Jason Thier

At Dickinson State University, we operate a multiple front, multiple coverage defense designed to handle every offensive style we face throughout the season. The foundation of our success is our universal run fit system, which allows us to seamlessly transition between three- and four-man fronts, and a variety of split-field, two-high, and one-high coverages—all without slowing our players down.

This system has been a key factor in our defensive success. Over the past two seasons, we've ranked top 5 nationally in rush defense, giving up just 77 rushing yards per game on average.

In this course, we’ll break down:

• Our overall philosophy on stopping the run

• The three rush techniques we use to affect option plays

• How we identify conflict players in RPO situations

• The core rules of our universal fit system

• And our adjustments to handle anything an offense throws at us

The best part? This universal run fit system can be integrated into any defensive scheme without requiring wholesale changes to your structure.

Here at Dickinson State University our base coverages are all rooted in split field concepts. We implement mostly two-high split field coverage concepts but also utilize single-high split field coverage concepts as well. We use these split field concepts in most of our 3-man, 4-man, and 5-man rushes out of both odd and even spaced fronts. Using split field coverage concepts has been a major piece of a defense that over the last four years has averaged 16.6 points per game, 306 total yards per game, 29 takeaways per year, and a 31% win percentage on 3rd down.

After performing a study on the types of formations we defend the most often, we realized that we defend 3x1 formation more than any other type. With this in mind it became important to us to be multiple in how we defend 3x1’s to prevent predictability and have answers for how offenses try to utilize 3x1 formations to attack defenses. This course will specifically address how to use split field coverage concepts to defend 3x1 formations. Even if you currently do not utilize split field coverage concepts, you can easily take the information from this course and adapt it to full field concepts to defend 3x1’s. This course will break down why we believe you need to be multiple in 3x1 coverage options, present things to consider when game planning 3x1 formations, outline single wide receiver side coverage concepts, outline multiple wide receiver side coverage concepts, and detail a method to choose how to take away what each offense wants to do the most out of their 3x1 formations.

Over the past two seasons at Dickinson State University, our defense has averaged just 16.8 points allowed per game, 77.5 rushing yards per game, and 289.9 total yards per game. These results rank us among the top defenses in the country—top 10 nationally in scoring defense, top 5 in rushing defense, and top 20 in total defense.

Our success is built on a pressure-oriented philosophy. We bring a defender from off the line of scrimmage on 49% of plays, forcing offenses to adjust to us, not the other way around. By applying consistent pressure, we’re able to take away what offenses do best and dictate the terms of the game.

This course will cover some of our most frequently used pressure concepts, including simulated pressures, five-man, and six-man pressure patterns. More importantly, it will explain how we are able to install a large number of pressure variations using "Same As" teaching methods. This approach allows us to simplify the learning process for our players while expanding the overall pressure package.

Whether you're looking to streamline your teaching methods or expand your defensive pressure schemes, this course will provide valuable insight for any defense looking to evolve.

After close evaluation following the 2022 season, our program underwent a strategic transformation in our red zone defensive approach. Recognizing the complexities inherent in executing a 7 across zone/man match concept, we embraced a scheme shift for the 2023 season. Our new methodology focuses on deploying three distinct man coverages, strategically fortified with zone assistance, effectively transforming the back of the endzone into our 12th defender. Through this course, we detail each coverage's rules, highlight their respective strengths, and outline adjustments tailored for handling bunch sets. Our results speak volumes: in 2023, our defense yielded a field goal or less on 50% of red zone trips, boasting a average of under 4.5 points per red zone possession. Learn how to unlock the secrets to red zone success and elevate your defensive performance to higher levels.