After the abysmal defensive display, I sat down and tried to identify what the defensive philosophy truly was. Every defense can be beat by particular calls, built on taking advantage of weaknesses in a particular scheme. Over the last decade we've even seen a few shifts in the philosophy of the defense (Fickell followed the Heacock method of "bend don't break" and freeing linebackers, while Schiano called much more man-to-man to isolate his more skilled defenders). The numbers seem to bear this out, but does it say anything about the current iteration of the defense? Looking at 5 categories (pass/pg, run/pg, total yards/game, turnovers/game, and points per game):

2011: pass-182, run-148, total- 323, 1.5 TOs, 20.2ppg
2012: pass-243, run-116, total- 359, 1.8 TOs, 22.8ppg
2013: pass-269, run-109, total- 378, 1.7 TOs, 21.3ppg
2014: pass-201, run-141, total- 342, 2.2 TOs, 22 ppg
2015: pass-184, run-126, total- 310, 1.6 TOs, 15 ppg
2016: pass-172, run-128, total- 300, 2.1 TOs,15.4ppg
2017: pass-196, run-105, total- 301, 1.7 TOs, 19ppg
2018: pass-245, run-159, total- 304, 1.6 TOs, 25.5ppg
2019: pass-156, run-104, total- 260, 1.8 TOs, 13.7ppg
2020: pass-304, run-98, total- 402, 2.4 TOs, 25.7ppg
2021: pass-220, run-236, total-456, 1.0 TOs, 33ppg

2020/21: pass- 287, run-125, total-412, 2.1 TOs, 27.1ppg

So what you have is a defense that over the last 10 games is the worst pass defense, average run defense, worst total defense, tied for 2nd in turnovers, and the worst scoring defense.

I don't know how to put it any other way, but a need to change the coordinator and then solidifying a scheme, in that order. The current scheme run by Coombs doesn't fit the mold of any previous defensive philosophy. It gives up more pass yards than the 2013 defense (the Achilles heel of that team), while not stopping the run as effectively. It gives up more points than the 2018 defense (remember how fun it was to give up 50 pts to Maryland?), while not being the aggressive model of defense that Schiano incorporated into the 2016 and 2017 defense (top 5 defenses of this decade). Currently teams get whatever they want from us. If Bama wants to spread the field and burn us in isolation, they will. If Minnesota wants to go heavy and run over us, they will. If Oregon wants to play like Iowa/Wisconsin (abandon WR passing and focus on motion to move defenders where they want them), then they'll do that. Somehow this defense can have the 2013 pass defense combined with the 2018 LB/Safety play. And the only way it ends is by atleast buying into a philosophy because right now this is a defense without a head