Here is the issue, along with some history. I know this is long, but read me out. I am probably repeating myself. YBR is correct. Pizza and 21 are correct.
Tressel converted our offense in about 1988-89. We went from an offense/defesne that was designed to compete in the OVC, to more of an option-based offense (designed to compete as an independent). However, our defense stayed very similar to how it was in the OVC. Enter Coordinator John Heacock. Our offense stays the same, but heacock "beefed" things up a bit. In fact, you may not realize or remember ...YSU set an NCAA DI record for points allowed over an entire season in 1994. I think it was 9.4 or 10.4 PPG.
With this combination of O & D, YSU makes the championship game in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994. In 1994, YSU defeats a very good Boise State team that used (and still does) a combination of West Coast & Spread. Very similar to YSU's current offense.
In 1995 YSU enters the Gateway conference and Tressel begins to change the offense to "compete" in the GFC). Heacock left YSU, for the Big-10, but his replacements kept things mostly the same on defense.
In 1997, YSU made the play-off, and wound-up barely defeating an option-based team in McNeese (lowest scoring game in I-AA/FCS championship history). Interesting enough ...McNeese was rated the #1 defense, and YSU was ranked the #2 defense at the end of the 1997 regular season. {I all but lost my job that day. I had a temporary job at Circuit City, and they were mad that I took a 3-hour lunch to watch the game}.
In 1999, YSU takes their defense to the post-season again; almost defeated by a poor FLAMU club that runs the traditional SEC/Florida spread option ...& is then "smacked around" by Georgia Southern's "new-fangled" triple option. It was a triple with a spread & read component ...the same thing he now runs at Navy.
So what does this history lesson have to do with our discussion?
1. If a defense is expected to defense any offense, they must have seen that offense before. Now what offense does a Penguin defense see all summer and every week during the season? A PENGUIN OFFENSE! So if the Penguins are running the spread on offense, they will be much better at defending any team they play that runs that same offense. Conversely, much weaker defending the power offenses of the GFC/MVFC
So YSU beat #1 Villanova's spread (3-times in a row at that point). YSU beats Boise State's spread in 1994 quite easily actually.
YSU barely beats McNeese's spread in 1997 because the Frosh and Sophs have not really seen the spread before ...as YSU's offense does not run it any more. Yet the Juniors and Seniors (most of the starters) still remember defending the spread & win it for us. {i loved that defense}.
In 1999, we are "kool whipped" by GA Southern's spread because no one on YSU defense has seen it before. Yet, GSU's defense had no answer for Adrian Brown's power either ...until he was exhausted in the second half and we could not win a shoot-out with a Tressel-offense. Even ISU (the Gateway's only option team at that time) almost beat us that year.
2. Heacock did begin the change to the spread O, but it was a disaster the first year. Most injuries I have ever seen. Looked nice under Summers, but we still only had 1 full recruiting class. Exit coach H. This is why I felt Heacock's removal was ill-timed in the first place. I wanted a couple of classes to see the spread. Tressel's pro-set offense is why I was not overly disappointed when he left.
3. If we can somehow get Heacock's limited spread, and his nice defense ...we can win. Well, we have a nice option, with a limited spread component now. This is the best offense in my years as a fan. We do lack a power component though. Our defense has the opportunity to do well against some spread teams (ie: Michigan state) ...but we lack the ability to compete in our conference because we do not have the same power offenses that (all but one of) the Gateway/MVFC run. Thus we cannot simulate the speed and power for them. We need a power component to win close games. We need to be able to tell the opposing defense we are running the ball off tackle left ...and dare them to stop us. Not to the point of coach Tressel, that did this all the time, but certainly anywhere we need it. That is Penguin Swagger, and will really help our defense. There is no question Montgomery has the skills.
