Published: September 04, 2008 12:42 am      

COLUMN: WVU needs better third-down defense

MORGANTOWN — For months the players on West Virginia University’s defensive unit could not wait to get back onto the playing field.

One game into the new season they are being told they need to get off the field.

Such is this twisted world of college football.

If one could put his finger on the most disturbing aspect of Saturday’s opening victory over Villanova and on the most likely reason No. 7 WVU may have trouble facing upset-toughened East Carolina on Saturday — or Sunday, if Hanna proves herself to be as hard-hearted as reputation says she is — is the Mountaineers shabby play on third down.

Villanova’s game plan was built around keeping WVU’s offense trapped on the sideline, running plays designed to pick up 4 yards here, 4 yards there and then first down after first down. That part of the plan worked to perfection, as the Wildcats collected 28 first downs and were successful on more than half of their third-down tries (8 of 14).

As West Virginia’s third-down unit learned, it’s a whole lot tougher getting off the field than getting on it, and that should multiply geometrically as this season progresses, East Carolina being tougher than Villanova, Auburn being tougher than ECU, South Florida being tougher than Auburn, etc., etc., etc.

So, Bill Stewart, your comment.

“Third down is crucial. Picking up on third-and-7, third-and-8, that’s got to stop,” the WVU coach answered.

The guess is that the offense will not voluntarily stop, there tossing the proverbial football back into the lap of the West Virginia defense.

The game-plan on Saturday seemed to be to let them make enough yardage, then hope they fumbled when they were tackled downfield. That having failed, the next best thing is to actually find a way to stop the offense before it reaches first-down yardage.

So how do you get off the field on defense?

Welcome to Football 401: The forgotten art of third-down defense.

Your professor: Dr. Bill Stewart.

“What is this magic that’s third-down defense?” Dr. Stewart, Ph.D. (which stands in this case for Passing hard downfield) “Well, first of all, there are throwing lanes that can be disrupted with the pass rush, so you can push the pocket and flush the quarterback, first and foremost.

“Well, how do you do that? You do it with a three-man rush, a four-man rush and a blitz. You have to get the quarterback out of his rhythm and out of his comfort zone.

“Now, second, are they a draw team or a screen team? That goes into your thought. Do you snug up your ’backers? Do you play your defensive backs at the chains?”

Having never snugged up my ’backers, I began thinking what Dr. Stewart prefers.

“I like guys playing more aggressive and playing at the chains. If you sit back there 10 or 11 yards on third-and-8 your quarterback can thrown an 8-yard out for a first down,” Dr. Stewart explained.

That, folks, is quite a concept that this week the Mountaineers corners and safeties may have to try.

“If it’s third-and-8 and they catch it in front of you, it’s not a first down, right? If you’re 11 yards and they catch it in front of you, it’s a first down.

So, let’s review. Change your rush at different times, using the blitz, getting the quarterback out of rhythm. Then, guard the chains. Do not play deeper than what it takes for them to get a first down. Sounds simple.

“The last thing is to disrupt routes. They hit us; we hit them. I played linebacker and I wasn’t real good, but I just didn’t let you run by me. I’m going to chuck you; I won’t let you get a free pass,” Dr. Stewart concluded.

So what didn’t WVU’s third-down defense — sometimes called a nickel, sometimes called a dime, not because that’s what it’s supposed to be worth but because extra defensive backs go into the game — do correctly?

Apparently everything.

“We left some guys completely uncovered,” Dr. Stewart’s right hand defensive man Jeff Casteel said as a guest speaker. “We did some things that were uncharacteristic in terms of leaving guys open.”

Of course, this was the first game and you typically make mistakes in a season’s first game, don’t you?

Casteel smiled slyly when asked that question.

“I think that went above and beyond typical. I think the kids learned from it. The only way the kids are going to get better is to strap it up and go out there again on Saturday. They’ll be OK. They just need to get better and keep working at it,” he said.

And if they don’t get better?

Casteel will just have to snug up with linebackers a little tighter.

E-mail Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com.