Solich said. Whether we can do anything about them is another story
but we'll know the names of them. Coach Frank Solich didn't know what Monte Kiffin taught him would help him defeat his former mentor some day. In fact, he still isn't sure.
We know what his defenses are called Solich said. Whether we can do anything about them is another story
but we'll know the names of them.
The name most football fans are familiar with is the Tampa 2. The defense was popularized in the 1990s and early 2000s by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Kiffin was the defensive coordinator.
Solich sat in on meetings in Tampa Bay, learning and studying the defensive scheme under Kiffin, one of football's most renowned coordinators. Ohio defensive coordinator Jimmy Burrow discussed defensive philosophies with Kiffin over the phone.
At least he did until this year.
We had their linebacker coach come visit us
we had their defensive line coach come visit us from Tampa
Burrow said. Once he went to Tennessee and we looked on the schedule and he was there
we haven't talked much Xs and Os since.
Like Solich and Burrow, Kiffin's college roots trace back to Nebraska. Solich was a freshman in 1963 when Kiffin was a senior finishing his college career.
Burrow was a defensive back at Nebraska when Kiffin was the Cornhuskers' defensive coordinator in the mid-1970s.
He's been so generous as far as his time and his willingness to spend time with us
Solich said. He's been great on that end of it.
The defense, which favors speedy athletes rather than bigger and stronger players, wasn't invented by Kiffin and former Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy, but they mastered it.
Tampa Bay ranked in the top 10 for total defense in 12 of Kiffin's 13 years as defensive coordinator from 1996 to 2008. They were in the top five six times and were first in 2002, when they won the Super Bowl.
The Buccaneers also ranked in the top 10 for both points allowed and yards allowed 10 times, an NFL record.
It was so effective, popular and easy to teach that it began appearing all over both the collegiate and professional ranks - even at Ohio.
A few years back
at North Dakota State
I basically installed the Tampa Style defense
Burrow said. Coach (Ross) Els had run the same style defense at New Mexico State. Our background was Coach Kiffin and his philosophy
