Cover 2 Run Fits, Variations and Pressures from a 3 safety look

This article looks at some cover 2 variations and pressures from a 3 safety look. I looked at Iowa, Michigan State This is a common coverage and blitz from a 3 safety shell. It mostly looks at Jon Heacock at Iowa State and Mike Tressel when he was at Michigan State.

The first part looks at run fits as Iowa State plays the run with the middle safety and plays cover 2 with everyone else.

The 2nd part looks at pressures and shows how you can bring a CB and LB and still play effective cover 2 defense. Iowa State runs this concept and Michigan State made a living doing this out of their dime package for years. This pressure can be done vs both 2x2 formations and 3x1 formations.

Run Fits from the 3 Safety

Iowa State will vary how they pay the run but in cover 2 will use the middle safety. That means the outside safety are half players.

Example #1

Iowa State will play cover 4 and 2 and cover 6(4 to one side, 2 to the other) and use the middle safety in run support.

They are slanting away from the RB and to the strength of the formation. The middle safety is the C Gap player on the weak side.

Example #1 2023 vs Kansas

They slant to the left. The De is in the c gap with the Safety coming down as the force player. The ball gets forced back to him

The movement and you see the DL moving.

Here comes the safety unblocked 1x1 as everyone else plays cover 2 on the backend.

Here’s the structure presnap from the wide view.

3rd and 7 vs Texas

Now let’s look at some pressures from the 3 safety.

4 and 5 Man Pressures

Iowa State CB Fire Cover 2 . They play Tampa 2 and spin the coverage. The Mike plays at Tampa depth and runs with the vertical.

Michigan State

5 man pressure from Michigan State with the cb and will vs 2x2. The safety is aligned at 10 yards.

These are some examples of cover 2 and different variations from a 3 safety defense. Please check my blog for other posts. Here Michigan State brings the CB and will LB(Dime LB)

Nice job getting the free rusher home.

Nice job rolling the coverage with the cb fire with the olb.

Nice cover 2 5 man pressure as you see the coverage below.

They get the sack with the nice design.

I added this diagram of Michigan state out of an odd look. They bring the cb from the odd look and 5 man pressure and play cover 2.

Michigan State example #2

On 3rd and 1 they run it from the boundary.

Ohio state goes formation into the boundary.

Nice design as they run it with cover 2 once again. The pressure forces Fields to vacate and they get the sack.

Another cb fire from Michigan with the will LB coming off the edge.

Michigan State vs Ohio State 2018

3rd and 10

5 man cover 2 pressures

Michigan Cover 2 

5 man pressure from a 3 safety look. 

3rd and 10

offense 3x1

They are in their 3 hands package and bring the boundary CB and will to the boundary and use the 3rd safety as a flat defender. Nice design as they bring 5 and play cover 2

They bring the CB and will LB 

They go cover 2 with the free safety at 10 playing middle hook.

They get full slide so the CB comes free with the nice design by Don Brown.

He hits the qb as he releases.

5 man pressure

Iowa State 5 man pressure

3x1 back strong, they bring the will and the cb

On 1st and 10 Oklahoma goes 3x1 strong and Iowa State runs a 5 man pressure with cover 2. They disguise it pre snap as it looks like man. The safety over #3 ends up being a half player. The Mike runs with 3 vertical and because the back is strong, he can play off #3. The cb to the boundary knows his only threat is #1. 

Good design on the play but ends up being a completion as the safety mistimes his jump. 

They do a nice job taking away the underneath patterns. Both safeties deep help on the vertical pattern.

These are some cover 2 CB pressures to bring with a 3 safety look and easy to get to from the 3 high look.

Mississippi State with the nice pressure below.

Bring the CB and play cover 2 . A nice 5 man pressure design while playing cover 2.