[Scotty_Bronson]

I know Pikeville's offense gets a ton of credit and rightfully so due to their Qb and their plethora of playmakers but lets talk about their defense. They had 4 three year starters at Lb and 5th that was just as good as the other 4. Their DL may be slightly undersized but they are super athletic and Do Not stay blocked. Their defensive backs caught more balls than got completed on them and no chance you were out running them. What made them so unique tho was there ability to adapt to any formation and any play style, really without any personnel change. They could play an odd front with 2 deep and seemlessly hop to an even front and jump to a cover 3 look. Or they could man up on the corners and put extra Dudes in the box if needed. They could bring extra pressure or they could get pressure with their front and never miss a beat. It was a versatile defense as I've ever witnessed and that in itself will be the biggest hurdle for the 2020 Panthers to overcome, at least initially. There's still Dudes in the Cupboard there, they just need the reps and the experience. It may be Mid November before you see that defense start to find its footing or honestly it may be 2021. But let me say this, if you're gonna enact some revenge on the panthers for the beat downs of this past year, it better be early next year because after that look out. Cheers 2019 Panthers!!!

Great point. So much talk about offensive balance, but not much about balanced defense. When u can play your corners in man and both safeties can cover the middle and flats while still playing run first, a defense is hard to deal with. When u can stop the run or atleast contain it with 6 or 7 in the box, it's almost impossible to get anything going. Pikeville did just that in the playoffs, but especially in the title game.