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In effort to fix defensive woes, Arkansas introducing defensive scheme tweaks
By Adam Spencer
Published:
It’s no secret that the Arkansas defense was atrocious in 2016.
The Razorbacks finishes 75th in the country in total defense, allowing 428.7 yards per game under defensive coordinator Robb Smith.
As the Hogs prepare for the Belk Bowl against Virginia Tech, coach Bret Bielema said his team will be making some defensive scheme changes.
He told WholeHogSports.com that the Razorbacks will work some more 3-4 defenses into their game plan, drifting away from their base 4-3:
“Things have transitioned from the 4-3 to the 3-4 of late,” Bielema said. “I loved the 3-4. That’s what I played and coached it for a while. I had to learn the 4-3 when I got into coaching because it was a big deal.
“Football evolved to the 4-3 and now it’s coming back to the 3-4. We’ve done a little of that in our sub packages.”
The ultimate goal of the switch, Bielema said, is to get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks:
“With the 3-4, you can bring pressures (on the quarterback) from both sides,” Bielema said.
The Razorbacks have some time to change up their defensive plans ahead of the Belk Bowl, which will take place on Thursday, Dec. 29.
How much 3-4 Bielema and Smith plan to mix in remains to be seen, but it’s worth a shot to try to jump start the struggling unit.
Watch the Hogs take on the Hokies on Dec. 29 on ESPN at 4:30 p.m. Central time.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
