Badgers’ defense has to communicate vs. high-pace offenses

MADISON - Utah State offensive coordinator David Yost devised a game plan that was effective, at least early, against Wisconsin:

Push the pace with a no-huddle attack designed to keep the defense from getting set and/or making pre-snap adjustments, stretch the field horizontally and run against UW’s 2-4-5 alignment.

The Aggies scored on two of their first three possessions to build a 10-0 lead, though the touchdown drive was just 16 yards after a UW fumble.

UW’s defenders struggled to communicate the play calls across the formation early before settling in.

Florida Atlantic offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, who ran Baylor’s high-powered attack, no doubt will bring a similar style when the Owls (0-1) face UW (1-0) at 11 a.m. Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.

Will UW’s defenders be prepared for the pace and the need to communicate and react rapidly from the opening series this week?

"Every tempo team, it is communication,” UW defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard said. “That is why they go fast. It’s not that their offenses are extremely complicated. It is the speed at which they go from play to play…

“It is fatigue. I always talk: ‘Fatigue makes cowards of us all.’

“Can you think when you’re tired? Can you think when things are going fast? That is what you have to stress.

“You try to simulate the best you can whether it is walk-thru, practice, meetings. …You’re trying to simulate that tempo, but obviously, things change on game day.”

Yost had success running the ball when UW deployed a 2-4-5 look and the Aggies drove 54 yards for a field goal on their second series. They covered the 16 yards in just two running

plays after a turnover. UW’s defenders appeared a step slow on LaJuan Hunt’s 12-yard run.

“There was a lot of miscommunication going on, even in the second half,” said safety D’Cota Dixon, who was visibly frustrated after failing to keep Hunt out of the end zone. “There’s obviously a lot of things to polish up but I’m very proud of the way we responded as a unit.”

Utah State gained a combined 68 yards, on 14 plays, on its first two series. The Aggies gained a combined 68 yards, on 31 plays, on their next nine series. By that time UW had built a 38-10 lead.

“It was just pace and a matter of getting the calls and communicating it to the whole defense,” Dixon said. “That was the biggest challenge.”

Remember that UW had four new starters on defense – Natrell Jamerson at safety, Nick Nelson at cornerback, Garret Dooley at outside linebacker and Leon Jacobs at outside linebacker.

“It was really hard,” Jacobs said. “They were running plays fast but Camp Randall did a great job of being loud. It was so loud.

“Obviously, we can’t ask them to be quiet so we have to do a better job communicating with each other with hand signals.

“That was the first game so we’ll have a better understanding this week.”

Although Florida Atlantic will attempt to use a similar tempo against UW, the Owls ran only 57 plays in their 42-19 season-opening loss to Navy.

The reason? Navy’s triple-option attack generated 416 rushing yards and the Midshipmen held the ball for 39 minutes 47 seconds. UW held the ball for a combined 20:53 en route to scoring 38 points in the second and third quarters in the opener.

The numbers suggest UW should be able to control the ball and keep Florida Atlantic’s offense on the sideline.

Leonhard is taking the same approach he took in Game 1.

“You know going in there’s going to be ingame adjustments, there’s going to be things that don’t go right for you,” he said. “I think I am smart enough to understand that’s the way it’s going to happen.

“Things are not going to be perfect and you’re going to have to make those adjustments. You coach your players that way. It’s not a perfect world.”