Sincere 8 man question

[trumanbulldog42]

I have never seen 8 man at the high school level. Obviously the offenses are able to function at a high level. Why no defense?

Again, not throwing shade or anything, I'm genuinely curious

 

[Jman90]

More room and open space to work with offensively

 

[trumanbulldog42]

More room and open space to work with offensively

Even though the field is smaller? again not being a jerk like i usually am

 

[MOFB]

Even though the field is smaller? again not being a jerk like i usually am

40x80 yard field. 5 of the 8 are eligible at the snap, and because there are only 8, it really forces the defense to play man. Not really a option to have a safety. Some states play 9 man which would allow for zone on defense. Otherwise it is get the speed in space. Many times you have rosters of 10-15 players, one stud can expose a team really quick.

 

[bhunt95]

At the really small schools usually only have one or two kids more talented then the rest. Usually the team with the fastest kid scores more. Less defenders to tackle in open space.

 

[trumanbulldog42]

40x80 yard field. 5 of the 8 are eligible at the snap, and because there are only 8, it really forces the defense to play man. Not really a option to have a safety. Some states play 9 man which would allow for zone on defense. Otherwise it is get the speed in space. Many times you have rosters of 10-15 players, one stud can expose a team really quick.

makes sense. Thanks. The number of eligible players would definitely make it hard to defend

 

[vandyfan1313]

I have never seen 8 man at the high school level. Obviously the offenses are able to function at a high level. Why no defense?

Again, not throwing shade or anything, I'm genuinely curious

There are a few reasons. The aforementioned extra space is an issue and you always feel a guy short on D, but the shorter field also leads to more scoring. Also because the sheer number of teams is smaller, you have bottom tier teams matched up against upper tier teams far more frequently. If the number of teams continues to grow, score differential and scoring overall will come down a bit I would say.

 

[justaconcernedcitizen]

Discipline is huge for defense in 8 man. There is limited second level help and no third level help. You can't play zone because you will give up a gap for the run and if you don't have great athletes, man will be a nightmare. Any lack of discipline turns into monster plays, usually touchdowns because safeties can't help stop those big runs. If you have two players go into one gap, good teams exploit quickly. Strong blocking can take out two players quickly as well.

Also open field tackling is crucial because you have a lot of one on one tackling happening in space.

 

[HoopsTournament]

Plus Steven Willhite is a freak of nature. (93 TDs - 78 passing and 15 rushing - through 10 games)