How colleges scout the ways opponents pressure, blitz, and defend the red zone

So let’s pick up where we left off and talk about the tendencies of your opponent. The picture below shows pressure breakdown by series.

We use a five-game breakdown to make these numbers. You make ask why only five games? We compile five-games worth of data from teams that utilize similar systems to what we would have run on offense. That much data is usually enough to get good intel on your opponent considering programs have less than a week to prepare for a given game. We’d break down more than five contests for bowls or the playoffs, but that’s a different topic for another day.

Let’s start with with blitzing, which we defined as when opponents brought two extra defenders. Yesterday we saw what kind of blitzes Bryant University liked to run, now we’re looking at how many times they blitz. We tallied 59 out of 355 snaps, or 17%.

Next we look at POP. POP shows us how many times they bring just one extra guy. This shows they brought one extra guy 62 times out of 355 snaps for 17.5%

The next category is total pressures. We look to see how many times they bring some kind of pressure throughout the games. Bryant brought pressure 121 times out of 355 snaps.

Next, we’re going to talk about pressures by series. This gives an idea of what type of pressure they like to bring the most and when they like to bring it. When game planning, one of the coach’s jobs in the press box is to keep track of this and refer back to it during the game. This helps the offensive coordinator know what he should be expecting based on film and the scouting report. If the team is true to itself, the scouting report should be spot on.

The next picture shows pressure breakdowns on first and second down. It shows what teams Bryant played, the types of pressures, the percentages, etc.

Yesterday we talked about the type of fronts that Bryant likes to line up in. Here are some of the pressures they’d run out of those fronts.

W@A means WLB blitzes the Backside A Gap.

M@A means MLB blitzes the play side A Gap

W@B means WLB blitzes the backside B Gap

Smoke is edge pressure from the nickel or Corner.

The next section is down and distance. This shows us when they bring pressure based on what down and distance the offense has in front of it. This will give us a great idea on what to expect so that we can prepare and make the right call. It’s very important to have a person in the press box who is keeping track of this and very alert so that the offensive coordinator can look down on his call sheet and make the correct call based on what to expect.

The very last section shows how many times they brought pressure on the very first play of the game.

The next section talks about first- and second-down red zone pressures. It’s a similar chart, just for situations inside the 20.

In the second section there’s the opponent, the down and distance, field position, yards gained, formation, front, pressure, and coverage.

The next section describes the field position and how teams label different parts of the field.

Inside your own six-yard line? Backed up.

From the seven to the 20-yard line? Coming out

The -21 to the +46? Free wheel, which means the entire playbook is open.

Landmarks is from the +45 to the +26. This is where you want to take your deep shots.

Then the red zone from the +25 on in was split in three different categories.

As the offense moves closer to the goal line, it becomes evident what type of pressure the opposing defense liked to bring. This again allows the play-caller to choose wisely from his call sheet based on the down and distance and previous situations.

This section is long and I’ll split it up over the next few days, but I hope today’s article gave you more insight on game planning, scouting opponents, and how teams prepare. 

PART I: Off-season just started, here’s what a day in the life of a college athlete looks like

PART II: Texas is in the install phase of the offseason. Here’s what that looks like for the players

PART III: What makes graduate assistants, interns, and analysts so important in college football

Part IV: What goes into making a detailed scouting report?

PART V: What happens when a college coach visits a high school

Part VI: What the critical aspects of a scouting report on a future opponent actually look like

Part VII: How teams scout opposing defenses ahead of a game

Part VIII: 4-2 Under? Cover 3 Lock? Explaining what various fronts and coverages mean

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