Tampa 2 is a defensive football strategy created by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1990s. Mixing his lacrosse and football background, Nick Williams formed a deviation of the Tampa 2 to incorporate in lacrosse.
Williams decided to share his scheme with Florida.
The No. 3 Gators (2-0) will put their their Tampa 2 scheme to the test against High Point (0-0) on Sunday at 1 p.m. In High Point, N.C.
Williams, a first-year assistant on coach Amanda O'Leary's staff, came up with his strategy while coaching at Notre Dame between 2010 and 2012.
In football, the Tampa 2 consists of four players underneath on defense, followed by a linebacker trailing and then two safeties trailing the linebacker.
Williams translated that strategy to lacrosse by having four midfielders run to the midfield line, one person behind them by the center circle and two higher on the field.
From the offensive standpoint, they use this strategy to clear the ball successfully from their defensive half to the offensive. In its first two games, Florida cleared the ball from its half 26 times in 29 tries, including 10 of 10 in Wednesday’s win against Jacksonville.
On the defensive side, the scheme plays a factor in the Gators’ ride. The ride in lacrosse refers to the efforts of a defense to stop an offense from bringing the ball to its defensive zone.
Senior defender Sam Farrell said she was excited for the new defense and how it will work on other teams.
“It'll throw teams off and allows us to be a lot more aggressive,” Farrell said. “It brings pressure out on the ball, and if we do get beat, we have that backer there to help us.”
Williams’ strategy has been shining after only allowing seven goals in the first two games, but he gives his team all the credit for implementing it at a high level.
“It’s really easy to coach when you have really good players,” Williams said. “I didn’t have to do much.”
Williams added: “I have seniors all over the place playing at this level for three years. I can write anything I want on the board, and they will make it look good.”
After giving up two easy goals at UNC, junior defender Sam Farrell said the Gators have made defensive adjustments in an effort to improve transition play.
