Why Wasn't Our Defense Better Last Year?

Leaving off from the first post, I posed the question, "why wasn't our defense better last season"? Given all the returning starters and the depth chart loaded with seniors, it should have been one of the best defenses in the country. Well, there were a few reasons.

One was injuries. Yes, even the defensive side of the ball had injuries. But not just injuries in general, but injuries specifically along the defensive line. Losing Brigham Harwell was a blow, but it was followed up by injuries to Jess Ward and Chane Moline. Luckily, Brian Price got cleared and he was able to step up as a true freshman. Still, not having that rotation at tackle was difficult. Added to that was losing Nikola Dragovic at DE. Without another rusher from the other side, Bruce Davis was getting double teamed.

In any defense, a rush by the front four is crucial. But in Walker's scheme it is a down right necessity. With an aggressive attack, those guys need to get at the QB and quickly. He likes to leave his defensive backs in man coverage and the longer you give a receiver to get open the more likely he will. With those injuries up front, UCLA couldn't consistently bring pressure and it hurt the overall defensive performance.

The other major factor was that this defense just wasn't as talented as many of us thought. Like so many other writers, fans, and critics, I thought this team would be chocked full of stars. They definitely played over their heads in 2006 and I think Walker got the most from this group in 2007 as well. Still, the linebackers were slow and very poor in pass coverage and our safeties, while great at getting after the run, were also prone to fatal mistakes.

I think we saw a good preview of this at the BYU game in Pasadena. Starting in the second half, the Cougars found the weakness in UCLA's defense: the middle of the field. Drag a tight-end across the middle and he was sure to be open; the linebacker assigned to him would be yards behind. Likewise a running back coming out of the backfield would be another easy target. The receivers were covered deep, but UCLA couldn't handle the mismatches underneath.

Our corners, while generally good, were also a bit outmatched at times. Hence the large number of pass interference penalties. They were a scrappy bunch, but not tall nor fast enough to handle the more elite receivers. Even our safeties were less impressive than I think many expected. The completely blow coverages against Utah and Arizona were big head scratchers.

Some of that falls on coaching. DeWayne is still learning the ropes as a DC and even the best plans can be out schemed by an opponent. I think Walker still has to work on consistently stopping spread offenses, but having better personnel will go a long way to help that problem. The rest falls on guys just not executing what they learned. That might sound like a "Dorrellian" explanation, but it is true. Even the best coached kids will make mistakes.

I think the silver lining is that the team still performed fairly well. It wasn't an elite defebse, like Auburn, or even a great one, like USC. But it was pretty good. They definitely performed better as the season progressed and with a few notable exceptions, finished the year strong.

No doubt next year the defense will be rebuilding. It will take a year, or maybe two, to replace many of the departed seniors. I have confidence, though, that Walker will continue to develop and mold this unit into a powerful asset for this program. With more of his recruits finding their way onto the field, like Brian Price, this should be one of the best squads in the conference, if not the nation.