Spring Ball is here, which means the Ducks are installing their schemes for the upcoming year and getting the players acquainted with the new system.

Head coach Dan Lanning, defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi, and co-defensive coordinator Matthew Powledge all are bringing their own ideas to create a collaborative Oregon defense. While they all come from their own “coaching tree” defensively, you will find through analysis that there is overlap in their systems and several parallels.

With that said, in this article, we will look at the fronts that you should expect to see prominently in the defense this fall. We will analyze why these fronts and alignments are utilized. In the next article, base coverages will be the topic of conversation.

Before we go into the nuances of defensive fronts, it is imperative that we understand the numbering system for defensive line techniques and what they mean.

I will delineate what the defensive linemen are lined up as with each front that I discuss. That will help you decipher the difference between each one and visualize it.

Terms To Know:

Frontside: Think “play-side”

Backside: Opposite of where the play is going.

Field: If you are on the right hash, the field is considered left because there’s more space.

Boundary: If you are on the right hash, the boundary is considered to the right because there’s less space.

Note: Refer to the picture above for alignments, and gap identification.

Lanning and Georgia ran a significant amount of four-down fronts last fall, which means four people on the defensive front have their hands in the dirt. Lanning worked under Kirby Smart, who comes from the Nick Saban coaching tree. Tosh Lupoi also comes from the Saban tree, so it is safe to say these four-down fronts will be prevalent in the Oregon defense this fall. There are two primary variations of a four-down front, and each of them have their own uses and strengths.

Base Front-4 Alignments in a 4-2 Over

In a 4-2 over front, it is usually set to a specific feature of the offense or to the field/boundary. Georgia last season, as seen in this picture above, will often set their over front to the tight end. If the tight end is to the field side (wider side of the field based on where ball is spotted), it would still be over to the field. All “over” tells you is where the 3 technique aligns. In an over front to the tight end, the 3 technique will align to the tight end side of the guard with a nose aligned in a shade or 2i to the backside guard. Often times, there will be someone head up or inside the shoulder of the tight end to help fit that extra blocker (6/7 technique). Backside, there will usually be a “heavy” 5 which makes him tighter to the offensive tackle's shoulder.

Gaps

In a four-down defense, defensive linemen maintain discipline in a singular assigned gap. They are not asked to “two gap”.

Why is this front used?

With an “in line” tight end, or a wing TE (No. 10 above), the offense is creating an extra gap to that side. Zone schemes are becoming some of the most prevalent runs sport-wide, and an over front to the Y gives presence to the different aiming points of frontside zone and gap runs. In general, it shrinks how many gaps are available to the strong side of a formation. Also, it allows defenders to one gap, which is considerably easier than two-gapping in a three-down system.

Let's use the "inside zone" in an example. I will use it throughout this article, as it is a very common run that proves the point that I am attempting to make.