Defense Prepares for Syracuse's Fast-Paced Attack
September 06, 2016 | Football
First-year head coach Dino Babers has the Orange wanting to push the pace.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Practicing at game speed is often important to football coaches, but often difficult to simulate with its scout teams. The University of Louisville football team, though, looked as though it was preparing for a track meet.
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The Cardinals, coming off a 70-14 rout of Charlotte in the season-opener at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and face a tempo-conscious Syracuse team on Saturday, were practicing at warp speed in preparing for their first ACC game of the year.
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Under first-year head coach Dino Babers, the Orange don't hide the fact that they want to push the tempo offensively and put a lot of pressure on the defense – which was on display last Friday in the Orange's 33-7 win over Colgate.
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Louisville defensive coordinator Todd Grantham – a veteran in the college game and the National Football League – has seen a lot and understands that's just the way the game is played these days.
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"No, that's college football," defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said after Tuesday's practice. "We've played fast paced teams before and we'll play them again. I mean, it is the way college football is and we understand that. We know as soon as we make a tackle, we need to get lined up and go play, so we will deal with it."
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That's easier said than done.
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In notching its first win in the Babers era, Syracuse racked up a total of 554 total yards – 437 of those were passing yards – and three touchdowns.
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Quarterback Eric Dungey, who has battled injuries last year with the Orange, was spectacular in the win – completing 34-of-40 passes for 355 yards and two scores in his return to the lineup.
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With eight starters back on defense and a number of veterans returning, Grantham hopes the depth on the defensive side of the will be the ingredient to stopping Syracuse's high-octane, hurry-up offense.
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"Because of the number of plays you play, you do need to give some guys some breaks and play multiple guys, so I think anytime you have more depth, I think that helps you," Grantham added.
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Last week in slowing down Charlotte, Grantham showed off the position-versatility of his defense by putting his players in a lot of different positions.
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Josh Harvey-Clemons moved down to the linebacker position, which allowed Grantham to get more speed on the field and help with some of the spread formations that the Cardinals will see again this week in the Carrier Dome.
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Junior defensive lineman Chris Williams was one of the new players who made their debut last Thursday night and made an immediate impact on the defense. The junior-college product, who enrolled in January, made six tackles and a sack as the Cards limited Charlotte to 208 yards of offense.
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"We're stressing their tempo and getting a line," said Williams following practice. "That's our thing – getting a line – because once we get in line, we are tough to stop."
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The Louisville defense did just that last Thursday versus Charlotte. The Cardinals registered seven tackles for loss and four sacks in holding the 49ers' offense to seven points.
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"Alignment is key. Once you have everybody in the right spot, whatever call we have, we can make plays," junior linebacker Stacy Thomas said. "As long as we have everybody in the right spot, we have a chance."
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The Cardinals will get that chance on Friday night, but Grantham warns of being overly confident in the ACC.
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"We are facing a stiffer opponent this week that had a dynamic game," Grantham said. "Anytime you play on the road in this league, anything can happen, so we know we need to bring our game."
