Kansas Football: Carl Torbush's 3-3-5 Defense Stimulates Jayhawk Victory

Correct me if I'm wrong, but last Saturday Kansas employed (more often than not, it would seem, but this is where I might be wrong) a 3-3-5 defense.

Normally, trying a three front defense when lacking depth at the linebacker position is discouraged.  It's also important to note that our three-front is vastly undersized, and an extra safety won't usually mask that.

Props to Carl Torbush and Turner Gill for utilizing the defensive personnel they do have.

The Front Three

Using not only the (relatively) diminutive defensive tackle Patrick Dorsey in the middle but also supplementing by using fellow tackle Richard Johnson as a defensive end in this particular scheme helped mask some size deficiencies.

Backup tackle John Williams did, I thought, an admirable job of using his immense strength to fill up interior space. Jake Laptad, usually the smallest of the front three, also did admirably in converting from his usual role of pass-rusher to space-filler.

All in all, the three-front was manhandled by Georgia Tech for most of the game, but Torbush utilized a great rotation of at least seven players and went full speed at the Yellow Jackets for four quarters.

The three-man-front did its job: it freed up the linebackers.

The Linebackers

Speaking of which, Kansas' three linebackers performed valiantly. Three fronts allow extra linebacker blitzes and, in Georgia Tech's case, an extra quarterback spy or two. 

Steven Johnson had a really big game, but props to Justin Springer for finding his way from sideline to sideline and even filling extra space up the gut when needed, producing from everywhere on the field.

Not much else to say other than that I'm glad the three primary Jayhawk linebackers are in tip-top performance shape.

The Defensive Backs

The success of our 3-3-5 was due in large part to Kansas' secondary depth and athleticism. At least nine defensive backs contributed regularly.

It's a size-risk, but the strong safety and the nickel-safety were usually roaming around the corners of the box like extra linebackers anyways. This positioning helps stretch and piece apart the option run.

Chris Harris, Isaiah Barfield, and Calvin Rubles didn't have too much work to do (Nesbitt and his receivers weren't on the same page anyway), but they got the job done.

The key here lies in Keeston Terry and Lubbock Smith rotating as the single, deep free safeties. Like Springer, Terry and Smith did an excellent job of getting from sideline to sideline, finding their way into plays and usually making the very-necessary open-field tackles after the ball was pitched.

The Rotation

A huge key to the overall success of the Jayhawks was the rotation. The Yellow Jacket running game sputtered out, and the defense did not. At least 19 different defenders were on the field fairly regularly in that contest, and the fresh legs kept the defensive intensity at a 10 all day long.

I would have liked to have seen their quarterback Nesbitt get hit more often. Too many times did Kansas defenders freeze up in between the quarterback and the running back on Nesbitt's pitches.

If you freeze and a quarterback pitches the ball, you're not going to make it to the ball-carrier anyway. Get a head of steam and make Nesbitt wish he'd never leave the confines of the pocket again (legally, of course).

Still, that's in the past. The Jayhawk defense did what it needed to do.

Next Week

The 3-3-5 may pop up occasionally this Friday, but it's difficult to say how often. 

With a small-ish front three being used, producing a consistent pass rush with just one or two extra linebackers isn't plausible. Also, when Southern Miss spreads out their offense, the extra safeties will tend to veer away from the box, taking away the extra presence against the run.

So, it might come into play as a means of creative adjustment, but expect to see conventional defense the bulk of the time.