“The secondary has played serviceably in coverage,” former U of L captain Jake Smith said Monday. “But teams don’t need to throw the ball because we’re so bad in the front seven. Guys look lost out there.”
“Most (former players) I’ve spoken to — 10 or 15 guys — have said this is a poorly coached team,” said Smith, an offensive lineman who captained Petrino’s 2014 team. “It’s kind of a consensus. We have good players. We have good-looking players. (But) they don’t use their hands. For a defensive lineman, you’re not going to stop an offensive lineman unless you get your hands in his chest.”
Smith, a four-year starter at U of L, made pointed criticisms of the current team last month on the condition of anonymity. But after watching the Clemson debacle, he agreed to share his frustrations for the record.
“Pursuit is an issue, and pursuit is coachable,” he said. “I have a hard time speaking to the technique of a corner. But you don’t have a hard time watching effort. It’s just obvious that coaching could be better.”
Specifically, Smith finds fault with the play of the front seven — the defensive line and linebackers — two units coached by Petrino’s sons-in-law, L.D. Scott and Ryan Beard.
“The technique in the front seven is why Clemson, Georgia Tech, Boston College and Wake Forest are able to run all over us and why our sack numbers are so poor,” Smith said. “The run fits at linebacker were atrocious.’’
By “run fit,” Smith refers to a linebacker’s reading of the offensive line to determine what gap to fill to make a play or force a runner into the teeth of the defense.
“Our run fits are routinely bad, which is why you see runners routinely get to the secondary,” he said. “That long touchdown up the home sideline that (Matt) Colburn from Wake Forest had on us is a perfect example.”
Smith said Clemson was able to average better than 13 yards per rushing play because of the lack of gap integrity from the defensive line, which he blamed in part on “non-existent hand technique.”
https://www.courier-journal.com/sto...n-vangorder-contract-clemson-loss/1893147002/
“Most (former players) I’ve spoken to — 10 or 15 guys — have said this is a poorly coached team,” said Smith, an offensive lineman who captained Petrino’s 2014 team. “It’s kind of a consensus. We have good players. We have good-looking players. (But) they don’t use their hands. For a defensive lineman, you’re not going to stop an offensive lineman unless you get your hands in his chest.”
Smith, a four-year starter at U of L, made pointed criticisms of the current team last month on the condition of anonymity. But after watching the Clemson debacle, he agreed to share his frustrations for the record.
“Pursuit is an issue, and pursuit is coachable,” he said. “I have a hard time speaking to the technique of a corner. But you don’t have a hard time watching effort. It’s just obvious that coaching could be better.”
Specifically, Smith finds fault with the play of the front seven — the defensive line and linebackers — two units coached by Petrino’s sons-in-law, L.D. Scott and Ryan Beard.
“The technique in the front seven is why Clemson, Georgia Tech, Boston College and Wake Forest are able to run all over us and why our sack numbers are so poor,” Smith said. “The run fits at linebacker were atrocious.’’
By “run fit,” Smith refers to a linebacker’s reading of the offensive line to determine what gap to fill to make a play or force a runner into the teeth of the defense.
“Our run fits are routinely bad, which is why you see runners routinely get to the secondary,” he said. “That long touchdown up the home sideline that (Matt) Colburn from Wake Forest had on us is a perfect example.”
Smith said Clemson was able to average better than 13 yards per rushing play because of the lack of gap integrity from the defensive line, which he blamed in part on “non-existent hand technique.”
https://www.courier-journal.com/sto...n-vangorder-contract-clemson-loss/1893147002/
