In Reply to: Re: It's mainly improved because posted by Dr.Bruin on September 02, 2024 at 02:32:43
Any good run defense can give up a long run during the game. I would rather take extra yard or two consistently on short runs than hoping for a big run to show up. Where it really matters is can your OL push the defense back on 3rd 2 situations, which LSU "vaulted" OL failed to do.
Teams use cushion because it's playing bend don't break. It's ok to give cushion if offense has speedy receivers and good OL but tighten up once the ball crosses midfield as the field of play shrinks. What UCLA often did was bend and break, let them easily cross the 50, don't tighten up and give up a score. It's also where the running game matters more because the field of play shrinks for the passing game but doesn't impact the running game as much. So if you are going to play bend don't break, you need to make sure your running defense is solid.