Hello Big XII fans--Mountaineer fan here--looking forward to competing in the conference and getting great BCS programs week in and out. It will take awhile to establish new rivalries but other than the distance it is going to be fun.

Do other West Virginia fans think we can compete in the Big 12 with our 3-3-5 defense? I feel that it served us well in the Big East, but we'll need to alter it for Big 12 play. Just curious to know everyone's thoughts.

Otacon, Chris Neild was huge for the defense last year, and is missed. Josh Taylor and Jorge Wright ain't quite up to his standards, and both have been inconsistent so far. Without that big push in the middle, teams have been able to double team DE Bruce Irvin, limiting his impact. DT Julian Miller is only now getting going after sustaining the early season ankle injury...

If Kirlav can get the right people to man the D-line, Casteel will have no problem maintaining in the Big XII with the stack. But it all revolves around the nose. If the man in the middle ain't up to the task, it hurts the whole defense...

With the spread passing games in the Big XII like Texas Tech and Ok State, I think its a great idea to keep your 3-3-5. Maybe some shifts in the scheme itself could be needed, but I wouldn't shift the alignment as w whole.

i am not a big fan of the 3-3-5.

(11-04-2011 03:05 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  Otacon, Chris Neild was huge for the defense last year, and is missed. Josh Taylor and Jorge Wright ain't quite up to his standards, and both have been inconsistent so far. Without that big push in the middle, teams have been able to double team DE Bruce Irvin, limiting his impact. DT Julian Miller is only now getting going after sustaining the early season ankle injury...

If Kirlav can get the right people to man the D-line, Casteel will have no problem maintaining in the Big XII with the stack. But it all revolves around the nose. If the man in the middle ain't up to the task, it hurts the whole defense...

^^ Agree 100% Bit... The 3-3-5 needs a strone nose and we don't have that this year. If the personal is in place, the system works

Jackson

I think 3-3-5 would be fine in the Big 12 if you have the right athletes to play the scheme. It isn't a power running league, so I believe you can be fine with the alignment.

Jackson, I've been expecting juco transfer Shaq Rowell to make an appearance due to the inconsistency at NG. But I haven't seen Rowell play at all this year, and we could have used his size in more than a couple of games...

I guess Casteel is redshirting him, using him on the scout team, while he learns the 3-3-5 stack's NG responsibilities...