Evolution of a Defensive
Philosophy: To Have Fun,
You Must Stop the Run
Bob Babich
Head Coach
North Dakota State University
Fargo, N.D.
• Proceedings • 78th AFCA Convention • 2001 •
I would like to thank the AFCA for giving
me the opportunity to speak at the
national clinic. It truly is an honor and a
privilege. I would also like to take the
opportunity to thank our staff for all their
hard work and loyalty. Our staff consists of
Casey Bradley, Bruce Saum, Andy
Rondeau, Glenn Caruso, Johnny Cox,
Todd Wash, Brent Vigen and graduate
assistants Scott Hazelton and Shawn
Baumgartner. Finally, I would like to thank
our players. It is because of their work
ethic, talent and attitude that we have had
the success we have.
Today we are going to talk about our
base defensive techniques, alignments
and philosophies. The philosophies are a
collection of our association with many dif-
ferent coaches. By no means do we think
we have all the answers at North Dakota
State University, but…..
Four years ago, I was fortunate enough
to be named head coach at NDSU. I was
familiar with the rich tradition at NDSU:
Eight national championships and great
coaches such as Ron Erhardt, Jim Wacker,
Don Morton, Earle Solomonson and Rocky
Hager. In order to carry on the tradition,
there were a couple of things we had to
accomplish.
1. Recruit: Good players make good
coaches and win football games.
a. Facilities: With the facilities that
were in place, we felt we should be able to
recruit good players.
b. Tradition: The rich tradition at
NDSU would add to our ability to recruit
good players.
2. Play good defense.
Evolution of a Defensive Philosophy
Four years ago when we came together
as a staff, we not only wanted to develop a
philosophy for the coaches but also devise
one that the players would believe in. We
understood as a coaching staff that the
players are the guys who will have to exe-
cute the scheme that is implemented. So
with the players in mind, we went to work
and this is what we came up with.
We decided that we wanted to be an
eight-man front defensive team. Some ask,
why an eight-man front? Here are the rea-
sons that helped in our decision making
process.
Familiarity: Our staff was very comfort-
able with the concepts of the eight-man
front.
Simplicity: Because our schemes are
not very complicated, our players can play
in an aggressive manner. We firmly believe
that if players do not have to think, then
they can just line up and play aggressively
with 100 percent effort.
a. Fundamentals: With the players hav-
ing a firm understanding of the schemes
we implemented, we as a coaching staff
could dedicate more practice time on the
teaching of fundamentals.
b. Takeaways: Were an emphasis of our
defensive staff from Day 1. With the
aggressive nature the eight-man front pro-
vides, we felt that there was a natural tie to
takeaways. We have been very fortunate to
be successful in this area.
1997: 35 Takeaways (No. 1 in nation in
turnover margin)
1998: 31 Takeaways
1999: 31 Takeaways
2000: 24 Takeaways
The takeaways that we have had up to
this point have directly translated to the
number of wins we have had in our four
years.
Easy Adjustments: We have found
that the adjustments from the eight-man
front versus all formations were simple and
sound. These simple adjustments were
consistent with our base philosophy of
allowing our players to play with great effort
while not having to think about a complicat-
ed scheme. We believe that our players
feel very comfortable with any of our base
adjustments versus any formations.
Stop the Run: Our No. 1 priority in our
defensive philosophy is to stop the run. We
are firmly committed to the thought that if
we prevent a team from being successful
running the football, we keep them from
scoring, controlling the time of possession
and have an excellent opportunity to win
the game. In our four years here at NDSU,
we have been involved in many games
where a team has had success passing the
ball against us, but we were able to win the
game. On the other hand, if a team had
success running the ball, we either strug-
gled to win the game or lost the game.
As the head football coach I made a
conscious decision that our offense would
have a power run game. The reason for
this was not only to create toughness on
the offensive side of the ball, but we felt it
would help our defense understand what it
takes to stop the run. Going against each
other in spring football and two-a-days has
been a winning edge, helping our defense
learn what it takes to stop the run.
 Here are stats for our four years in rush
defense, scoring defense and our record.
Year YPG Scoring Record
1997 97.8 13.6 9-3
1998 * 180.9 25.1 7-4
1999 105.8 16.7 9-2
2000 78.6 14.5 12-2
Now that we have finished talking about
our philosophy, we are going to give a gen-
eral overview of our eight-man front
defense. First, we will discuss the base
fundamentals and then we will go over the
base fronts including the alignments and
responsibilities of each position. Finally,
we will cover the variations that we use to
adjust our eight-man front defense.
Focus on Fundamentals
Each day, we have individual work peri-
ods allowing coaches to concentrate on the
fundamentals within their position group.
Proper Stance & Alignment: Each
player is responsible for understanding the
fundamentals of their particular position.
Getting in the correct stance and aligned
properly is critical to the unit’s success.
Key and React: Once aligned and ten-
dencies are recognized, each player needs
to focus in on their keys and react to what
they see. Repetition of these very specific
keys and reactions are vital. It must
become second nature. Although it may
get monotonous, this is one area we will
always find time for within the structure of
our practice.
Defeat the Block (Technique): A com-
mon trait among great defensive players is
their ability to use their hands and feet. A
player can improve in this area each and
every day.
Leverage (Pursuit): If there is one
common word heard around our defen-
sive practices, it’s leverage. A player can
do everything correctly up to this point,
but if he doesn’t maintain proper lever-
age, it can all go for naught. If all 11 play-
ers run with proper leverage to the ball,
the opportunity for a big offensive play to
occur is less likely.
Tackling: We spend a great deal of time
teaching our players the correct way to
tackle. It’s a fundamental that is taken for
granted. If for no other reason, the safety of
each player should be your top priority.
Base Fronts
Tight Eagle: Stopping the run is our first
and foremost goal. Our base defense of
• Proceedings • 78th AFCA Convention • 2001 •
Tight Eagle gives us the flexibility to align to Diagram 2: Tight Eagle
all sets without making too many adjust- (Ace Set)
ments, while keeping the integrity of the
defense. With a Tight Eagle huddle call, we
place the eagle side or three technique
side to the tight end.
Personnel
Defensive Line: The $tud ($) or rush
end is our most athletic of our defensive
linemen. He must be physical enough to cover. Our corners (C) are involved in sec-
line up head up on a tight end (6 ondary run support and are fill-where-need-
Technique) and at the same time be our ed types of players.
most effective pass rusher.
The tackle (T), 3 technique or eagle side Position Alignment Responsibility
tackle and our nose (N), 1 technique are Defensive Line
our interior defensive linemen and must be $tud ($) 6 Technique C Gap
able to handle the variety of blocks from Tackle (T) 3 Technique B Gap
double teams to zone schemes. The end Nose (N) 1 Technique A Gap
(E), 5 technique, is our other rush end and End (E) 5 Technique C Gap
is similar to our $tud position.
Inside Linebackers: The Sam (S) line- Inside Linebackers
backer will travel with the eagle or call side Sam (S) 30 A Gap
and will align directly over the 3 technique, Will (W) 30 B Gap
30 alignment. Since he is aligned to a
three-man surface, he is generally our Alley Players
quickest linebacker. The Will (W) also Quick (Q) 3X3 Contain
aligns in a 30 alignment, away from the 3 (SS 3X3 Contain
technique. He will see more isolation plays;
therefore, he is the most physical of the two Defensive Backs
inside linebackers. FS 10 yds, C Gap D Gap
Alley Players: The strong safety (SS) CB 8-10 yds, 1 yd inside Sec.
and the quick (Q) in our scheme are mir- Run Support
rored positions. They align 3 X 3 from the
end man on the line of scrimmage. The Split Eagle: One change up to Tight
strong safety travels with the eagle side, Eagle is Split Eagle. It positions our play-
while the quick aligns opposite the eagle ers in better leverage alignments and has
side. They both must be physical in taking been very successful against a number of
on the fullbacks, yet have the speed to run schemes. Gaps of responsibilities
cover wide receivers man to man. remain the same with variations coming
Note: If we face a one-back set, we check from alignments.
"Gone," moving the nose to a 2i, the End to a
6 and the Quick to a 3 X 3 alignment. Personnel
Defensive Backs: The free safety (FS) Split Eagle does present some align-
is a major component to our eight-man ment variations. The $tud will now be on
front and is counted on as a primary run a two-man surface playing an angled 5.
supporter. His alignment, based on cover- The Sam and Will are still A and B gap
age strength, is ten yards deep over C gap. players respectively, but the Sam is now
He is like a Sam linebacker who can also on a two-man surface with Will playing
Diagram 1: Tight Eagle on a three-man surface. Our quick will
(Pro Set) come up and play a 1 X 1 alignment on a
tight end, becoming a drop end. The
defensive backs remain consistent with
alignments.
Note: In Split Eagle, no “Gone” check.
Position Alignment Responsibility
Defensive Line
$tud ($) Angled 5 Technique C Gap
 Diagram 3: Split Eagle I: Tackle aligned on the inside shoulder Diagram 10: Tight Eagle Crash
(Pro Set) of offensive tackle.
Diagram 6: Tight Eagle I

Diagram 4: Split Eagle Quick: Dog by the quick, attacking at a

(Ace Set) contain angle. Quick remains the support
Movements and Slants player.
Movement: One player movement by
Diagram 11: Tight Eagle Quick
defensive lineman.
Fire In: Movement by $tud into gap of
responsibility.
Diagram 7: Tight Eagle Fire In

Tackle (T) 3 Technique B Gap

Nose (N) 1 Technique A Gap
End (E) 5 Technique C Gap
Strike: Dog by the strong safety, attack-
Inside Linebackers ing flat down the line of scrimmage. Free
Sam (S) 30 A Gap safety becomes support player.
Will (W) 30 B Gap Diagram 12: Tight Eagle Strike
Tag: Movement by tackle into gap of
Alley Players responsibility.
Quick (Q) 9 Technique Read Diagram 8: Tight Eagle Tag
SS 3X3 Contain

Defensive Backs
FS 10 yards, C Gap D Gap
Corners (C) 8-10 yds, 1 yd inside Sec.
Run Support
Variations to the Eight-Man Front
Alignments
Our goal each and every week is to line
up in our base fronts and play that the
majority of the time. Realistically, we will
need to have change up calls that will put
our players in better position versus certain
run plays.
Alignment: A call positioning a defen-
sive lineman in a technique variation.
Shade: Nose guard on the inside shoul-
der of the offensive guard
Diagram 5: Tight Eagle Shade
Smoke: Dog by the strong safety,
attacking at a contain angle. Strong safety
remains the support player.
Slant: Multiple player movements by
Diagram 13: Tight Eagle Smoke
defensive line.
Tony Fire In: Multiple movements
involving $tud, tackle and nose.
Diagram 9: Tight Eagle Tony Fire In
Notify the AFCA
Dogs Office of Any
Dog: Defense designed to bring four
defensive linemen and one additional player.
Change of
Crash: Dog by the quick, attacking flat
down the line of scrimmage. Will becomes
Address
support player.

• Proceedings • 78th AFCA Convention • 2001 •