Colorado's A-gap Pressure vs. Y-Off Runs
Against the Baylor, the Buffaloes utilized a linebacker plug to disrupt the run game of the Bears.
The 2023 Colorado Buffaloes defense, by all accounts, was terrible. The defense ranked 96th in BCFToys DFEI (think the FTN’s DVOA for the NFL), 117th in Points Per Drive, and at the bottom of the Power 5 (now four) in most metrics. Head Coach Deion Sanders brought in long-time Saban-ite Charles Kelly to run the defense. With a load of transfers combined with an incredibly intensive install, the defense never came to fruition.
After the ‘23 season, Kelly left to become Auburn's co-defensive coordinator and return to his home state of Alabama. He is now the head coach of Jacksonville State, where he got his first shot as a college coach in 1994.
The departure of Kelly left another gap in Sanders’ Colorado staff. With the offense settled on Pat Shurmur, a former NFL head coach (Giants), Sanders also wanted to bring an NFL flare to his defense. He settled on a little-known Safeties coach, the Bengals’ Robert Livingston.
During Big 12 media days, Sanders explained why he chose the young coach: “Coach Livingston was recommended to me by a few pros that I’m well familiar with, and I trust Mike Zimmer being one of them.” Former Dallas Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer worked for Sanders as an analyst/consultant in ‘22 (Jackson State) and ‘23. With Zimmer taking the job in Dallas this past season, Sanders wanted an ‘NFL guy.’
Livingston’s entire career has been at the NFL level with the Bengals. The Zimmer connection comes from when Livingston first started as a scout in ‘12 to ‘14. At the same time, Zimmer was the DC in Cincinnati. When Zimmer left to become the head coach of the Vikings in ‘14, he kept tabs on the young coach. In ‘15, Livingston would move to a Quality Control role, ascending a year later (‘16) to a position as a coach (Safeties).
From ‘19 to ‘23, Livingston worked under current Colts DC Lou Anarumo. While in Cincinnati, he helped develop Vonn Bell and All-Pro Jesse Bates. Sanders had deep connections in the NFL, especially at defensive back. With the blessing of coaches Sanders trusts, he hired Livingston, who’d never called a play, as his DC.
Talking to the media after Colorado’s victory over in-state rival Colorado State, he went in depth as to what impressed him most about Livingston,
“His communication skills and the several young men who called me to validate him who are professionals, who played for him in the NFL. His overall willingness to listen to the wealth of knowledge in that defensive meeting room and not just be a dictator.”
The ‘gamble’ paid off. This past season, the Buffs’ defense finished 21st in DFEI, seventh in 1st Down Rate, a metric that shows how many drives make at least one 1st Down, and tenth in Busted Drive Rate, which illustrates how many drives went for zero or negative yards. Colorado went from near the bottom of the FBS in points per drive to 29th overall in one season (BCFToys).
The Buffs would finish 25th in EPA/play and EPA/pass. Their pass was also elite, finishing #1 in sacks in the Big 12. If there was a pause for concern, it was in their run defense, which finished 46th in EPA/run. The turnaround was enough for Sanders and Colorado to extend Livingston, making him the second-highest-paid assistant in the Big 12 on February 7th.
Sanders wants to build a ‘mini’ NFL culture in Boulder. In doing so, he brought in established NFL players and coaches to help lead his team. Livingston brought the Lou Anarumo style to the Rockies. Colorado based from a 4-2-5 that could walk a linebacker down to create Bear Fronts (Penny/5-1). The main front was a traditional Over alignment (3 technique to the TE) with a shade or tilted Nose.
Livingston didn’t run the typical Bengals coverage tree. Anarumo in Cincinnati last year was sixth in split-field usage and 18th in man coverage. This past season, Colorado was fifth in Cover 1 and #1 in Cover 2. That pairing makes sense. Teams that run a high volume of man like to pair it with Tampa to counter how offenses attack their coverage.
