Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense is regarded as one of the most innovative defense’s in the nation. With over 30 years of coaching experience, Pete Kwiatkowski has one of the most intriguing defenses in college football.
Where did his defense come from? How was it so successful in the past? Will he be able to continue his success with the Texas Longhorns in year four? It’s impossible to know every intricacy of this defense and with over 30 years of a coaching timeline to get through, a lot has changed throughout the years.
However, we will do our best in this article to lay it all out in the most general of terms. With a lot to get to, grab yourself your favorite beer, cocktail, or cup of coffee and let’s get into it.
Pete Kwiatkowski Before Coaching
Before becoming a coach, Pete Kwiatkowski was an All-American (Division 1-AA) defensive lineman at Boise State. Kwiatkowski played for the Broncos from 1984-1987, earning a handful of accolades. Along with being named an All-American in 1987, he was also awarded with Big Sky defensive player of the year. He was also first-team All-Big Sky in 1986 and 1987, plus earning an honorable mention in 1985. He would be inducted into the Boise State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996.
Kwiatkowski’s Coaching Timeline
Pete Kwiatkowski started his coaching career immediately after his college playing career at Boise State. PK would coach various positions at Boise State from 1988-1996, including defensive backs, outside linebackers, and defensive linemen. During his eight seasons with Boise State as an assistant coach, PK would work under three different head coaches.
Kwiatkowski would then move on to Snow College, which is a community college in the center of Utah, to become their co-defensive coordinator.
After one season as the co-DC at Snow College, PK would then move to Eastern Washington to become their defensive line coach for two seasons.
Following his stint at Eastern Washington, Kwiatkowski would be named the defensive coordinator for Montana State. He would stay at Montana State for six seasons. P.K. served as the defensive coordinator from 2000-2005, before going back to Boise State to become their new defensive line coach.
Pete Kwiatkowski would be the defensive line coach for Boise State from 2006-2009 before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2010. Kwiatkowski would serve as the Broncos defensive coordinator for four seasons before following head coach Chris Peterson to the University of Washington.
Kwiatkowski would be the defensive coordinator (or co-DC) at Washington from 2014-2020, until taking the University of Texas defensive coordinator position and joining Steve Sarkisian’s staff.
Pete Kwiatkowski’s Influencers
Pete Kwiatkowski credits several coaches that influenced him to become a better coach. Lyle Setencich was P.K.’s head coach when he was a player for Boise State, teaching him to be more technical as a player and the importance of fundamentals. Pokey Allen was another big influence on Kwiatkowski’s coaching career. Allen would preach about the offense and defense working as a team, not as individual entities.
Kwiatkowski would serve as the defensive line coach for Boise State from 2006-2009, under head coach Chris Peterson and defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox. Wilcox left Boise State to become the defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Volunteers following the 2009 season. After two seasons with Tennessee, Wilcox would join Steve Sarkisian’s staff at Washington and eventually follow Sarkisian to USC.
Pete Kwiatkowski also credits Jimmy Lake, who P.K. coached at Eastern Washington as an influence. Lake would become his positions coach at Boise State in 2012. Previously Lake served as a defensive backs coach with multiple NFL teams from 2006-2011. PK attributes his knowledge of coverages and mindset to marrying the front seven to secondary to Jimmy Lake.
Pete Kwiatkowski notes that he has also connected with former TCU head coach, Gary Patterson. Kwiatkowski talks about how he and a few others coaches went down to Fort Worth, Texas prior to the 2009 season. Where they met with Gary Patterson and his coaching staff to talk about different schemes and coverages. However, P.K. never gave specifics on what they talked about.
Pete Kwiatkowski’s Run Defense and Pass Rush Philosophy
Kwiatkowski’s defense is a bend, but don’t break defense. He doesn’t bring more than four rushers often. This philosophy relies on his front four to generate pressure on the quarterback themselves and leave the other seven defenders in pass coverage.
The defensive linemen also have to be very stout against the run. These linemen are tasked with holding the line of scrimmage. Not letting the offensive line get a push or work their way up-to the second level. If there are no blitzing linebackers clogging up running lanes, the defensive line is tasked with keeping the linebackers free and able to shoot the gaps (or running lanes) post-handoff.
Base Defense
Pete Kwiatkowski’s base defense has been a 2-4-5 alignment. However his “Buck” and “Jack” outside linebacker roles are basically defensive ends that could drop into coverage, but rarely do. This means typically the defense will only have two defenders over 280 pounds.
Defensive Linemen
It’s imperative those defensive linemen are able to stack and hold (and shed when the moment is right) offensive linemen and handle double teams in the run game. They cannot allow the offensive line to work up to the second level (the linebackers).
The edge defenders (Buck & Jack) are also tasked with being good run defenders. However, if they are great pass rushers they will be able to see the field in obvious passing situations. Kwiatkowski will rotate his edge defenders often if he has the depth and talent to do so. The 2023 Texas Longhorns saw four edge defenders have over 270 snaps. The 2017 & 2018 Washington Huskies also had four edge defenders have over 230 snaps. The 2016 Huskies had five edge defenders have over 220 snaps.
Second Level Defenders
The linebackers have to be able to recognize, click, and close quickly to their gap on running plays. They are thinking pass coverage first, run second, it takes a split second to diagnose the play. That could be the difference between a 1 yard gain and a 5 yard gain.
The nickel defensive back, or “Star/Spur” (the name has changed a few times, the role has not), is also tasked with being a plus contributor in the run game. This defense plays with only six traditional box defenders. Since the Star is the next closest defensive back to the trenches, he must be a good run defender.
He is tasked with setting the edge on his side of the field, typically. Not to allow the running back to continue outside and instead to cut up into the teeth of the defensive. Where the linebackers and by now, safeties are hopefully there to greet him near the line of scrimmage. This player also must be the best (or one of the best) tacklers in the defensive backs room.
Pete Kwiatkowski’s Pass Rush Philosophy
Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense tends to not blitz a whole lot. Kwiatkowski chooses to keep seven players in coverage while getting his pass rushers easier looks in other unique ways, typically. Those ways can be with defensive line stunts, simulated pressures, creepers, and green dog blitzers.
Defensive Line Stunts
Defensive line stunts, or “games” as they’re sometimes referred to, consist of two defensive linemen crossing over and under each other to force the offensive line to communicate mid-play, and hopefully to confuse them.
These stunt can feature almost any combination of defensive tackles, defensive, ends, and linebackers. The most common stunts are an End/Tackle and Tackle/End stunt.
End/Tackle stunts consist of the defensive end crashing inside. While the end is crashing, the defensive tackle is looping around behind him, hopefully free while the end is getting double teamed by the offensive tackle and offensive guard.
Tackle/End stunts are the exact opposite. The defensive tackle is now crashing outside, hopefully getting double teamed by the offensive guard and offensive tackle. The defensive end meanwhile, is looping around to the inside, hopefully getting a free rush right up the middle.
The Benefits to Simulated Pressures & Creepers
Simulated pressures and creepers are nothing new to the game of football. However, they are highly “in-vogue” right now and are common buzz words for media and fans. The simple explanation is that they are a fancy way of saying a “fire-zone” blitz, without the blitz. Fire zone blitz’s have been around since the early 1970’s and maybe even earlier than that.
The premise of the fire-zone blitz is to drop players that usually would be rushers into coverage. Then, rushing players that usually would be in coverage. The reason I say: “without the blitz” is because normally a blitz would consist of five or more rushers. Simulated pressures and creepers usually consist of only four rushers but sometimes five.
The benefit to using sim pressures and creepers is that it allows you to overload one side of the offensive line while still having seven defenders in coverage. Unlike the fire-zone blitz where the defense would typically only have three deep coverage players and two or three underneath coverage players.
The Difference Between Simulated Pressures & Creepers
There is some debate on if there is a difference between sim pressures and creepers at all. At the end of the day, it all comes down to preference for your own personal terminology. However, I will give a quick reasoning as to how I differentiate sim pressure and creepers.
Simulated Pressures
Simulated pressures are typically shown pre-snap. Showing the offense a threat of a zero-blitz (rushing all but three, four or five coverage players). This forces the offense to respect everyone as a pass rusher. The defense could use this to their advantage by forcing the offensive line to slide the protection in one direction, while bringing rushers from the opposite direction. This would give the defense a numbers advantage even though they’re actually only rushing four or five defenders to the offense’s five or six pass protectors. Giving the defense someone with a clear path to the quarterback.
Creeper Concepts
Creepers are typically the opposite of simulated pressures. The defense shows a normal base-defense look pre-snap, then switches rushers for coverage players post-snap. The offense is expecting a normal upfront pass rush only to be surprised when typical pass rushers are falling back into coverage and slot cornerbacks or linebackers are instead rushing. The “surprise” rusher is typically on the opposite side of the defensive lineman who drops into coverage. This allows the defense to overload one side of the offensive line without the offense knowing about it pre-snap.
Green Dog (If/Then) Blitzers
Another form of bringing extra heat to the quarterback without the risk of hanging your coverage players out to dry. The Green Dog blitz is a blitz Kwiatkowski has used more and more recently. A Green Dog blitz assigns a linebacker to a running back or tight end. If that running back or tight end runs a route and goes out for a pass, then the linebacker will follow him. Basically playing man to man defense. If that running back or tight end stays back to help in pass protection, then the linebacker will blitz.
Defenses are using If/Then principles more and more often as offenses continue to evolve. We won’t go into them in this article as I want to focus on the basics, but it’s the basis of pattern-matching zone defenses as well.
Pete Kwiatkowski’s Defensive Coverage Schemes
As we’ve discussed earlier, this is a bend, but don’t break defense. These defensive backs typically give wide receivers a healthy cushion. Which means the cornerbacks don’t really have to be proficient at pressing at the line of scrimmage. It also means they can afford to be a step slower than the wide receivers they’re going against. As long as they make up for it with great technique, mechanics, and instincts.
In this defense the linebackers don’t have to be run stopping thumpers. Nor do they have to be 6’3” and 250 pounds. They will typically be in pass coverage and (ideally) not taking on offensive linemen in the running game often. They can afford to be smaller as long as they make up for that lack of size with speed and instincts.
This is why a converted safety like Shaq Thompson (6’0” 228pounds at the NFL combine), was a perfect fit for this defense when he was at Washington.
Cover 1
A common man to man coverage is Cover 1. In Cover 1 there is one deep middle zone defender and one hook defender, that defender is either a safety or linebacker, depending on the call. If the linebacker is playing the hook, the safety would be in man coverage and vice versa.
Pete Kwiatkowski doesn’t use Cover 1 often, but I felt it still needed to be brought up as its in every defensive coordinators playbook depending on the situation. Cover 1 could also be called with no hook defender. Instead that would-be hook defender would blitz and the defense would bring five pass rushers.
Cover 2
Cover 2 refers to a man and zone defense. The man to man Cover 2 version is straight forward. There are two safeties each covering half of the deep field. Meanwhile, the five underneath defenders are playing man to man coverage. With safeties over the top, the underneath defenders can be a little more aggressive when driving on hitch routes, because if it ends up being a double move, they do have defenders over the top to help.
The zone iteration of Cover 2 is similar. There are still two safeties deep who each cover a half of the deep part of the football field. However, the other five coverage defenders divide the underneath part of the field into five zones: Strong Flat, Strong Curl, Hook, Weak Curl, Weak Flat.
Cover 3
Cover 3 refers to a zone or a pattern-match zone defense. This defense has three deep defenders. Each of which taking 1/3 of the deep part of the field.
Along with the three deep defenders, there will also be four underneath defenders. These defenders are responsible for covering the part of the field closer to the line of scrimmage. These are cut up into four areas of the “underneath” part of the field. The common terminology for these areas are: Strong Flat, Strong Hook-Curl, Weak Hook-Curl, Weak Flat.
The final four defenders on the defense are tasked with rushing the passer. However, there are cases where they will only rush three defenders and add an extra defender to the underneath coverage.
Cover 4
Cover 4 refers to a zone or a pattern-match zone defense. This defense has four deep defenders. Each of those defenders will take 1/4 of the deep part of the field.
In the same vein as Cover 3, Cover 4 will also have underneath defenders to cover the part of the field closer to the line of scrimmage. However, with an extra defender in deep coverage, it leaves the defense with less underneath defenders.
Defensive coordinators can also opt to rush only three linemen and add a fourth underneath defender. If that is the case, the underneath defenders would divide their coverage responsibilities as if it were Cover 3, but instead they would have four deep defenders in coverage.
Pete Kwiatkowski’s Defense at Texas
As mentioned above, Steve Sarkisian had a some familiarity with Pete Kwiatkowski’s defensive system. It wasn’t first-hand knowledge, but Sark’s prior coaching stints with Justin Wilcox at Washington and USC gave Sarkisian a bridge to bring on Pete Kwiatkowski as his defensive coordinator back in 2021.
Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense at Texas has steadily improved. In 2021 Texas ranked 99th (out of 130 FBS schools) in scoring defense and 104th in PFF’s points metric. The 2022 Texas Longhorns improved to 28th in scoring defense and 24th in PFF’s rankings. Texas improved again in 2023, ranking 15th in scoring defense and 16th in PFF’s rankings. This consistent rise isn’t all-that-surprising. However, it shows that patience is key when evaluating coaches.
This Texas defense lost four starters to the NFL draft this past April. Including a pair of elite defensive tackles. One of which won the Outland Trophy for the nations best defensive lineman. The other went 16th overall in the NFL draft and was the second defensive player taken. Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense will be tested on how he can replace those two elite linemen.
Closing
Overall, Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense is far more intricate and complex than what we’ve gone over today. However, I hope this provided you with some new insights into Pete Kwiatkowski, his defensive philosophies, defensive schemes, or basic football knowledge.
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