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When Brian Polian was first brought in last year as the new head coach he decided on running a base 4-3 scheme. When he brought in USC linebackers coach Scottie Hazelton to be the defensive coordinator it was made clear that Nevada would run the cover two defense. This is a defense based in a "bend but don't break philosophy" where linebackers drop back into coverage with little blitzing getting most pressure from the front four.
When Hazelton decided to leave the Nevada Wolf Pack to go be the linebacker's coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL, reuniting with coaching friend Gus Bradley, coach Brian Polian set out on a search to find a coach that could continue to instill the same philosophies Hazelton did in his first and only year with the Pack.
Apparently Polian has found his man in William & Mary defensive coordinator Scott Boone. At the FCS school Boone led his defense to No. 2 in the nation in scoring defense (14.0ppg) and No. 8 in total defense (305.5 ypg). He was also selected as one of five finalists for the FCS Coordinator of the Year award. Boone, like Hazelton, runs his defense out of a 4-3 base scheme, but Boone is much more aggressive when it comes to blitzing. Boone will share the defensive coordinator title with defense line coach Bill Teerlinck, but make no mistake about it; this is Boone's defense. Boone will be calling the plays and will be running the defense along with his responsibilites as the linebacker's coach.
Boone will inherit a young but experienced defense, that last year was just plain young. The Wolf Pack in 2013 finished 117th out of 124 in terms of total defense allowing 505.3 yards per game, 258.5 on the ground and 246.8 through the air. There will be talent that Boone will have on the defensive side of the ball with players like Brock Hekking, Charles Garrett, and Matthew Lyons. Hopefully Boone can turn this defense around and create a top three defense in the Mountain West, something Nevada fans aren't used too.