Mount Union’s defense is the 2nd best in the country at getting off the field on 3rd down!
One of the many simple reasons for their success is because they do their job on 1st and 2nd down to set up a favorable situation for the themselves on 3rd down!
Today we’re going to talk about one of Mount Union’s run fits from a 4-front that helps them stuff the run and prevent the offense from gaining yards early in the possession!
Learn how you can force the offense into 3rd and long situations with our latest release: The Mount Union Defense – The Complete Series
Mount Union’s Plug Fit
By executing at a high level on 1st and 2nd down using their plug fits, Mount Union is able to get exotic and expand their playbook on 3rd down which is where they make their money!
One of the common answers they will go to on early downs to keep their opponents from finding success in the run game is by turning to their 4-down plug fit.
What this does is allow the defense to cover every gap in the run fit and allow the rest of the defense to fill in behind the front.
Behind the D-Line, the MLB and WLB fit the open gap to their side unless the gap moves (for example, a pulling lineman takes the LB to a new gap).
In the picture above, the two Backers are responsible for the open B gap and the open A gap to their respective sides.
In plug fits, the LBs are always spill players. Yesterday, we talked about a 3-down defensive front where the LBs were the playmakers, but this change in front changes the LB’s responsibilities as well.
The LBs are the players who take on Iso blocks and pullers with their outside arm and spill the ball to the outside.
In this type of fit, it’s very important that your safeties are strong tacklers because this is who the play eventually gets spilled to because there’s nowhere to run inside.
By having versatile and willing tacklers at the secondary level of the defense, this run fit allows Mount Union to prevent offenses from advancing the ball on early downs and then pressure the offense with 3rd and long situations.
Get the most out of every defensive position on the field with The Mount Union Defense – The Complete Series.
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