Tony White to Try to Turn Around the Big Red ‘D’ This Fall

Can the first-year Nebraska defensive coordinator jumpstart the Husker defense this season with his 3-3-5 defense?

Kenny Larabee photo, KLIN

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule and his defensive coordinator, Tony White, are well aware of the task that lies before them regarding the dire state of the Husker defense. Let's look at last year's defensive numbers from cfbstats.com:

• Scoring Defense: #77
• Rushing Defense: #108
• Passing Defense: #68
• Total Defense: #100

Obviously not good.

Both coaches know full well that in order to have a winning season, or even just become bowl eligible this fall, Nebraska's defense must make a significant leap forward.

Compounding the problem, White won't have a bunch of seasoned veterans to work with. There is talent, but much of it is pretty green. Adding to the problem is this is White's first year at Nebraska.

So what can a new coach do with a lot of inexperienced talent? Great question.

What we do know is that Tony White is somewhat of a miracle worker. After his stops at San Diego State, New Mexico and Arizona State, he served as the DC at Syracuse the past three years. When he arrived in 2020, the Orange football program was in pretty bad shape. In fact, Syracuse had only one winning season in the prior three years.

His first year at Syracuse things got even worse. After a 5-7 record in '19, Syracuse had only one win in '20. That was over Georgia Tech (37-20). Who was the QB for Tech in that game? Jeff Sims. Yes, that Jeff Sims.

But the next year, Syracuse went from a #112 ranking in total defense to #18 - an improvement of almost 100 spots. Last year, Syracuse ended the season ranked 21st.

The question is, will the 3-3-5 work in the Big Ten? More importantly, will the Husker defense be able to improve enough this fall? Or will Husker fans have to wait another year to see if the new D will work? Is Matt Rhule relying too much on the new defense?

The answer to all those questions is: Nobody knows for sure.

Where did White learn the 3-3-5 defense? From Rocky Long.

So who is he?

Long is the coach who brought the 3-3-5 defense to prominence. White's coaching success has been linked to Long's defensive philosophy.

Anthony (Tony) Dewayne White II was a three-year starting linebacker at UCLA. The coach who recruited him to come to UCLA was Rocky Long, who at that time was the Bruins' DC. After White's playing career ended, Long hired him as his linebackers coach at New Mexico. And when Long was named the DC at San Diego State in 2009, White joined him as his cornerbacks coach.

When Long was named head coach at SDSU in 2011, he kept White on as his DB coach, adding the job of recruiting coordinator to his title.

The new defense worked for Long at San Diego State during his nine years there: In his last six defenses (2014-2019), the Aztecs ended the season ranked nationally in total defense at #16, #5, #11, #11, #21 and #5. Long also had winning seasons of 11-3 ('15 and '16) and 10-3 ('17 and '19).

The question remains, will the 3-3-5 work in the Big Ten? There's an adage that says what winning is all about: "It ain't about the X's and the O's, it's about the Bobbys and the Joes."

Let's hope Tony White's magic works this fall. Aug. 31 would be a good time to start.

How ’Bout Them Huskers

Will and I talk about a wide range of topics including Big Ten Media  Days, Fan Day, the departure of assistant coach Bob Wager, Husker volleyball and the Husker D-line.