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Single-High Coverage Pt. 2: Match Coverage That Breaks the Spread

On3 imageby:Ian Boyd•3 hours ago•

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Pete Kwiatkowski
Pete Kwiatkowski (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

Cover 3 Match looks like zone but plays like man, making it a nightmare for spread offenses built on spacing and timing. In Part 2 of the 1-High series, we break down how match rules let defenses clamp down on modern pass concepts.

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The next view of single-high coverages looks at Cover 3 Match. Single-high coverage has one safety back while two-high has two safeties back, splitting the field. Single-high puts one safety in the middle of the field and his primary responsibility is not to let anything go deep over the middle.

Texas disguised its coverages often in 2024, but it often deployed single-high coverages with Andrew Mukuba in the box and Michael Taaffe playing the middle of the field. But it wasn’t always apparent to opposing offenses, as Texas put two-high looks in front of opponents before the snap before playing a single-high defense.

The corners in Match 3, which is one of the most common single-high coverages, play a “deep third.” That means they are responsible for coverage deep on the portion of the field they’re on. The linebackers, star, and strong safety play different zone coverages underneath.

What does Match 3 try to accomplish? Take away the middle of the field.

The video provides diagrams of the coverage and shows examples from the 2024 season of Texas utilizing the scheme.

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