LSU multiple defense 3-4/5-2/4-3

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So, back then, the 50 did the trick. The Chinese Bandits, LSU’s notorious defense from the 1958 season, proved that. That gang led the Tigers to their first national championship by running a 50 front, said Cannon, a defensive back and running back on that squad.

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They called it the 50, Billy Cannon says. It’s a defensive formation featuring five defensive linemen. If it sounds old-school, that’s because it is. Imagine today if five defensive players stood, hand on the ground, along the line of scrimmage, mirroring their offensive-line counterparts. A nose tackle in front of the center. Two defensive tackles on the guards. Two defensive ends on the tackles.

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New defensive coordinator Dave Aranda has spent the past seven months installing the 3-4 at LSU, moving the Tigers away from the 4-3 base defense the program has used for the past 17 years. He’s implementing a system one coach called the “flavor of the month” in college football.

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“The 5-2 became a 3-4 when people started thinking of the two defensive ends as linebackers instead of linemen,” said Jenkins, who spent two stints with LSU in the '80s and again starting in 2000. “People started throwing the football more. Defenses moved to defending the pass. Guys like (LSU sophomore Arden Key) became a guy you rush sometimes and dropped into pass coverage sometimes as an outside (line)backer. In the old 5-2, he would be a defensive end.”

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Aranda’s scheme isn’t the same as the 3-4 Saban employs in Tuscaloosa. Players and coaches said Aranda’s system is bent on deception and movement. One player, for example, isn’t limited to one position. Neal is playing three: defensive end in the base 3-4, outside linebacker on passing downs and a defensive tackle role in other formations.

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But why? For one, it confuses the blockers, former LSU offensive lineman Kevin Mawae said. “It becomes a big issue in pass protection,” he said. “A defense makes the offense re-evaluate.” The offense breaks the huddle, and the defense responds to the offense’s formation. The 3-4, especially one filled with deception like Aranda’s scheme, is predicated on forcing the offense to respond to you. Aranda refers to this as “dictating the terms” of the matchup.

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Jenkins said deception is the biggest advantage to the 3-4. “I think the thing that I always liked about the 3-4 was the ability to disguise the fourth rusher. That’s one of the really, really big advantages to the 3-4,” he said. “You can always identify your four rushers in a 4-3, but it’s really difficult to identify the fourth rusher if you lined up in a (three-lineman) concept.”

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Ausberry is referring to the two defensive ends and the nose tackle, three players oh-so-important to the 3-4. Each player, in many 3-4 defenses, is expected to “command” double teams from offensive players, Mawae said. This must be done to keep guards and tackles from blocking outside linebackers on rushing plays. In many 3-4 schemes, linemen are responsible for two “gaps.” For example, the nose tackle takes care of the center-guard gaps on the right of him and on the left of him. The defensive end might be responsible for the tight end-tackle gap and the tackle-guard gap to his side. These are not easy jobs, but they’re imperative for linebackers — like Kendell Beckwith, Duke Riley and Devin White — to make plays on ball carriers.

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