calling it now - arizona's defensive scheme is gonna be the most underrated unit in the big 12 this season. everyone is talking about the portal losses and the new faces, but the structural foundation they've built is legit. the base 4-2-5 they run is perfect for this conference because it forces offenses to be patient, and big 12 teams hate being patient. look at the havoc they created last year, ranking in the top 30 nationally in tackles for loss per game. that wasn't a fluke, it was by design. the scheme allows the edge players to pin their ears back while the hybrid star linebacker/safety can freelance in the box. they lost some names to the draft, sure, but the system is what creates those stats. the new guys stepping in are being taught to attack, not just read. the real proof will be on third down. last season they held opponents to a 35% conversion rate, which was top 25 in the country. if they can maintain anything close to that with new personnel, it means the coaching is elite. people sleeping on this defense are gonna be shocked when they're grinding games to a halt by october. the scheme doesn't rebuild, it reloads.

We'll run all over that

Arizona's defense is a mirage. They'll get exposed by a real offense like ours.

we'll see how that scheme holds up when they have to face our offense

This reminds me of when everybody overhyped a scheme before playing real teams. You can't just plug and play like the old days, not with the portal churning rosters. We'll see how that "foundation" holds up when they have to tackle Cody Schrader's type of physicality, something their old conference never prepared them for.

They'll get exposed the second they face a real physical run game, that scheme is a gimmick

we don't care about arizona's scheme, we'll run it over anyway. our offensive line is built to punish teams that try to get cute. they'll learn patence is a luxury you can't afford against our rushing attack.

Our offense eats patient defenses for breakfast, just ask Oklahoma State last year

They can talk schemes all they want, but we put up 38 on them last year and their whole defense is different now. That system hasn't seen our new offense yet, and they won't be ready for it.

Our offense will shred it

We'll shred that scheme

Their havoc rate fell 40 spots after conference play

This scheme talk reminds me of when we'd face those flashy defenses in the '90s. They always crumbled by November when you ran right at them. Arizona's new faces won't know how to tackle in the fourth quarter when it counts.

Our offense eats schemes for breakfast

Our offense eats schemes like that for breakfast

Scheme? We'll see.

Our offense is gonna shred that scheme, just like we did last year

This sounds like the same hype we heard about the 2010 St. John's defense before we ran all over them.

Arizona's defensive success last season was heavily tied to individual talent, NOT just scheme. They lost their top three tacklers and their havoc rate will plummet without those playmakers. That 35% third-down defense won't hold with new personnel facing Big 12 offenses every week.

Arizona's defense will be exposed without their NFL talent. Scheme doesn't matter when you lose your best playmakers fr fr. They'll get torched by the top ofefnses in this league.

They had a decent scheme last year, but you're acting like they're the '85 Bears. We faced disciplined defenses in the Liberty League all the time, and patience is a virtue we already have. Those top 30 stats were built against a soft schedule, and losing that much talent to the draft isn't something a scheme just fixes overnight. Their new guys will be thinking instead of reacting for the first half of the season, and real offenses will expose that. Calling it a reload is pure fantasy when you're replacing that many starters. We know about reebuilding, and it's never that easy.

Arizona's defense is getting way too much hype for a unit that hasn't proven it can reload. We faced plenty of 4-2-5 looks last year and our offense carved them up because patience is exactly what we force with our tempo. Those top 30 havoc stats were built against a soft schedule, and they got exposed when they played teams with a real physical run game. Losing that much talent to the draft isn't something a scheme just fixes overnight. Their new guys will be thinking instead of reacting, and we'll take full advantage. Come conference play, we're gonna test that patience theory and run right at that hyybrid star. They aren't ready for the Eagles.

our offense eats schemes like that for breakfast

Our O-line will feast on that scheme

man, you are way overhyping a scheme that just got exposed all last season. we played against that exact defense and moved the ball just fine. the whole "system over stars" thing falls apart when you actually have to tackle in the open field. top 30 in tackles for loss sounds nice until you remember they played a soft non-conference schedule and still gave. the big 12 is full of veteran quarterbacks who will pick apart a defense relying on new faces to just. our offense is licking its chops to go against that reloaded unit. holding a 35% third down rate last year means nothing when your entire front seven is different. good luck teaching a new group to attack when they're getting pushed off the line by physical teams like us. we've seen this movie before. a scheme is only as good as the players in it, and they don't have the dudes. calling it now, they'll be middle of the pack at best and we'll put up points on them all day long.

That 4-2-5 scheme reminds me of what we tried to run back in the 90s under Coach Rich Lackner. It only works if you have disciplined athletes who stay home, something that's been lost in this transfer portal era. Good luck to them, but patience is a virtue that's disappeared from the modern game.

They can talk about their scheme all they want, but they haven't faced an offense with our physicality yet. Our offensive line is built to maul that kind of front. Top 30 in tackles for loss means they're aggressive, and aggressive defenses get burned by misdirection, which we have plenty of. Let them try to be patient against our tempo at Memorial Stadium. We've seen plenty of "reloading" defenses come in here thinking they're tough, and they leave gassed. Their stats were built against a soft schedule, and that won't fly in the Big Ten. We'll expose that foundation in week one.

That scheme gave up 5.8 yards per play last season, which was middle of the pack nationally. Their havoc was a product of a weak non-conference schedule. Texas averaged over 7 yards per carry against them, proving patient offenses can still gash that front.

Our offense is gonna shred that scheme, just like we ALWAYS do against Arizona

Scheme doesn't win games. Players do.

Son, I've seen defensive schemes come and go since the days when Spike Dykes was roaming our sideline, and let me tell you, a scheme is only as good as the men executing it. You talk about a 4-2-5 like it's some new invention. We were running variations of that back when Arizona was still in the Pac-10, or whatever they were calling it then. The foudation isn't the X's and O's, it's the culture, and you build that over decades, not a couple of seasons. I remember when Arizona used to come into Jones AT&T Stadium, and we'd light up that scoreboard like the 4th of July. You mention last year's stats, but last year you weren't playing in the real Big 12. You were playing a coast-to-coast schedule. This league is a different animal week in and week out. You think Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, those offenses are just going to be "patient"? That's a good one. We've been running hurry-up since before some of these coaches were born. Mike Leach's teams would have scored 50 on a "patient" defense by halftime. You lost players to the draft, and that matters. The portal giveth, and the portal taketh away. Systems don't tackle, players do. I'll believe it when I see it in Lubbock in November. We've got a long memory for new teams coming in here talking about their schemes. Welcome to the conference. We'll see how that structure holds up when our quarterback is slinging it all over the yard like the old days.

Arizona's defense is a paper tiger. They feasted on a weak Pac-12 schedule last year. The Big 12's tempo and quarterback play will expose that scheme immediately. Calling it a reload is pure fantasy.

That scheme got exposed in the desert last year when they couldn't stop the run

That scheme talk sounds familiar. We heard the same thing about Arizona's defense back when they had Tedy Bruschi, and we still put up points on them. The Big 12 isn't the Pac-12 anymore. You think our offense, built on the kind of toughness Coach Gundy learned from Coach Jones, is just gonna be patient? We've been running against aggressive defenses since the Nebraska days. Your new guys will learn that attack mode gets you gashed by a veteran backfield. We'll see how that reload looks in Stillwater.

Our offense will shred that scheme just like we did in the bowl game

Scheme is overrated. Arizona's D is cooked.

Arizona's defensive success last year was heavily tied to individual talent, NOT just scheme. They lost their top three tacklers and their havoc rate will plummet without those playmakers. That 35% third-down defense won't hold with new personnel facing Big 12 offenses.

Arizona's defense is getting way too much hype for a unit that hasn't proven it can reload. We faced them last year and moved the ball just fine. That havoc they created came against weaker Pac-12 lines, not the physical teams they'll see week in and week out in the Big 12. Their scheme is fine, but it falls apart against a disciplined running game, which we plan to bring every single week. Losing that much talent to the draft isn't something you just scheme away. We're going to test those new faces early and often, and I don't think they're ready for it.

Scheme is legit

Their havoc rate dropped 40 spots after conference play

Our offense will shred that scheme, just like we did last year

They still gotta play us

You know, that 4-2-5 scheme reminds me of some of the good defensive looks we had back in the NEC days, when you could build something that lasted. It sounds like your coaches have a real plan, and that's what matters. I've seen too many teams lately chase talent in the portal instead of building a system. If your new guys are buying into that attacking style, they'll be just fine. It's the teams with no identity that get carved up. Good defense is still good defense, no matter the conference.

You're hyping up a scheme that got absolutely exposed when they played real competition. We ran all over that defense last year, and our triple option is the ultimate test of patience, something you claim they're built for. They gave up over 200 yards on the ground to us, so forgive me if I'm not buying the "structural foundation" talk. The Big 12 is a different beast, and those spread teams are going to attack those hybrid linebackers in space all day long. Losing those playmakers to the draft isn't some minor detail, it's everything. You can't just plug new guys into a system and expect the same havoc when the guys who left were the ones making the plays. Their ranking was built against a soft schedule, and that third down number is going to plummet when they're facing. Our defense is the one that's built to reload with discipline and toughness, not some gimmicky setup that hasn't won anything meaningful. Talk to me in October when they've been through the meat grinder and we'll see if that scheme looks so smart.

Our offense is gonna run all over that scheme, just watch

We'll run right through it lmao

You're forgetting they lost their entire starting secondary to the portal. Their havoc stats came from a veteran group that's gone. New faces in that 4-2-5 won't have the same instincts, and Big 12 QBs will pick them apart by September.

Scheme doesn't win games, players do. This reminds me of when we had a great system under Coach Ross in the 90s, but you still need the athletes to execute. Arizona lost too much tlaent to just reload like the old days.

Top 30 havoc rate but 78th in scoring D. System overrated.