BC coach Steve Addazio made a big hire this week when he grabbed UConn defensive coordinator Don Brown to be the new DC at the Heights. EA sat down with Tom King, who writes for the Rivals UConn site to find out more about Brown.

EA: How are uconn fans reacting to the news?

UConn fans are very disappointed about Don Brown's departure, but they understand why he left. Mostly, the fans are sad because, these past two seasons, Don Brown and his defense have been the only bright spots within the program.


EAl Tell me about Brown's style and his X's and O's strategy.

In the UConn football team meeting room, there is a sign hanging that says "solve your problems with aggression." That's what Don Brown's defensive philosophy is all about. Blitz against the pass, blitz against the run, blitz as much as possible. At UConn, Brown ran a base 4-3 defense, but he mixes up his fronts and moves guys around a lot to disguise where the blitz is coming from. The aggressive defensive style puts a lot of pressure on the secondary and the corners have to play a lot of man coverage as a result. Don Brown also uses his linebackers in pass coverage more often than the average defensive coordinator.

EA:Did the defense improve while he was at Uconn?

The defense was fantastic under Don Brown and was probably one of the 10 best defenses nationally this season. If UConn had even an average offense, they would have won the Big East this season, in my opinion. The defense was THAT good.

EA:What was the strength of the UConn defense?

UConn's defense has been strong in most areas in the last two seasons under Don Brown, but the rushing defense has been incredible. Over the last two seasons, UConn has allowed an average of 2.7 yards per rush. In 2011, UConn allowed 85.7 rushing yards per game. In 2012, they allowed 97.9 rushing yards per game, and only three opposing running backs broke the century mark. All the blitzes are good for the pass rush, but they are even better for the rush defense. Brown stresses to his front seven to get into the backfield, and sacks and tackles for loss are usually a result of that.

EA:Did it surprise you that brown left?

No, Don Brown has a history of program-hopping and with the Big East collapsing around UConn, it seemed like the right time for him to make a move.



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