Straight Forward Aggression: Analyzing Florida State's "Quarters" Defense

Under new head coach Willie Taggart, the Seminoles will not only change their identity on offense, but on defense too. Taggart hired respected assistant Harlon Barnett to run the Florida State defense. The former Spartan All-American was co-defensive coordinator at Michigan State from 2015-17. According to S&P+, Michigan State ranked No. 13, No. 41, and No. 4 defensively, respectively, during his tenure.

Barnett brings the innovative "Michigan State Quarters" defense to Florida State. Quite the transition from FSU's previous 3-4 / Nickel schemes. It is a system that relies on a Cover 4 (or Quarters) coverage to limit passing opportunities, and it also tasks both safeties to attack downhill aggressively when defending the run. Because of the 7 men in the box, plus those 2 safeties 8-9 yards off the line of scrimmage, you will often hear its creators refer to it as a 9-man front.

The Base Formation

The defensive system is based on a typical 4-3 over front, with two safeties that are almost always in a two deep shell. The system is strict with cornerback positioning, choosing to rotate linebackers or safeties to cover twin receivers rather than putting both corners on the same side of the field.

When an opponent lines up with trips, the defense will rotate an alley defender to cover the No. 2 WR as well as slide both safeties over towards trips. This allows the defense to stop flood concepts to the trips side, although it does almost guarantee single coverage into the boundary.

The System

Like all good defensive systems, Quarters is hard to for an offense to exploit, but it's easy to teach. The simple rules allow his players to trust their reads and fly to the football.

"Everybody is playing more aggressive because we are thinking less," said linebacker Adonis Thomas. "It's more attacking a one-gap read or one key read instead of reading two or three things before you can attack. That's the aggressive part everyone is talking about."

Added defensive back Kyle Meyers: "We're swarming to the ball, knowing what to do out there. We're not really thinking, we're just playing. ... We're just learning our assignments, thinking of what to do before each play, knowing what the person across from us is going to do."

Florida State wants to stop the run. That's the Seminoles' top tenet. To make an offense one-dimensional is to break it in half. Barnett tasks his front-seven defenders (4 defensive linemen and 3 linebackers) to react quickly and aggressively to their run reads. The defensive line will attack a single gap, focused on penetration instead of tying up blockers. The playside defensive end is taught to keep his outside arm free, and force the ball back inside. The backside DE's responsibility is to contain any counters or cutbacks from getting outside. The goal is to funnel interior runs back towards the linebackers, who will flow to the ball and get upfield.

The reason Quarters gained such notoriety is because of the impact its safeties make in the run game. The two deep safeties read the offensive tackles, and when they get a run read they are going to crash down to stop the run. The aggressive downhill attack of the safeties means the defense can have as many as nine run defenders in the box within a few second after the snap.

Against the pass the safeties account for vertical threats.

MSU's scheme depends on the safeties, who have to make the most adjustments. They begin much closer to the line than most teams' safeties, usually around eight or nine yards deep, and, numbering the offense's eligible receivers from the outside in, they look through the no. 2 receiver to the offensive line for their initial keys. If the no. 2 receiver runs past that eight-ish yard mark, he belongs to the safety in what's essentially man-to-man coverage. But if that receiver runs a short route inside or outside, the safety passes him off to the linebackers helping underneath and becomes a "robber" player, keying the no. 1 receiver and the quarterback while trying to intercept any throws to the inside.

When offenses began to copy the QB power and inverted veer plays that Urban Meyer and Justin Fuente used to create number advantages in the run game, Quarters was one of the few defenses capable of matching those numbers without sacrificing the security of two deep safeties.

Despite the system's relentless commitment to stop the run, there is no such thing as a perfect defense. Every system has its weaknesses and Barnett's is no different. At Tech, Fuente has two game's worth of experience against Quarters. Former Michigan State DC Pat Narduzzi brought the Quarters defense with him and implemented it at Pitt. Barnett learned the system from Narduzzi as an assistant coach under him. Analyzing how Fuente attacked Pitt's defense provides insight on how he may approach a similar challenge against Florida State.

By not bringing a safety onto the line of scrimmage against trip formations, Quarters is more secure against deep passing routes. As we see above though, it does give the offense an opportunity to use their receivers to seal the linebackers and defensive end inside with great blocking angles. Tech also pulls its center around to kick out on the corner and this blocking scheme opens up an alley for tailback Deshawn McClease. Strong safety Jordan Whitehead (No. 9) now has to come straight down hill and make a play on the back in space. Whitehead manages to bring McClease down after a decent gain, but if McClease can make him miss, then he has the chance to out run the inside out pursuit and pick up chunk yardage.

The OLB to the field-side that gets pinned inside, Oluwaseun Idowu (No. 23), is the "Star" linebacker. Barnett described him as a hybrid player.

"He's like an old school strong safety, is what I think," said Barnett in August. "I think the old school strong safety doesn't exist any more, not in the type of defense that we're trying to run. You know, the big 'O' guy, the David Fulchers of the world, Steve Atwater type guys, because everybody has to be able to run, cover and tackle. Everybody, in the secondary, I believe."

When the defense flexes its outside linebacker (in this case the Star) to help cover the slot receiver, the offense has the numbers to account for every defender in the box. With the boundary corner defaulting into press coverage, the best option to run inside comes with an Iso play to the weak-side.

There are two keys to the Iso blocking scheme on this play. First, the combination of the playside guard and center to block the playside defensive tackle (No. 93), then have one of them peel off to pick off the Mike linebacker (No. 39). With the nose tackle moved out of the way and Eric Gallo blocking the Mike, Dalton Keene can lead the way into the hole from his H-Back position to block the boundary OLB (No. 25). Second, Eric Kumah exploits the quarters coverage to effectively block two players at once. The boundary corner's (No. 14) attention is focused on Kumah and he doesn't see the run play develop until it is too late. Kumah releases inside and has a great angle to crack the crashing safety (No. 20). Running back Jalen Holston now has an unblocked corner to defeat, a mismatch he should win the majority of the time. He spins away from a weak tackle attempt and picks up the first down. If Kumah can practice better technique to seal that safety inside and Holston can maintain his momentum after defeating the corner, this play has the potential to pop for an even longer gain.

Here we see the effectiveness of the Iso away from the slot defender. Again, the two keys are the double team on the defensive tackle and Mike linebacker as well as the boundary receiver's ability to get an inside release and stop the playside safety from making the play in the box. As long as Tech's offensive line can handle the Florida State defensive tackles, there will be opportunities to get decent yardage on quick hitting Iso plays. If the backs can make the unblocked defender miss, there is a chance we could see one of these runs break free for a score.

Fuente made a name for himself when he popularized/conceived the inverted veer at TCU. That play shouldn't have much success against Barnett's downhill run attack scheme, but there will be chances for Josh Jackson to make an impact on the ground. The best way to attack the Florida State defense will probably be with a split zone read play.

When the defense decides it's been isolated enough, and leaves its third linebacker in the box, a split zone read is a great way to exploit said linebacker's aggressiveness. The offensive line will zone block one direction, leaving the backside defensive end unblocked. The quarterback and the H-Back will read that defensive end. If the end doesn't crash to tackle the running back, the quarterback will hand the ball off to the running back. If the end does crash, the quarterback will pull the ball and head around the backside of the play to attack the perimeter.

The H-Back's block will spring the quarterback if he decides to keep the ball. The H-Back will cross the face of the defensive end and seal the OLB inside. With the slot receiver blocking the backside safety and the H-Back taking care of the OLB, the only unblocked defender is the second safety all the way on the other side of the field. That unblocked safety now has to travel all the way across the formation to track down the quarterback, a job that becomes even more difficult when you factor in how aggressive Barnett asks his safeties to be in run support. Often times, that unblocked safety will get too far towards the line of scrimmage to be in position to chase the play down before significant yardage is given up.

Cover 4

In order to beat Barnett's defense, an opposing offense is going to have to be able to throw the ball vertically down the field. Florida State has too much talent and too many numbers in the box to run it straight up the middle over and over again. Cover 4 (quarters coverage) will allow for quick hitting pass plays, but it is designed to limit yards after the catch. Unless there's a future early round quarterback behind center paired with competent receivers who are capable of completing 10+ passes a drive to slowly work their way down the field, the best way to move the ball is to push it down the field and pick up chunk plays against single coverage.

The Hokies will see their slot receivers get open on quick out routes. The use of RPOs can suck in the OLBs, preventing them from jumping underneath them. Against Cover 4, the safeties will be aligned off the slot receivers at the start of the play and will be a step late if the ball is thrown on time and on target. However, the above play is a perfect example of why Florida State won't mind conceding this throw throughout the game. The safety has a great angle to prevent any yards after catch, and a handful of five yard out routes won't be enough to win the game for Virginia Tech. The throw isn't an automatic completion either, as it will require Jackson to throw across the field to a small moving target. The low reward just isn't enough to base an entire game plan around. If you are going to throw it short against quarters coverage, you need to make your living throwing slants and crossing routes.

With trips to the field, Florida State is going to rely on their boundary corner to lock down the lone receiver on the backside — Phil Patterson in the play above. We've seen over the past two years how much Fuente prefers the flat/slant route combination. This combination clears the OLB out of the passing lane of the slant. Should Jackson has a receiver who can consistently beat press coverage, as Patterson did, he will have a chance to slice up the FSU defense.

I watched Michigan State against Northwestern last year, and spotted another way to pick up yardage in the short passing game. Flood one side of the field with receivers to widen out the OLB. This movement opens up a pocket of space in between the OLB and the Mike, which can be taken advantage of by a receiver coming across on a crossing route. Once the receiver crosses the face of the Mike, the quarterback can make a simple throw for a decent gain. This happens in front of the safeties and the OLB is in position to see the throw and get involved in the tackle though, so it normally doesn't lead to much YAC. It also requires the offensive line to protect the quarterback long enough for the receiver to run all the way across the field, but it is a nice way to pick up some yardage on an easy throw.

To summarize: in order to begin the 2018 campaign with a win against the Seminoles, the Hokies will need to find ways to pick up first downs on the ground and with short throws. However, the focus of Virginia Tech's offense must be to attack the quarters coverage with vertical routes down the field and with RPOs across the middle.

Attacking Down the Field

If I was an offensive coordinator, my go to route combination against quarters coverage would be double posts.

Although the pass below ended in an incompletion, you can see the throwing window open up as the corner gets beat to the inside.

The safety covering the slot receiver follows the inside post. If the outside receiver is able to get inside of the cornerback as James Clark did, then Jackson has a chance to push the ball down the field and hit his receiver for a big play. It is easier for the receiver to get inside of the corner when the corner plays off instead of pressing, but regardless of cornerback technique, it is possible to pick up big yards on the double post.

My second prefered way to attack quarters coverage would be to combine a smash concept with a backside post.

The smash concept is a two-receiver route. The outside receiver runs a hitch while the slot receiver runs a corner. The idea is for the quarterback to read the outside cornerback. If that corner covers the hitch, then throw over his head to the corner route. If the corner covers the corner route, then throw the hitch and take an easy 7-10 yard completion. Quarters coverage tasks the safety to that side to cover that slot corner route. The offense can take advantage of this safety's responsibility by attaching a post route to the backside. As the safety rotates over to cover the corner route, a backside receiver now has single coverage against a safety in the middle of the field. This is a dangerous proposition for the defense.

Last year the Hokies tried this route combination, but added a nasty twist. Knowing how aggressive Pitt's safeties are in run support, Fuente added a fake pitch to the running back.

While the field-side safety and corner contend with the Smash concept, the fake froze the boundary safety (No. 24) for a split second. That was all Patterson needed to blow past him on a post route. The play design worked perfectly and this should have resulted in a long touchdown pass. Chances are Jackson will have an opportunity to run this same route combination again against Florida State.

The first time Fuente faced Narduzzi's Quarters defense, Tech lit up the scoreboard thanks to a seemingly endless number of the above fade routes. Isaiah Ford and Bucky Hodges matched up against the Pitt press coverage and ran fade after fade. The fade route will be there every time the Hokies want to throw it against Florida State, because Barnett believes he can teach his defensive backs to defend the fade better than the Hokies can teach their receivers to run it. If Jackson and the young, but talented, receiving corps can get into a rhythm connecting on fades early, it will be a long night for the Florida State defense. The corners will not get help on this route, it is up to them to stop it.

The Achilles' Heel?

In my opinion, the major weakness of this defense is the predictable nature of it's safeties' responsibilities in pass coverage. When the offense knows who the safeties will cover and what techniques they will employ, it takes the guesswork out of attacking their positions. Similar to how defenses can get creative with blizes when facing a non-mobile quarterback, offenses can decide when and how to isolate the safeties in single coverage against quicker receivers. Unfortunately for Barnett, the RPO has exploded in popularity over the last few years and is the perfect way to leave FSU's safeties on an island.

Northwestern had plenty of success against the Barnett co-led Michigan State defense. The Wildcats accumulated 432 total yards, scored 39 points, and QB Clayton Thorson racked up 33 completions for 356 yards and 2 touchdowns. Northwestern utilized RPOs frequently, particularly to attack the side of the two-receiver side of the field. On the play above, Northwestern uses the threat of a run to drag the third (Star) linebacker (No. 5) into the box. The field safety (No. 6) is now isolated in single coverage against the slot receiver. Thorson reads the Star linebacker crashing in, and completes the play by pulling the ball and throwing to the slant route.

If Virginia Tech is going to beat Florida State, the Hokies will have to take advantage of the predictable single coverage they can get with RPOs. Barnett will try to confuse Tech's offense by bringing different pressures, but the structure in the secondary will stay static throughout the game. When the slot defender reads run, he is going to crash and leave the safety all alone to stop the pass. From there, it is up to the receiver to beat his man and Jackson to make the throw.

The benefit of the RPO isn't limited to isolating slot receivers on a safety. If offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen feels he has a favorable matchup against a corner, he can use the RPO to clear out both the outside linebacker and the safety to give that receiver the space to operate.

Expect to see this play against Florida State. Not only did Tech have success with it against Narduzzi, but Northwestern completed several passes with this exact design. The RPO again pulls the Star linebacker (No. 23) into the box, but this time the slot receiver clears out the field safety so the outside receiver, Cam Phillips, can beat his man to the inside and have plenty of space to run with the ball. Jackson makes the right read and gets the ball to Phillips on time and in stride.

Keys to Victory

The Quarters defense that Harlon Barnett brought with him to Tallahassee is perfect for Florida State. It negates the clever interior runs offensive coordinators have created to beat more talented defensive lines by flooding the box with nine defenders. It maximizes the value of talented pass rushers by dropping as many as seven defenders into zone coverage. It tempts opponents to throw low percentage fade routes down the field against a team that has fielded some of the best corners in the ACC.

However, like all tactical systems in football, this defense can be beat if you outexecute it at key positions. If the Hokies get great play out of their interior line and their wide receivers, Jackson has a chance to begin his sophomore campaign with a win. The interior o-line will need to be able to handle the Seminoles' defensive tackles. As evidenced with the Iso breakdown above, there are opportunities in the ground game if the guards and center can double team a d-tackle before quickly accounting for the Mike linebacker. If the offensive line can't get movement up front, there is nowhere for the running backs to go and the offense will be stay behind the chains all night long. The other key is for Tech's receivers to find ways to both get open down the field and come down with contested catches. Florida State will be pressing on the perimeter most of the night, and Cornelsen will need to take his shots to try and relieve some pressure. If Virginia Tech's receivers can create separation on their routes, it could be a long night for the home team. If they can't, it will be a short night for the Hokies' offense.