engaging those blockers, reading the play and then shucking them.
The image above from the Alamo Bowl shows the DL in a three-down front. Nose tackle Da’Jon Terry (No. 95) lines up directly across from the center, flanked on his right to the boundary by defensive end Ethan Downs (No. 40) across from the offensive tackle. No. 8 Jonah Laulu is playing DE to the field side of the offensive formation.
Meanwhile, the 3-3-3 features three linebackers playing behind the DL: a MIKE and a WILL inside the tackle box and a SAM outside LB. In the image above, No.7 Jaren Kanak is playing MIKE, No. 28 Danny Stutsman is lined up at WILL and No. 1 Dasan McCullough is at SAM. The SAM usually plays to the strength of the formation outside the tackle box.
Highlighted in the image above, three high safeties make the 3-3-3 a truly unique look. Rather than only playing a free safety and a strong safety on opposite sides of the field, a third safety joins the mix. He’s typically responsible for covering the deep middle of the field.
What might this look like in 2024?
In the diagram above, the opposing offense is using 11 personnel, with an inline tight end and a running back set to the right side. OU is in its 3-3-3 scheme. Here’s how the personnel shakes out in this particular hypothetical:
NT: No. 95 Da’Jon Terry
DE: No. 56 Gracen Halton
DE: No. 90 Caiden Woullard
MIKE LB: No. 28 Danny Stutsman
WILL LB: No. 10 Kip Lewis
SAM: No. 1 Dasan McCullough
CB: No. 9 Gentry Williams
CB: No. 5 Woodi Washington
SS: No. 2 Billy Bowman
FS: No. 3 Robert Spears-Jennings
MS: No. 22 Peyton Bowen
Notes on DL:
*A year ago, the Sooners had good enough personnel to run a 3-3-3 against a team like Arizona, which tends to play more of a finesse style of offense. They now have the kind of players who might give the defensive staff enough confidence to run it against more physical teams. Importantly, rotating Terry and Damonic Williams at nose tackle creates a solid anchor in the middle of the DL.
*A downside of the 3-3-3 is that it can degrade a team’s pass rush. For example, Halton won’t win a lot of one-on-one battles against offensive tackles. The same goes for Woullard if he is playing head-up against an OT, as opposed to lining up to the OT’s outside shoulder.
The alignment does create openings for creative blitzes coming from the second and third levels, though.
*Kanak could make his way into the lineup to rotate with McCullough at SAM.
*Alternatively, if opponents play more sets with four wide receivers, the defense could pull the SAM off the field and insert a defensive back. Kendel Dolby immediately comes to mind. Bowen could also move down closer to the line of scrimmage, with Washington rotating to middle safety.