Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
The Big 12 Plays Defense, Too!
July 20, 2021 11:51 AM | Football, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For a conference that was once known for its Air Raid offenses and seven Heisman Trophy winners since 1996, last year certainly caught college football folks off-guard.
The Big 12 plays defense, too?
Indeed, it does!
West Virginia finished fourth in the country in total defense last year permitting just 291.4 yards per game– the best finish by a Big 12 defense since Oklahoma ranked third by giving up just 259.6 yards per game in 2003.
That's 17 years since the league has had a top-five defense.
Six years ago, when the Big 12 was full of Air Raid disciples, half of the conference had offenses ranked in the top 25. Baylor was No. 1, TCU No. 5, Texas Tech No. 10, West Virginia No. 12 and Oklahoma was No. 23.
Only two defenses that season – No. 18 TCU and No. 25 Texas – were ranked in the top 25.
Last year, just Oklahoma (No. 11) and Texas (No. 19) finished ranked in the top 25 in total offense, while four defenses – West Virginia (No. 4), Iowa State (No. 21), Oklahoma (No. 29) and TCU (No. 30) - finished ranked among college football's top 30 defenses.
What gives?
"I think the narrative has definitely changed," West Virginia coach Neal Brown said last Wednesday afternoon at Big 12 media days in Arlington, Texas. "If you look at the defenses in our league and where they finished in the national statistics last year, we had five teams that were toward the top."
Brown is adding No. 44 Oklahoma State, which allowed 379 yards per game, to his list. The Cowboys were 34th in points allowed giving up 23.5 points per game.
"I think it's a credit to the players, I think it's a credit to the head coaches and the coordinators, and I think there is a lot of innovation in our league on the defensive side of the ball," Brown noted.
West Virginia's third-year coach believes the overall defensive talent in the Big 12 is as good as he's studied, going back to the last decade when he was coordinating Tommy Tuberville's Texas Tech offenses in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Back then, the team that usually had the football last won the game.
"Talent level, I will say this from a defensive perspective. I was looking at one of the preseason All-Big 12 lists and I said, 'Man, so-and-so is a really good player, and he's not on here.' You start looking at D-line and secondary and there are a lot of elite players on the defensive line and the secondary in our league right now," Brown explained. "From an overall defensive perspective, this is going to be my sixth year in the league, and I don't remember as many elite players on the defensive side of the ball than there are right now."
Phil Steele's preseason listing of the top draft-eligible players at each position bears this out. The Big 12 has five of college football's 20-best defensive tackles, including West Virginia's Dante Stills at No. 11.
Oklahoma has a pair of highly rated defensive tackles in Perrion Winfrey and Jalen Redmond, while Oklahoma State's Tyler Lacy and Texas' Keondre Coburn also made the top 20. Five Big 12 outside linebackers made Steele's top 25, led by Oklahoma sophomore Nik Bonitto at No. 6.
TCU has the No. 10-rated corner in Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson and the No. 5-rated strong safety in LaKendrick Van Zandt. Oklahoma State's back end is just as impressive with No. 3-rated strong safety Kolby Harvell-Peel and No. 8-rated free safety Tre Sterling.
Baylor has a trio of top 25-rated defenders in outside linebacker Terrel Bernard (13), strong safety Jalen Pitre (12) and free safety J.T. Woods (23) while Iowa State has a pair of top 25-rated players in outside linebacker Mike Rose (9) and strong safety Greg Eisworth II (13).
Oklahoma, which gave up a staggering 453.8 yards per game in 2018, has eight defenders listed on the preseason top 25 for the NFL draft at their respective positions.
That's an impressive array of defensive talent in a conference that has been forever known for its high-powered offenses.
Redmond, Lacy, Coburn, Van Zandt, Texas outside linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, Oklahoma linebackers DaShawn White, Brian Asamoah and David Ugwoegbu and Oklahoma State free safety Trey Sterling didn't even make the preseason All-Big 12 team announced in early July.
Those are some really, really good football players!
However, Brown believes it's going to take more than a year or two to change people's perceptions of the Big 12 as solely an offensive league.
"I don't think it's going to automatically change in one year," he admitted. "I don't know if it's been a fair argument, to be honest with you, because the Big 12 offenses have been really good and there have been a lot of great skill players in those same offenses.
"They've scored a lot of points against Big 12 defenses, and they've also scored a lot of points in bowl games versus other conferences. I think we have to do it over a number of years," he concluded.
As for offensive firepower, the Big 12 still has that, too, with No. 1-rated quarterback Spencer Rattler of Oklahoma, No. 1-rated running back Breece Hall of Iowa State, No. 1-rated fullback Jeremiah Hall of Oklahoma and No. 6-rated tight end Charlie Kolar of Iowa State returning.
West Virginia's Leddie Brown also checks in at No. 14 on Steele's top draft-eligible player list for 2022.
The Big 12 plays defense, too?
Indeed, it does!
West Virginia finished fourth in the country in total defense last year permitting just 291.4 yards per game– the best finish by a Big 12 defense since Oklahoma ranked third by giving up just 259.6 yards per game in 2003.
That's 17 years since the league has had a top-five defense.
Six years ago, when the Big 12 was full of Air Raid disciples, half of the conference had offenses ranked in the top 25. Baylor was No. 1, TCU No. 5, Texas Tech No. 10, West Virginia No. 12 and Oklahoma was No. 23.
Only two defenses that season – No. 18 TCU and No. 25 Texas – were ranked in the top 25.
Last year, just Oklahoma (No. 11) and Texas (No. 19) finished ranked in the top 25 in total offense, while four defenses – West Virginia (No. 4), Iowa State (No. 21), Oklahoma (No. 29) and TCU (No. 30) - finished ranked among college football's top 30 defenses.
What gives?
"I think the narrative has definitely changed," West Virginia coach Neal Brown said last Wednesday afternoon at Big 12 media days in Arlington, Texas. "If you look at the defenses in our league and where they finished in the national statistics last year, we had five teams that were toward the top."
Brown is adding No. 44 Oklahoma State, which allowed 379 yards per game, to his list. The Cowboys were 34th in points allowed giving up 23.5 points per game.
"I think it's a credit to the players, I think it's a credit to the head coaches and the coordinators, and I think there is a lot of innovation in our league on the defensive side of the ball," Brown noted.
West Virginia's third-year coach believes the overall defensive talent in the Big 12 is as good as he's studied, going back to the last decade when he was coordinating Tommy Tuberville's Texas Tech offenses in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Back then, the team that usually had the football last won the game.
"Talent level, I will say this from a defensive perspective. I was looking at one of the preseason All-Big 12 lists and I said, 'Man, so-and-so is a really good player, and he's not on here.' You start looking at D-line and secondary and there are a lot of elite players on the defensive line and the secondary in our league right now," Brown explained. "From an overall defensive perspective, this is going to be my sixth year in the league, and I don't remember as many elite players on the defensive side of the ball than there are right now."
Phil Steele's preseason listing of the top draft-eligible players at each position bears this out. The Big 12 has five of college football's 20-best defensive tackles, including West Virginia's Dante Stills at No. 11.Oklahoma has a pair of highly rated defensive tackles in Perrion Winfrey and Jalen Redmond, while Oklahoma State's Tyler Lacy and Texas' Keondre Coburn also made the top 20. Five Big 12 outside linebackers made Steele's top 25, led by Oklahoma sophomore Nik Bonitto at No. 6.
TCU has the No. 10-rated corner in Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson and the No. 5-rated strong safety in LaKendrick Van Zandt. Oklahoma State's back end is just as impressive with No. 3-rated strong safety Kolby Harvell-Peel and No. 8-rated free safety Tre Sterling.
Baylor has a trio of top 25-rated defenders in outside linebacker Terrel Bernard (13), strong safety Jalen Pitre (12) and free safety J.T. Woods (23) while Iowa State has a pair of top 25-rated players in outside linebacker Mike Rose (9) and strong safety Greg Eisworth II (13).
Oklahoma, which gave up a staggering 453.8 yards per game in 2018, has eight defenders listed on the preseason top 25 for the NFL draft at their respective positions.
That's an impressive array of defensive talent in a conference that has been forever known for its high-powered offenses.
Redmond, Lacy, Coburn, Van Zandt, Texas outside linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, Oklahoma linebackers DaShawn White, Brian Asamoah and David Ugwoegbu and Oklahoma State free safety Trey Sterling didn't even make the preseason All-Big 12 team announced in early July.
Those are some really, really good football players!
However, Brown believes it's going to take more than a year or two to change people's perceptions of the Big 12 as solely an offensive league.
"I don't think it's going to automatically change in one year," he admitted. "I don't know if it's been a fair argument, to be honest with you, because the Big 12 offenses have been really good and there have been a lot of great skill players in those same offenses.
"They've scored a lot of points against Big 12 defenses, and they've also scored a lot of points in bowl games versus other conferences. I think we have to do it over a number of years," he concluded.
As for offensive firepower, the Big 12 still has that, too, with No. 1-rated quarterback Spencer Rattler of Oklahoma, No. 1-rated running back Breece Hall of Iowa State, No. 1-rated fullback Jeremiah Hall of Oklahoma and No. 6-rated tight end Charlie Kolar of Iowa State returning.
West Virginia's Leddie Brown also checks in at No. 14 on Steele's top draft-eligible player list for 2022.
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