2008 Woodie Awards
Opinion: Defense is the key to winning Conference USA
Ronnie Woodward, Asst. Sports Editor
Issue date: 8/14/08 Section: Sports
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All you have to do is look at last year's champion to realize that.
Last fall, UCF showed the rest of C-USA the recipe for winning a championship in the league that has turned into the most offense-heavy and unpredictable in the nation, and believe it or not, they did it with defense.
Scoring points has been very easy for most in C-USA lately. Last year, the conference boasted the nation's top offense (Tulsa) and had two players from the same conference rush for more than 2,000 yards for only the second time in college football history.
But the defensive statistics weren't quite as pretty.
Last season, seven of C-USA's 12 teams ranked 100th or worse in the nation in total defense and pass defense. UCF wasn't one of them, and that had a lot to do with winning the conference. Every team in the league knew how to score points, but not many actually knew how to stop the opposition.
UCF was one of two C-USA schools to allow less points in 2007 than in 2006, and the Golden Knights were first in the league in total defense, pass defense and sacks against conference opponents. With nine returning starters on defense, UCF allowed 25 points or less in seven of its nine conference games--including the win over Tulsa in the C-USA championship game.
ECU has aspirations of winning its first conference championship since 1976 this season, and for that to happen, the defense must play better.
Playing with an inexperienced secondary last season, the Pirates finished 114th in the nation in pass defense and 95th in total defense. They were forced into shootouts and frequently bailed out by Chris Johnson and an explosive offense. Johnson will not be on the field this year, and Head Coach Skip Holtz and defensive coordinator Greg Hudson have both acknowledged that more pressure will be on the defense to win games.
"It's a high responsibility, but it is a fact," said Hudson. "In order for us to expect any type of championship, we're going to have to play great defense."
Hudson said that being a defensive coordinator in C-USA can be very challenging and frustrating at times, and that trend looks like it will continue. Former Hawaii coach June Jones will bring his high-powered run-and-shoot offense to SMU this season, and two successful offensive coordinators will have their first chances as head coaches in C-USA this fall. Southern Miss, which fired longtime defensive-minded coach Jeff Bower last fall, will be coached by Larry Fedora, who guided Oklahoma State's nationally ranked offense last season. Kevin Sumlin, who has been an offensive coordinator at Oklahoma and Florida, will also be the headman at Houston.
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