How to play defense in College Football 25 and shut down the opposition

✓ At A Glance

• Control the right player
• Use an appropriate playbook
• Intercept passes

Offense is king in the game, so knowing how to play defense in College Football 25 is vital. There are advantages all across the field for offense, but not so many on defense. That’s why you have to be smart and find ways to make an impact on that side of the ball. The game is not set up to help you on that front, as evidenced by the supreme difficulty in making a simple open-field tackle.

Pick the right player

When you’re on defense, you have to control one player. There are 11 on the field at any given time, but you are only one of them. You must pick the right one to control. Ideally, you’ll user the linebacker or an edge rusher. Defensive tackles don’t usually make much of an impact and it’s far too difficult to play coverage as a cornerback or safety.

The edge rusher can rush the passer. 9 times out of 10, that’s all they’re asked to do and it’s very easy to pull off. This provides you with some actual defensive pressure, too. If you choose the linebacker, you can stay in medium zone coverage, which usually entails staying where you are or rushing the passer. They are the easiest players to control.

Choose a useful playbook

It’s not just the players on the field that matter for defense. The playbook and playcalls matter a lot, too. Fortunately, there aren’t that many options for the playbook. Every team has an offensive playbook, but there are only a select few defensive options. This streamlines it.

We recommend taking the 3-3-5 Tite playbook. This default formation is excellent for countering offenses. Since passing is so prevalent, it’s good to have a formation with five defensive backs. The three defensive linemen may not make a huge impact, but the coverage is what’s important. Linebackers, all three of them, could help in either area.

Intercept passes

When the ball is in the air, you have the chance to switch over to the closest player. If you do, you can press the Y button (on Xbox) or triangle (PlayStation) to try and make the catch. Your CPU can do this as well, but they almost always drop passes that hit them right in the hands.

Whenever there’s a possible interception, you should be the one trying to complete it. It increases the success rate and ensures the player won’t start running the wrong way when you take control after getting the ball. This can lead to positive returns instead of taking a few yards in the wrong direction.