Boston College Athletics
Photo by: Anthony Garro
Tackling Improvements By Returning To Basics
October 22, 2020 | Football, #ForBoston Files
This week was all about fundamentals for the BC defense.
Jeff Hafley was confident about his football team in the days before Boston College's game against Virginia Tech. His defense swamped Pittsburgh in its previous game and limited the Panthers' effectiveness. It shutout an opposing offense for most of the second half, and the 31-30 victory in overtime was a signature moment for its new "jungle mentality."
For four games, the defense attacked an opponent and tackled violently. Players finished hard and bludgeoned ball carriers. The Pitt game felt like another level, but the end taste was a similar sweetness to the Duke and Texas State games. Even the North Carolina loss, as bitter as it was, tinged an easily-digestible flavor.
So when Virginia Tech ran for 350 yards against that defense, the entire roster, from the coaches to players, ate something it didn't want - and didn't like.
"We have drilled (tackling)," Hafley said, "and I think we're tackling too high, truthfully. I (say) that because that's what I see on tape. So we need to coach better, we need to tackle lower and how we've done it in practice. We've actually done live tackling every day (with) ball carriers, and we'll tackle them to the ground. It's not for lack of trying, but clearly, we're not coaching good enough because it's not showing up well enough in the last game. So we just keep emphasizing our pad level and getting lower on guys."
That clear deficiency emerged when BC couldn't effectively tackle or stop plays in key spots against the Hokies. In the second quarter, quarterback Hendon Hooker broke to the right side on a speed option on a first-and-goal situation, and running back Khalil Herbert led as his lead blocker. The offensive line opened a hole, but the defense stepped up to stop the run in a one-on-one tackle situation. Hooker lowered his shoulder and barreled through the tackle, and he scored a touchdown from seven or eight yards out by simply running through the high pad level.
It happened again in the third quarter when he ran a run-pass option on first-and-goal from the five yard line. Hooker again kept the football but went inside behind running back Raheem Blackshear. BC attacked the football, but Blackshear's block enabled Hooker to shuffle step to his right. He found a hole and again slipped past three Eagles before breaking the plane of the end zone.
Hooker and Herbert ran for more than 300 yards combined with Hooker leading the way with more than 160 yards. It stung BC, especially Hafley and defensive coordinator Tem Lukabu, but it repurposed the team this week. Hooker ran for more than 160 yards against the BC defense and combined with Herbert for more than 300 yards on the ground. They bowled through and spun out of hits deep into the fourth quarter, and they further forced Hafley and Tem Lukabu to attack the area this week in practice.
"We knew the backs were going to be patient," defensive end Marcus Valdez said, "but we have to do a better job of staying in gaps to leverage the ball. Sometimes we snap too early, and once we're out of our gap, (the backs) are so patient and see it. They see the green area and snap to the gap. We have to stay in our gaps (this week) and not shed too early. We need to have accountability there."
Approaching that required refocusing in practice, and BC spent the bulk of this week working through fundamentals in order to avoid a repeat against Georgia Tech. Film sessions on Sunday revealed the soft spots susceptible to attack, and after a day off on Monday, the coaches and players began Tuesday by returning to basic drills designed to increase on-field performance.
"The first thing we do on Sunday is come in and watch the tape," defensive back Brandon Sebastian said. "The first thing Coach Hafley talked about was how (Georgia Tech) is going to attack us within our base defense. He really harps on that, and then we came out (in practice) to execute. We know how we're going to be attacked by formation, and we want to know what routes are being run, what receiver routes (an offense) is running, if there's RPO. We base that off formations and what defense we're playing."
"We have a system, and we drill it," Hafley said. "Based on what position you're in, the tackle is going to be different. If you're in a tight phone booth, you put your shoulder pad through the guy's sternum, wrap and drive. If you're not positioned, then you might have to wrap and roll. We teach a progression, and we drilled it (on Tuesday)."
Those drills created training circuits and rotated players into different areas. Sections worked areas in continuous success and stressed learning through repetition. They reinforced points of emphasis and baked defensive concepts down to physical combinations while emphasizing the need to build muscle memory.
"Let's say there are three stations," Hafley said. "One might be a profile tackle where we're going into close quarters with a guy, and there's a big crash pad behind them. We're going full shoulder pad through the sternum to tackle lower, with the aiming point and (focusing on) where their eyes are. Another might be a wrap and roll drill to simulate running down the field, driving a guy's legs and wrapping him up. Another might be the approach of a tackle, where we press the hip and go right to that aiming point. And then you rotate (between drills)."
"We work on those wrap and roll tackles, some last minute sweep-and-roll tackles, and different stuff like that," Valdez said. "We put an emphasis on the different kinds of tackle so we know how to operate in whatever situation we're in, in a game."
The goal was obvious because BC's defense fell completely out of sync against Virginia Tech. The linemen shot out of gaps too soon and broke down wherever the linebackers were supposed to go. Blitz packages overran ball carriers, and defensive backs went too high on bigger, physical players. It was the first time that happened in the Hafley area, and this week, the team recentered by meshing more uniformity among positions in a football knowledge share.
"If you're a defensive lineman and you're in tight quarters, there's a certain way you want to tackle," Hafley said, "But what if a defensive lineman is in the open field, chasing a quarterback? It's the same thing as if a DB would be in the open field, just like if a DB gets in a closed quarter tackle, he has to understand he's got to have profile tackling that is crucial to pass through the guy's sternum.Â
"But what if the DB is in the open field?" he reiterated. "Then you might have to wrap and roll. Tackling is one of the things that we could talk about for hours. It's probably the most important thing, but it's an art and takes time. Hopefully we'll be better than we were the last time (because) we're certainly going to coach it better."
Boston College and Georgia Tech will kick off at 4 p.m. from Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The game can be seen on ACC Network and online at WatchESPN.com for subscribers of cable providers carrying the channel. For a full list of ACC Network cable providers, visit www.GetACCN.com.
For four games, the defense attacked an opponent and tackled violently. Players finished hard and bludgeoned ball carriers. The Pitt game felt like another level, but the end taste was a similar sweetness to the Duke and Texas State games. Even the North Carolina loss, as bitter as it was, tinged an easily-digestible flavor.
So when Virginia Tech ran for 350 yards against that defense, the entire roster, from the coaches to players, ate something it didn't want - and didn't like.
"We have drilled (tackling)," Hafley said, "and I think we're tackling too high, truthfully. I (say) that because that's what I see on tape. So we need to coach better, we need to tackle lower and how we've done it in practice. We've actually done live tackling every day (with) ball carriers, and we'll tackle them to the ground. It's not for lack of trying, but clearly, we're not coaching good enough because it's not showing up well enough in the last game. So we just keep emphasizing our pad level and getting lower on guys."
That clear deficiency emerged when BC couldn't effectively tackle or stop plays in key spots against the Hokies. In the second quarter, quarterback Hendon Hooker broke to the right side on a speed option on a first-and-goal situation, and running back Khalil Herbert led as his lead blocker. The offensive line opened a hole, but the defense stepped up to stop the run in a one-on-one tackle situation. Hooker lowered his shoulder and barreled through the tackle, and he scored a touchdown from seven or eight yards out by simply running through the high pad level.
It happened again in the third quarter when he ran a run-pass option on first-and-goal from the five yard line. Hooker again kept the football but went inside behind running back Raheem Blackshear. BC attacked the football, but Blackshear's block enabled Hooker to shuffle step to his right. He found a hole and again slipped past three Eagles before breaking the plane of the end zone.
Hooker and Herbert ran for more than 300 yards combined with Hooker leading the way with more than 160 yards. It stung BC, especially Hafley and defensive coordinator Tem Lukabu, but it repurposed the team this week. Hooker ran for more than 160 yards against the BC defense and combined with Herbert for more than 300 yards on the ground. They bowled through and spun out of hits deep into the fourth quarter, and they further forced Hafley and Tem Lukabu to attack the area this week in practice.
"We knew the backs were going to be patient," defensive end Marcus Valdez said, "but we have to do a better job of staying in gaps to leverage the ball. Sometimes we snap too early, and once we're out of our gap, (the backs) are so patient and see it. They see the green area and snap to the gap. We have to stay in our gaps (this week) and not shed too early. We need to have accountability there."
Approaching that required refocusing in practice, and BC spent the bulk of this week working through fundamentals in order to avoid a repeat against Georgia Tech. Film sessions on Sunday revealed the soft spots susceptible to attack, and after a day off on Monday, the coaches and players began Tuesday by returning to basic drills designed to increase on-field performance.
"The first thing we do on Sunday is come in and watch the tape," defensive back Brandon Sebastian said. "The first thing Coach Hafley talked about was how (Georgia Tech) is going to attack us within our base defense. He really harps on that, and then we came out (in practice) to execute. We know how we're going to be attacked by formation, and we want to know what routes are being run, what receiver routes (an offense) is running, if there's RPO. We base that off formations and what defense we're playing."
"We have a system, and we drill it," Hafley said. "Based on what position you're in, the tackle is going to be different. If you're in a tight phone booth, you put your shoulder pad through the guy's sternum, wrap and drive. If you're not positioned, then you might have to wrap and roll. We teach a progression, and we drilled it (on Tuesday)."
Those drills created training circuits and rotated players into different areas. Sections worked areas in continuous success and stressed learning through repetition. They reinforced points of emphasis and baked defensive concepts down to physical combinations while emphasizing the need to build muscle memory.
"Let's say there are three stations," Hafley said. "One might be a profile tackle where we're going into close quarters with a guy, and there's a big crash pad behind them. We're going full shoulder pad through the sternum to tackle lower, with the aiming point and (focusing on) where their eyes are. Another might be a wrap and roll drill to simulate running down the field, driving a guy's legs and wrapping him up. Another might be the approach of a tackle, where we press the hip and go right to that aiming point. And then you rotate (between drills)."
"We work on those wrap and roll tackles, some last minute sweep-and-roll tackles, and different stuff like that," Valdez said. "We put an emphasis on the different kinds of tackle so we know how to operate in whatever situation we're in, in a game."
The goal was obvious because BC's defense fell completely out of sync against Virginia Tech. The linemen shot out of gaps too soon and broke down wherever the linebackers were supposed to go. Blitz packages overran ball carriers, and defensive backs went too high on bigger, physical players. It was the first time that happened in the Hafley area, and this week, the team recentered by meshing more uniformity among positions in a football knowledge share.
"If you're a defensive lineman and you're in tight quarters, there's a certain way you want to tackle," Hafley said, "But what if a defensive lineman is in the open field, chasing a quarterback? It's the same thing as if a DB would be in the open field, just like if a DB gets in a closed quarter tackle, he has to understand he's got to have profile tackling that is crucial to pass through the guy's sternum.Â
"But what if the DB is in the open field?" he reiterated. "Then you might have to wrap and roll. Tackling is one of the things that we could talk about for hours. It's probably the most important thing, but it's an art and takes time. Hopefully we'll be better than we were the last time (because) we're certainly going to coach it better."
Boston College and Georgia Tech will kick off at 4 p.m. from Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The game can be seen on ACC Network and online at WatchESPN.com for subscribers of cable providers carrying the channel. For a full list of ACC Network cable providers, visit www.GetACCN.com.
Players Mentioned
DB
/ Football
DE
/ Football#24 Baseball Defeats Northeastern in Beanpot Championship (April 14, 2026)
Wednesday, April 15
#23 Baseball Defeats Virginia Tech (April 12, 2026)
Tuesday, April 14
#23 Baseball Defeats Virginia Tech (April 11,2026
Saturday, April 11
Football: Zeke Moore Media Availability (April 10, 2026)
Friday, April 10
