Bring back the Desert Swarm

[UALoco]

What does this defense have to do to be considered worthy of the Desert Swarm monicker? Nebraska has its Blackshirts. I want the Desert Swarm back!!

[scumdevils86]

well the '92 cats only allowed 9.8 points per game. allowed 13.4 in '93 so they'd have to get to that point.

[Merkin]

Don't think it's going to happen soon in the spread offense. Passing more, no huddle, scoring faster means more time on the clock for the other team.

The Double Eagle Flex was also a new gimmicky defense. Once defenses figured it out it was easy to beat.

[scumdevils86]

i highly doubt we EVER see our defense giving up less than 20 ppg with our current system

but we should be scoring more than 30.

[azcat49]

I agree with Scum. If we could have a season average under 20 I think that would be "swarmish" with this offense. I would just like a defense that attacks from all angles and is very aggressive. I think we will do more of that this year because we have the experience and the speed (sorry DMJ). We need to take the ball away as much if not more than last year so we need to be aggressive

[scumdevils86]

yep. just need an agressive d that will get the ball into our o's hands as much as possible.

[Chicat]

Let's get the defense to be at least above average before we start talking nicknames.

[azgreg]

Let's get the defense to be at least above average before we start talking nicknames.

Agreed. Once we measure yards per carry in inches then we can talk.

[UALoco]

I don't think it is fair to measure in ave yards per carry or anything like that since the game has changed. I also don't think it should mean we are bringing back the double eagle flex watchamacallit. If we are the best D in the P12, I am calling them "Desert Swarm."

[Sage&Silver]

I don't think it is fair to measure in ave yards per carry or anything like that since the game has changed. I also don't think it should mean we are bringing back the double eagle flex watchamacallit. If we are the best D in the P12, I am calling them "Desert Swarm."

I've been arguing that the D isn't as bad as outdated stats makes everyone think, but it is still average at best.

I agree they don't need to meet some statistical metric from a bygone era, they just need to be seen as a strength.

[chiefzona]

Long live the 3-3-5!

[azcat49]

Long live Chief, welcome back. Now stay

[ANGCatFan]

All I can think of every time I see this thread it is time for a Desert Swarm day at one of our football games. Bring back all of the coaches and players for a halftime ovation and a weekend of drinking and stories.

Nobody, including us, may ever be able to replicate their defensive prowess, but at least we can thank them for their contribution to Arizona football.

I'm all in. Bring back the Desert Swarm!

[UALoco]

Branding is important. It is important in business, politics, and our professional lives. It also VERY important in sports. I think if we started hyping up the Desert Swarm brand, it might attract more attention from recruits and give talking heads something to yap about..free advertisement. The school might even make some $$ on swag. That said, our defense has to be better than it has for the last 10-15 years but I think we need to have a goal to strive to. Top D in the Pac12, or a top 10 D in the nation. Something that, at the end of the year, we can say "that right there is a DESERT SWARM defense" and be confident that they earned it.

[chiefzona]

Long live Chief, welcome back. Now stay

Hey man! I forgot about this board until ang posted a link on the Scout board. With the welcome wagon shooting at the Indian already.....might be just a quick visit. Lol

[Merkin]

Love Chief's insights, he is a real football guy.

There was some other poster too who was real knowledgeable about football and I missed his football knowledge, forgot who it was though.

Not Kyle Collins.

[chiefzona]

Love Chief's insights, he is a real football guy.

There was some other poster too who was real knowledgeable about football and I missed his football knowledge, forgot who it was though.

Not Kyle Collins.

Thanks Merk. Long time no see. HeHateMe?

[azcat49]

Need HHM. Need you both back here dude. Hey, our premium site here rocks

[UALoco]

With the new Defensive Coaching staff and our defensive recruiting looking up, I wanted to post to this thread again. I am started to get real excited that in a year or two, we might have a defense good enough to call themselves "Desert Swarm." Also, I think we need to bring back that crew and give them recognition during a game halftime. Someone remind me, have we ever officially recognized the greatness of that defense? I think it would be real shrewd to do it now with alot of these men having sons that are or nearing college football age. It would be cool to see them out there with their families, getting recognized. Also cool to see the Digital Gurus making some kind of montage to honor them. ...maybe all this was done and I just missed it.

[ASUHATER!]

At this point all I want is a perennially "eh pretty good/ok/average" defense. Asking for desert swarm is unrealistic unless we start getting Alabama recruits. I just want us to give up 25 points per game instead of 37.

[azgreg]

I think I'll wait until they show they can keep teams under 35 points a game and can keep teams from converting on 3rd and 15 consistently.

[scumdevils86]

the one thing about AZ football lately that has been the worst for my future heart issues is the fcking 3rd and looooong conversions. 3rd and 9? no problem! 3rd and 13? piece of cake! 3rd and 23? why not!!

[ASUHATER!]

Seems a given that on first and second down we'll hold people or make them have a several yard loss but then on 3rd and 13 they easily play a casual game of pitch the ball up anywhere and catch and run for a 30 yard gain.

[UALoco]

I don't think we need to wait to recognize what the original Desert Swam players did and to give the existing team something to live up to.

[Merkin]

Seems a given that on first and second down we'll hold people or make them have a several yard loss but then on 3rd and 13 they easily play a casual game of pitch the ball up anywhere and catch and run for a 30 yard gain.

Rushing 4 now instead of 3 should help that. Although with the odd 335 one should have blitzed anyway. Dropping 10 into coverage only works on average or worse qbs

[azpenguin]

Casteel seemed afraid to blitz last year, since he didn't trust the secondary. When he started game planning with blitzes later in the year, it paid off. But you can't constantly rush three against teams like Stanford (big O-line) or Wazzu (sharp QB, fast receivers) and leave your pass coverage hanging out there for several seconds. I'd rather have a defense get burned playing aggressive than slow roasted playing it safe.

[Merkin]

[azcat49]

Well they don’t make college defenses like the swarm either.

Assume Akina will take the sane defensive approach but with no Waldrop or Bruschi

[tgrumpy2]

Well they don’t make college defenses like the swarm either.

Assume Akina will take the sane defensive approach but with no Waldrop or Bruschi

I seem to recall that Akina was coaching on the offensive side of the ball during the Desert Swarm years. Rich Ellerson and Larry McDuff were the masterminds of it.

[azcat49]

Yep he was but he has always been a defensive guy in his heart, even though he was a QB in college.

[wyo-cat]

Akina broke out the Double Eagle Flex after the first drive at Wazzu.

Stoned them the rest of the game.