I coach a youth football team and we are in the playoffs. The team we will play runs to the outside. They are bigger and I need to stop them before they beat my linebackers around the corners or they will score a touchdown.

keep ur outside line backers in contain... (*im asuming you are running a 4-4 defense with the youngins)

if this team your playing isn't a big passing team then get ur corners to watch the ball and come up and help play the sweep... don't tell the corners to get an automatic bail (*assuming you are running cover 3)

and have ur middle line backers and safety clean up the cut back lanes....

OR

you could run a 4-3 with the two safeties up about 5 or 6 yards from the line and bout 4 or 5 outside the tackles... have them run cover 4 with the two safeties with heavy run keys

good luck with the playoffs and i hope my advise helps

Defensive ends are to stop the runs before they get to the outside. teach them to get past the edge of the O line, and get to the RB.

8 in the box...
D ends should have contain....

have your defensive ends force the play inside then have your linebackers fill in and make the tackle

Someone on the sideline to trip them as they run past...

Just don't let the ref see.

keep an extra body in the box, and try to contain the RB from going to the outside and make him run through the tackles, if they rely on the run play one- on - one with your CB on WR and focus on stopping the run and let them beat you with the pass

This might compromise your entire strategy, but anchor you OLB's off the ends, allowing better access to running lanes to the outside. They will likely try to run up the middle then, so tell your safeties to creep up to the line to stop the run up the gut. That's my best advice. Hope it helps.

Spread out the defense and only use 2 down lineman and bring up your cover guys so you have 7 in the box....but again only use 2 d linemen and spead everyone else out....the trick will be which direction the other team runs....make sure your players stay low and get under the blockers pads so they can get bye them quicker to get to their running back. Also they need to push the blockers as much as they can into the running back so the back will get confused as to where he should run. Use those and some other strategies you can think of

the ol' 4-4 defense should do the trick

bring the safeties up in the box spread them out some if need be. the defensive end and OLBs shouldn't let anyone get to the ouside of them. max out the speed.. bring in an extra saftey for a linebacker. there's a ton of things you can do. spread the outside LBs wider. i think its mostly with the ends.. the end should get up field and take up the lead blocker. i am assuming they run a lot of sweeps no? the end has to rush out side of the tackle and take on the lead blocker and force the run back inside where you have the numbers. you might want the corners off the line a bit to give them more time to read the run and come up. it's harder to get a block on them that way too.

i mean how young are we talking? if you don't have to honor the pass too much i'd spread the safties out bring em up to the line of scrimage just outside the ends and blitz every time. or have them cheat up to the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped like just outside the end. that might work best cause they aren't going to audible. cheat up blitz, cheat up play run, cheat up back out. they won't know what to call. be aggressive attack.

you need to work on pursuit defense with them if teams are scoring everytime they get around the end.

Get a good defensive end

play your corners man-man on the line of scrimmage..... use them to contain and push the back , back inside to where your tacklers are....

spread your players far appart and set patterns for which direction to always run

have your DE's concentrate on the outside pass rush to force the running plays to cut inside to your linebackers. throwing in a couple of 3-4 looks can also help add some side to side speed.