The high scores and bloated statistics might say otherwise, but college football is just as dependent on big defensive plays as any other sport.

The ability to make a stop in a key situation is usually what separates the great teams from the rest of the pack and what keeps the good ones from making it to the next level.

Most teams don't have the luxury of across-the-board dominance on defense, but they all have at least one player who tends to set things in motion. We're calling them the defensive catalyst, an individual who might not be the best overall player but tends to be most involved in the big plays on that side of the ball.

Using Bleacher Report's Bleacher Report - College Football
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