Why Is Our Defense Getting A Pass?

[confucius say]

Dead last in SEC in pass defense. Despite 2 nfl corners.
Bottom half in yards per game.
12th in points per game. Even if you take away the pick 6, fumble 6, and punt return TD they are still 9th (same as our offense, as it is 9th in scoring offense).

Our offense is not good but at least it's improved since last year. Our defense is the same at best. Arguably its worse.

[Maverick91]

I think they get the pass because we are pretty solid on run defense and we seem more consistent in our play.

[confucius say]

We def are consistent in stopping the run.
We are equally consistent in being horrible against the pass.

[preachermatt83]

Dead last in SEC in pass defense. Despite 2 nfl corners.
Bottom half in yards per game.
12th in points per game. Even if you take away the pick 6, fumble 6, and punt return TD they are still 9th (same as our offense, as it is 9th in scoring offense).

Our offense is not good but at least it's improved since last year. Our defense is the same at best. Arguably its worse.

Hear here!!

[Saltydog]

Really, the only game our defense played that wasn't halfway respectable was La Tech but yeah, they have got to play better and quit giving up the big plays. Unfortunatley that's the achilles of the type of system we run.

[Commercecomet24]

The safety play is what is keeping this defense from being really good. DL has been good, lbs and corners but safeties have been very much responsible on every one of those big plays. Also, our defense has been given some really short fields because of shanked punts, turnover, etc. There is definitely room for improvement but they've been solid and kept us in these game for long stretches when the offense has sputtered. Need more consistency from the safetys.

[NCDawg]

Dead last in SEC in pass defense. Despite 2 nfl corners.
Bottom half in yards per game.
12th in points per game. Even if you take away the pick 6, fumble 6, and punt return TD they are still 9th (same as our offense, as it is 9th in scoring offense).

Our offense is not good but at least it's improved since last year. Our defense is the same at best. Arguably its worse.

I agree. Seems as if we're giving up big plays every game. We stop the run pretty well most of the time, but our DB's are getting beat too often. NC State had 2 guys wide open for TD's but fortunately the QB overthrew them.

[msugolf]

One reason is because we lack speed at DE and dont really have a pass rusher. We have to gamble and blitz a lot with safeties leaving our secondary exposed if they dont get to the qb.

[confucius say]

The safety play is what is keeping this defense from being really good. DL has been good, lbs and corners but safeties have been very much responsible on every one of those big plays. Also, our defense has been given some really short fields because of shanked punts, turnover, etc. There is definitely room for improvement but they've been solid and kept us in these game for long stretches when the offense has sputtered. Need more consistency from the safetys.

We're also next to last in the league in sacks, ahead of only Vanderbilt. We haven't rushed the passer well, and when we do we don't get the sack.

[Commercecomet24]

We're also next to last in the league in sacks, ahead of only Vanderbilt. We haven't rushed the passer well, and when we do we don't get the sack.

Agreed. Pass rush hasn't been great either.

[NCDawg]

Agreed. Pass rush hasn't been great either.

We had a wide open shot at the LSU QB on their first series, 3rd down also, and we totally miss him-run right by him. He comes up in the pocket a little a throws a TD pass, which puts them ahead 7-0. Very crucial play.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Well our defense/special teams has pretty much won 2/3 of the games during Leach's tenure. They have so much pressure to keep us in the games while our offenses go through these qtr(s) long lulls. They give up 1 too many big plays but they also keep us in every game.

[Commercecomet24]

We had a wide open shot at the LSU QB on their first series, 3rd down also, and we totally miss him-run right by him. He comes up in the pocket a little a throws a TD pass, which puts them ahead 7-0. Very crucial play.

It drives me nuts when I see pass rushers run by the qb. Just can't do that, you have to at least stay even with him so he can't step up. Once you run past the qb he has nothing but a clear field of vision. Drives me nuts.

[confucius say]

Well our defense/special teams has pretty much won 2/3 of the games during Leach's tenure. They have so much pressure to keep us in the games while our offenses go through these qtr(s) long lulls. They give up 1 too many big plays but they also keep us in every game.

That's true. I guess it is a matter of expectation.

I knew the offense was still a work in progress and expected it to make a jump this year. It has so far, from averaging 20 per game to 28.3 right now. I expect it will end up around 26. A TD better.

But I didn't expect the defense to regress. Or at best, stay the same. Same exact issue we had last year still plagues us.

[Maverick91]

We had a wide open shot at the LSU QB on their first series, 3rd down also, and we totally miss him-run right by him. He comes up in the pocket a little a throws a TD pass, which puts them ahead 7-0. Very crucial play.

Yeah, I haven't been very impressed with Green as of yet at the safety position. I am hoping that is just him learn the position as he was a CB.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

That's true. I guess it is a matter of expectation.

I knew the offense was still a work in progress and expected it to make a jump this year. It has so far, from averaging 20 per game to 28.3 right now. I expect it will end up around 26. A TD better.

But I didn't expect the defense to regress. Or at best, stay the same. Same exact issue we had last year still plagues us.

We have 1 player on our team who would be categorized as a pass rusher & that's De'monte Russell who just got his 1st action Saturday. The only other DL who fits that mold is Jordan Davis. So with a lack of natural pass rushers we have to generate pressure & when you do you leave Safeties on an island. Our safeties are solid but not great cover guys. Also Forbes is a playmaker he's not a lockdown CB yet. So you put all that together & we give up some big plays. We're great against the run & you're not going to March up & down the field on us. It also doesn't help that offense & special teams are giving up points on the regular too.

[Commercecomet24]

We have 1 player on our team who would be categorized as a pass rusher & that's De'monte Russell who just got his 1st action Saturday. The only other DL who fits that mold is Jordan Davis. So with a lack of natural pass rushers we have to generate pressure & when you do you leave Safeties on an island. Our safeties are solid but not great cover guys. Also Forbes is a playmaker he's not a lockdown CB yet. So you put all that together & we give up some big plays. We're great against the run & you're not going to March up & down the field on us. It also doesn't help that offense & special teams are giving up points on the regular too.

Great assessment.

[confucius say]

We have 1 player on our team who would be categorized as a pass rusher & that's De'monte Russell who just got his 1st action Saturday. The only other DL who fits that mold is Jordan Davis. So with a lack of natural pass rushers we have to generate pressure & when you do you leave Safeties on an island. Our safeties are solid but not great cover guys. Also Forbes is a playmaker he's not a lockdown CB yet. So you put all that together & we give up some big plays. We're great against the run & you're not going to March up & down the field on us. It also doesn't help that offense & special teams are giving up points on the regular too.

I agree with the DL lacking pass rushers. No question. Losing Davis is huge, and We're getting little from charlton. But wheat and brule, I expected more out of. Both come often, but Neither win their 1v1 matchup often. DL or LB, Nobody can consistently win their 1v1 right now.

But my bigger point is, why are we excusing the poor defensive play and chalking it up to personnel, but not doing the same for the offense? Arnett has been doing the same thing for 15 games and giving up the same big play after big play without adjusting.

[R2Dawg]

Dead last in SEC in pass defense. Despite 2 nfl corners.
Bottom half in yards per game.
12th in points per game. Even if you take away the pick 6, fumble 6, and punt return TD they are still 9th (same as our offense, as it is 9th in scoring offense).

Our offense is not good but at least it's improved since last year. Our defense is the same at best. Arguably its worse.

They have things to improve and folks have made the comments about such. No one has got a pass as you suggest. Our D has given up a few big plays a game which needs to improve. However, the big rock in the jar is the O that makes 10 times more negative plays than the D.

Also the O puts the D in bad spots all the time.

Yall keep trying to prove a double standard but their isn't one. If the D performs like the O, you'll see the same criticism. Go back to Sirmon D in 16 and you'll find me and others just as critical. Same standard, give it up. O has a long way to go. D is good enough to win.

[confucius say]

That's factually not true. For every negative thread about our defense, there are a dozen about offense (mostly warranted) despite that our defense has underachieved.