Those three words strung together become something football fans loathe.
Bend. Don’t. Break.
It’s a phrase with a lot of baggage. It’s linked to the idea of “zone defense,” which to many denotes a kind of softness. It’s often described as some brand of prevent, which is usually more a feeling of dread than any actual tactic (oh, the phrase “prevent defense prevents you from winning” will be brought up).
But the past two years, and even going a little farther back for Will Muschamp, South Carolina’s defense has not only produced the numbers of a bend-don’t-break defense, but USC has done it rather well.