Defensive Reaction
Recently, use of the spread has led to new defenses, most noticeably the 3-3-5. Traditional defenses use 4 or 5 down linemen sets to stop an offense, but with the growing number of spread offenses, teams are looking to smaller, faster defensive players to cover more of the field. The strategy and philosophy behind this thinking has been widely debated and many coaches have found success using a 30 front, or using a 40 front against the spread. Gary Patterson at TCU has consistently produced one of college football's best defenses in the first part of the 21st century by using a nickel with a 40 front, or 4-2-5, as a base defense. Combined with his program's emphasis on defensive speed, TCU has proven capable of defending against many spread offenses.
Read more about this topic: Spread Offense
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