OGDEN — Schemes may change but the toughness needed to play defense in college football doesn’t, Weber State defensive coordinatory Jody Sears says as the end of his first spring camp with the Wildcats nears its conclusion.
"Our main focus has been developing the kind of mentality that you want to build a defense with," Sears said.
"When it comes to scheme, you’ve got to fit your personnel, but it’s all about the attitude, about the culture, it’s about the mental toughness, how hard you can get those kids to play."
WSU will finish up spring ball by holding its annual Purple and White game at 6 p.m. Saturday at Stewart Stadium, with new coach John L. Smith leading a chalk talk for fans beforehand at 4:30 p.m.
Smith’s defensive staff has tried to find the right fit by implementing a 4-2-5 scheme during spring practices, switching from the 4-3 defensive front used by retired coach Ron McBride’s staff last season.
To ease the transition, most of the terminology and concepts haven’t changed, Sears said.
"I’m a keep-it-super-simple kind of guy," he said.
Sears’ personal transition to the job is going well so far.
"I’m really encouraged by the attitude and the energy, really encouraged by the talent we’ve got," he said. "Weber’s always had good personnel. That hasn’t changed."
Sears came to Ogden after three seasons as the co-defensive coordinator/cornerbacks coach at Washington State. He was in the market for a new job after head coach Paul Wulff’s staff was let go and said over the years he had seen a lot of friends in the profession have to sit out a season after a coaching change.
"Right or wrong, doesn’t matter — nobody cares," Sears said. "I’ve got to put my family first. I was going to go after aggressively the first job I thought was going to be a good fit for my family. And here I am."
Smith and Sears will attempt to revamp a defensive unit that finished seventh in the Big Sky Conference in 2011 in scoring defense and eighth in total defense, allowing 32.2 points and 439.4 yards per game, respectively.
Weber State was also sixth in rush defense (167.3 ypg) and last in the league at ninth in pass defense (272.1 ypg).
Having more defensive back/safety-type players on the field (the "5" in 4-2-5) will help shore up the pass defense, particularly against the spread offenses that have become prevalent in college football.
"At Arkansas last year, just as an example, we played with with five DBs on the field a minimum of 75-80 percent of the time. That’s what offenses have kind of forced you to go to today with all the spread games," Smith said.
"It fits our personnel and that is the main thing."
The two linebackers should be busy as well, with the defense funneling the ball toward them.
"What it does do is kick that football into them, so they’re going to get a chance to make a lot of plays," Sears said. "You’re really dictating, in theory, where that ball’s going to go, because you know where it’s going to get forced and those inside linebackers know where they have to fit."
Junior cornerback Robbie Diamond said the transition through the spring hasn’t been too difficult but will help the Wildcats slow the aerial assaults they struggled against last season.
"It seemed like we had a hard time covering the pass last year — it showed on paper. Coach Smith is trying to try something different, see how it works, and I feel like coach Smith is putting us in better position to win a Big Sky championship."
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