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Lifelong Frog
Daily Skiff: 4-2-5 is the key to Horned Frogs' defense success
By Chris Blake
News Now Sports Director
The Horned Frog defense is first in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 9.3 points per game, and second in total defense, giving up just 218.3 yards per game. But the numbers that make Gary Patterson's defense unique are four, two and five.
The 4-2-5 defense is a rarity in football because it deploys five defensive backs, whereas more common base defenses like a 3-4 or 4-3 use only four. John Denton, radio analyst for the TCU/ISP Sports Network, said the 4-2-5 allows the Frogs to keep pace with opposing offenses.
"It does put a lot of speed on the field," he said. "It gives you a lot of variability and it also gives you the ability to adjust on the fly if you see different formations."
Last second adjustments are something that an offense usually uses to gain an advantage on the defense, Denton said. That is not the case with Patterson's scheme.
"A lot of what's fun to watch about the 4-2-5 is that it's as much like an offense as it is a defense because you see Gary and the staff, they wait to see the personnel set that the opponent is going to give them," Denton said. ...
By Chris Blake
News Now Sports Director
The Horned Frog defense is first in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 9.3 points per game, and second in total defense, giving up just 218.3 yards per game. But the numbers that make Gary Patterson's defense unique are four, two and five.
The 4-2-5 defense is a rarity in football because it deploys five defensive backs, whereas more common base defenses like a 3-4 or 4-3 use only four. John Denton, radio analyst for the TCU/ISP Sports Network, said the 4-2-5 allows the Frogs to keep pace with opposing offenses.
"It does put a lot of speed on the field," he said. "It gives you a lot of variability and it also gives you the ability to adjust on the fly if you see different formations."
Last second adjustments are something that an offense usually uses to gain an advantage on the defense, Denton said. That is not the case with Patterson's scheme.
"A lot of what's fun to watch about the 4-2-5 is that it's as much like an offense as it is a defense because you see Gary and the staff, they wait to see the personnel set that the opponent is going to give them," Denton said. ...
