ITYT: How Cover 3 works in the Texas Longhorns defense
On the latest episode of Film Study on the Inside Texas Football YouTube channel, Charlie Williams breaks down the ins and outs of Cover 3 and how the Texas Longhorns make use of the versatile coverage.
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Cover 3 defense is characterized by three defenders covering the deep field, dividing it into thirds. The corners and the safety each take one of these deep zones.
It integrates well into run defense by bringing eight players near the line of scrimmage, providing a balanced defense against both run and pass plays.
The outer linebackers cover the curl flats, and the inner linebackers handle the hook zones. This setup helps in defending intermediate routes while maintaining a robust presence against the run.
By covering deep and intermediate zones, Cover 3 allows flexibility in defense, adapting quickly to different play types.
Offenses often exploit Cover 3 by targeting the seams with vertical routes, stressing the deep zone defenders.
Quick passes to the flats can challenge the curl flat defenders, especially on plays with wide field spreads, like RPOs (Run Pass Options).
Effective defense in Cover 3 requires the underneath defenders to disrupt receivers’ routes early to reduce pressure on deep zone defenders.
Example plays highlighted the need for defenders to adapt quickly to deep and flat route combinations to prevent big plays.
Modern adaptations of Cover 3 involve ‘pattern matching’, where defenders switch from zone to man coverage based on the routes run by receivers, addressing some traditional vulnerabilities of the scheme.
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