HONOLULU — It was an October night in 2004 when Aloha Stadium was a field of screams.
Todd Graham, who was Tulsa’s defensive coordinator at the time, remembered the reaction from the Hawaii football fans.
“Chad Owens would catch a touchdown, ” Graham said of the Warriors’ slotback, “and they would cheer. But they were pretty used to that. But, man, when (the Warriors ) sacked a quarterback or they lit somebody up with a big, physical play, the crowd would go nuts.”
Graham, who was hired as the Warriors’ head coach in January, said he wants to instill a defense similar to when “Niko Noga and Al Noga and them guys were here, man. Hawaii was known for defense.”
While Graham will be the father figure to all areas of the program, he conceded he has a special fondness for defense.
“That’s my baby, ” Graham said. “I’m very passionate about defense. That’s my big thing. I want to bring a defensive mentality. … It’s playing with speed and physicality. Defensively is where the biggest change is going to come.”
In 2019, the Warriors’ base defense was a 4-2-5 alignment, with sub-packages that involved three-man fronts, three linebackers, or members of the secondary becoming in-box defenders. Graham is seeking to improve on the Warriors’ 19 sacks and five fumble recoveries.
In past coaching stints at Tulsa, Pittsburgh and Arizona State, Graham had a wide menu of defensive schemes, including 4-3, 3-3 stack and odd front. “We’re going to adapt what we’re doing to the skills and talents of the players we have, ” Graham said. “That’s why we’re spending so much time researching and going through film.”
Whatever format, Graham said, “we will run an attacking style of defense. We want to force the issue. We want to force the (opposing ) offense to operate under extreme pressure and confusion. That creates (tackles for loss ), sacks, turnovers.”
Graham is hopeful of mirroring past defensive success. In 2006, Graham’s first season at Rice, the Owls amassed 31 sacks—19 more than the previous season. Graham inherited a Tulsa team that produced 19 sacks in 2006. Two years later, the Golden Hurricane recorded 36 sacks (seventh nationally ). Graham helped Pittsburgh go from 21 sacks in 2010 to 43 in 2011. Arizona State made the jump from 25 in 2011 to 53 in 2013. Under Graham, Arizona State was in the top 10 nationally in sacks four times, including No. 2 in 2012 and 2015.
The fuel to his defenses, Graham said, is applying pressure through not-what-they-appear means. Asked about the average number of blitzes called, Graham said : “It depends on what you call a blitz. There are times when it looks like we’re bringing six, but we’re only bringing three—and two guys are coming in unblocked. You might want to make it look like you’re rushing three, but you’re bringing six. Or you look like you’re rushing four but you’re bringing five. The biggest thing is so the offense cannot get in rhythm, where they’re constantly disrupted. To do that, it takes complex-understanding defense. It takes discipline. It depends on how much we can get taught.”
Because of the pandemic, the Warriors’ spring training was canceled. The coaches and players have not had in-person contact in seven weeks. Graham said there have been Zoom meetings conducted, mentorship programs formed, and instructional videos sent.
Graham’s goal is a defense that “impacts the quarterback enough and then being able to play match-up coverage. You’ve got to cover people. You have to make sure you don’t give up cheap touchdowns. I like our players’ mind-set and mentality. They’re hungry for that.”