Ole Miss 4-2-5 Defense: How to Handle Formation into the Boundary & Motion

Ole Miss is one of the top defenses in the country. They utilize a 4-2-5 base set and will often play split field coverages. They are very sound in their defense and how they handle certain formations.

In your base defense, it is important to have a few things that you need to adust to. One is formation into the boundary and the other is how you handle motions. We will look at both in this article.

When utilizing the 4-2-5 you have to decide how to align with formation into the boundary. Ole Miss handles it with playing split field concepts. It all starts with their alignment. They will but the star LB into the boundary but keep the safety over the top. to the 1 wr side. They can play different split field concepts to both sides. By putting the Star to the boundary it allows you to keep the safety over the top to the field and stay 2 over 1. In your split field concepts this gives your field cb help.

Trap Coverage to the wide 1 wr side

Trap coverage is a great concept. The CB reads the RB and will attack if he reads run. The safety rotates over the top and covers 1. You can do this 2 ways. bring the CB hard on the pressure or have him read it and if he sees pass drop.

The CB triggers when he sees run.

Film

Quarters to the boundary bracket to the field

Below you see the sam outside the point man. They are playing quarters to the boundary and bracket #1 to the field.

The safety and cb bracket #1 as they play cover 4 to the boundary.

The other option is play cover 2 to the field

2 film clips (1 vs unbalanced of cover 2)

Cover 2 invert

The safety and the CB exchange responsibilities to the field. The SS plays run support and the CB plays deep 1/2. Just have to be careful to match the crossing routes with the Mike and deep safety playing quarters to the boundary.

Film

Man Free Coverage

They will keep their man rules in man coverage. Below they bring the will LB to the boundary and play man free. They mess up who has the RB but sort out the coverage to the boundary.

They match the route concepts inside, vertical and out.

The safety takes the inside breaking route. The CB takes the vertical route and the Sam takes the 1st thing outside.

Film