We have a lot of guys that we can play and crossover into different positions. That’s where I think the staff has been really good. When they teach, all the guys are paying attention to different positions. That way if you get somebody hurt, you’re not necessarily playing the next guy, but the best guy. – Todd Orlando, USU defensive coordinator
LOGAN – Just one week into fall football camp, the energy in and around Romney Stadium is palpable. With a new group of coaches leading the way, there is a lot going on in the first practices.
Todd Orlando is the new face of Utah State’s defense, coming to Logan with 17 years of coaching experience. He spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons at Florida International, after 12 seasons at the University of Connecticut, where he oversaw the defense for six of those years. He has coached in eight bowl games during his career and has been a part of two conference championships.
With a lot of depth and experience returning to the defense this season, there is a lot of excitement and high expectations that comes with it. Orlando gave some insight on the defense so far and what Aggie fans can expect heading into the season.
How has the process been of you learning and adapting to Utah State's defensive scheme already in place, as opposed to you bringing in your own system and the players learning that?
“It’s been good. I owe a lot of credit to coach (Matt) Wells. He tells us exactly what he wants, so there’s no gray area. I owe a lot of credit to the guys on the staff that were here before. They’ve done a great job of keeping me aware of how things run around the office. They’re all experts at what they do. It’s a very good staff, and that’s what makes it easier for me.”
Utah State did a lot of blitzing last year from multiple spots on the field. Is that something USU fans can expect to see again this year?
“It all depends. Not getting into specifics with it, it’s kind of based on what [the offense] does and what we need to defend. It’s kind of a wait and see. Every game is a little bit different, and we just play it by ear.”
Are there any changes or new schemes that you have added to the defense?
“It’s going to be multiple. I’ve always said that we’re going to give multiple looks, but in terms of the concepts it’s going to be simplistic. I don’t want our guys to have to go in and memorize everything. That’s hard to do because if something changes they can’t piece it all together. If you have multiple looks with simple concepts, you can kind of figure it out, even if an offense gives them some type of look they’re not ready for. I’ve always been that way.”
What are your impressions of Utah State, offensively and defensively, a week into fall camp?
“It’s been good. We’ve been really emphasizing trying to get the football and do things with it. The kids have responded to that. We’ll probably know a little bit more after the first scrimmage. The live stuff has been OK, but the true evaluation will be then to see how well we perform without coaches around or anybody in their ears. Some of these guys are getting anywhere from four to eight reps in practice, but may get 45 in a scrimmage. Some of the younger, unproven guys will be able to work through that. That’s what I’m anxious to see.”
Are you impressed with the amount of depth Utah State appears to have on defense?
“We’re getting there. Some guys have shown up a little bit, but we haven’t seen them live. We have a lot of guys that we can play and crossover into different positions. That’s where I think the staff has been really good. When they teach, all the guys are paying attention to different positions. That way if you get somebody hurt, you’re not necessarily playing the next guy, but the best guy. It can come from anywhere — up front or the linebacker position or even from the back end. That’s what we’re trying to do so we can get our best athletes out on the field.”
What things have you liked from your defense thus far in camp and what things do you still need to improve on?
“It boils down to us having the right mindset. Everyone in the country is doing it. There’s always going to be times where we need more juice out there. We’re going to get into the dog days of camp now and we’ll find out where we’re at as a team. At the end of the day, it’s your senior and junior leadership, guys like Chuckie Keeton and Zach Vigil, those guys who can rally the team to have the right focus and mindset as they come on the field. It’s hard for us as coaches. You can get after them and such, but they really have to make the commitment. I’m really anxious to see when we get into day 11 or 12 of camp whether we’re going to have days where we’ll have to rally everybody and push through. The good part about this game is it’s all relative. Everyone in the country is doing the same thing. Everybody’s sore and everybody’s tired. You really find out the character of your team and how much you accomplish on those days. I’m anxious to see it.”
Who among the defensive players is standing out to you at this point?
“The usual suspects have been playing well, Jake (Doughty) and Zach (Vigil), Connor (Williams) and B.J. (Larsen), Nevin (Lawson). You can just go down the line. I think they’re all doing a great job. At this point in their careers, they’re really starting to hone in on understanding the whole thing that we’re doing. They’re trying to grasp it all so they can become better leaders for the younger guys. If something breaks down, they know where the breakdown is and can make the corrections and be more vocal in communicating.”
Heading into the 2013 season and Mountain West action, what do the defensive players have to do to be successful in conference play?
“At the end of the day, we have to create field position and not let people just score touchdowns when they get the ball close up. If we can get the ball and get it into the hands of our offense, Chuckie and his gang will do their thing. If you give up a lot of explosive plays, you’re not going to play well. If the ball gets down in a tight red zone and you’re giving up touchdown after touchdown, you’re not going to play well. If you can’t create turnovers, it’s going to be tough to win games. We’re really trying to emphasize that part of getting the football and setting up field position.”
Doug Hoffman is the assistant athletic director for Utah State University Athletic Media Relations.