1/2 second too slow

[ImperialOrange]

The reason I'm optimistic that we will get better is we had multiple big plays avail where our QB was 1/2 second slow diagnosing. I'm sure some (most) of this may have been discussed but I hadn't had a chance to watch the game on TV until this week.

After rewatching the Nova game until Hunt got booted we weren't as far off as the production totals would lead you to believe. I'm not sure if it was being overly amped, nerves, or not being mentally prepared but I feel with 2 weeks of practice and the film from Nova that Hunt will get this cleaned up.

Nova gambled a lot on defense (likely based off past tendencies) and it worked well except when PTG ran untouched straight up the middle for a 65 yard TD.

In addition to the one big play though we had Hunt keep on the read option on the third down prior and run into 3 defenders. Had he made the correct read Gulley would've ran off left tackle for a big gain but I feel that was a case of Hunt trying to do too much himself. There were 3-4 times where Hunt got the read incorrect. Another time he handed it to Morris on a sweep who ran into 3 defenders because Nova had gambled correctly again. Had Hunt kept it there was a ton of daylight.

If you look at our bubble screens we took exponentially longer to get the ball to the WR vs Nova running the same play on the other side. These plays will be more effective if we aren't giving the defense a head start on the WR. In addition, we got too cute with the play calling and pump faked to a bubble screen before we had even run it. Perhaps that same pump fake play would be better served after we had already run bubble twice? Kind of hard to run play action before youve proven you can run and that looked the same in theory.

Lastly was the incomplete deep pass to Estime to the left side of the end zone. Hunt seemed to lock in and stop his progressions a split second too soon otherwise he had Moore (?) breaking open over the middle with no safety over the top.

End game I don't think we were as far off in that game as it looked like from the stands after seeing the video. It's coachable stuff and I think we'll perform much better vs CMU who will play us straight up vs gambling on overloads like the Nova defense did. On defense just needs to tackle better and swarm the ball though our DB's looked too hesitant as well. With a less mobile QB we will hopefully be able to get pressure and allow the DB's to jump certain routes.

 

[MSOrange]

The reason I'm optimistic that we will get better is we had multiple big plays avail where our QB was 1/2 second slow diagnosing. I'm sure some (most) of this may have been discussed but I hadn't had a chance to watch the game on TV until this week.

After rewatching the Nova game until Hunt got booted we weren't as far off as the production totals would lead you to believe. I'm not sure if it was being overly amped, nerves, or not being mentally prepared but I feel with 2 weeks of practice and the film from Nova that Hunt will get this cleaned up.

Nova gambled a lot on defense (likely based off past tendencies) and it worked well except when PTG ran untouched straight up the middle for a 65 yard TD.

In addition to the one big play though we had Hunt keep on the read option on the third down prior and run into 3 defenders. Had he made the correct read Gulley would've ran off left tackle for a big gain but I feel that was a case of Hunt trying to do too much himself. There were 3-4 times where Hunt got the read incorrect. Another time he handed it to Morris on a sweep who ran into 3 defenders because Nova had gambled correctly again. Had Hunt kept it there was a ton of daylight.

If you look at our bubble screens we took exponentially longer to get the ball to the WR vs Nova running the same play on the other side. These plays will be more effective if we aren't giving the defense a head start on the WR. In addition, we got too cute with the play calling and pump faked to a bubble screen before we had even run it. Perhaps that same pump fake play would be better served after we had already run bubble twice? Kind of hard to run play action before youve proven you can run and that looked the same in theory.

Lastly was the incomplete deep pass to Estime to the left side of the end zone. Hunt seemed to lock in and stop his progressions a split second too soon otherwise he had Moore (?) breaking open over the middle with no safety over the top.

End game I don't think we were as far off in that game as it looked like from the stands after seeing the video. It's coachable stuff and I think we'll perform much better vs CMU who will play us straight up vs gambling on overloads like the Nova defense did. On defense just needs to tackle better and swarm the ball though our DB's looked too hesitant as well. With a less mobile QB we will hopefully be able to get pressure and allow the DB's to jump certain routes.

Great post! It's good to read some actual football talk on here. Thanks for starting this thread.

 

[Chip]

Great post! It's good to read some actual football talk on here. Thanks for starting this thread.

I enjoyed the post as well, but I can't help but think if Hunt wasn't confused by the # font on his WRs and RBs jerseys, he would have made the correct reads.

I'll punch myself in the face now.

Again.

 

[MSOrange]

I enjoyed the post as well, but I can't help but think if Hunt wasn't confused by the # font on his WRs and RBs jerseys, he would have made the correct reads.

I'll punch myself in the face now.

Again.

Thanks Chip! I've always enjoyed your ability to mix humor with knowledgeable talk over the years. I will be interested to see how much we rely on the bubble screens tomorrow. I don't know enough about the X's and O's to really comment intelligently but I think Imperial has some really good points about them.

 

[CU44SE]

The reason I'm optimistic that we will get better is we had multiple big plays avail where our QB was 1/2 second slow diagnosing. I'm sure some (most) of this may have been discussed but I hadn't had a chance to watch the game on TV until this week.

After rewatching the Nova game until Hunt got booted we weren't as far off as the production totals would lead you to believe. I'm not sure if it was being overly amped, nerves, or not being mentally prepared but I feel with 2 weeks of practice and the film from Nova that Hunt will get this cleaned up.

Nova gambled a lot on defense (likely based off past tendencies) and it worked well except when PTG ran untouched straight up the middle for a 65 yard TD.

In addition to the one big play though we had Hunt keep on the read option on the third down prior and run into 3 defenders. Had he made the correct read Gulley would've ran off left tackle for a big gain but I feel that was a case of Hunt trying to do too much himself. There were 3-4 times where Hunt got the read incorrect. Another time he handed it to Morris on a sweep who ran into 3 defenders because Nova had gambled correctly again. Had Hunt kept it there was a ton of daylight.

If you look at our bubble screens we took exponentially longer to get the ball to the WR vs Nova running the same play on the other side. These plays will be more effective if we aren't giving the defense a head start on the WR. In addition, we got too cute with the play calling and pump faked to a bubble screen before we had even run it. Perhaps that same pump fake play would be better served after we had already run bubble twice? Kind of hard to run play action before youve proven you can run and that looked the same in theory.

Lastly was the incomplete deep pass to Estime to the left side of the end zone. Hunt seemed to lock in and stop his progressions a split second too soon otherwise he had Moore (?) breaking open over the middle with no safety over the top.

End game I don't think we were as far off in that game as it looked like from the stands after seeing the video. It's coachable stuff and I think we'll perform much better vs CMU who will play us straight up vs gambling on overloads like the Nova defense did. On defense just needs to tackle better and swarm the ball though our DB's looked too hesitant as well. With a less mobile QB we will hopefully be able to get pressure and allow the DB's to jump certain routes.

I was going to write about the read option reads but never got around to it. That one you mention happened on the 3rd offensive play and had the chance for a 90 yard td run. Everyone went with hunt and no one was close to where gulley would have went. Ended up getting the running into the kicker and subsequent 60 yard td run instead. There was also another instance, maybe it was the Morris run but i can't exactly rememebr when or where it occurred. Same thing happened though, hunt kept it and instead of giving it up and ran right into 3 defenders which ended up leading to us kicking a field goal or punt possibly. I'm pretty sure it ended the drive instead of going for a very big gain, if not a td. On one of them, can't rememebr if it was te first one or second one but gulley jumped up and clapped his hands in frustration after the play because he knew he was free.

 

[Chip]

Thanks Chip! I've always enjoyed your ability to mix humor with knowledgeable talk over the years. I will be interested to see how much we rely on the bubble screens tomorrow. I don't know enough about the X's and O's to really comment intelligently but I think Imperial has some really good points about them.

They were talking about the quick throws outside on The First Team this morning in Sirius College Sports. Saying the exact same thing our coaches are saying, about how more teams are going to it as a basically a stretched out running play.

It's interesting. I feel like we go to the well a little too much, and the backwards passing part just seems high risk to me. We don't throw them all backwards, but some we clearly do. We just need to get more efficient with it, know when it's best to pop Gulley thru the middle, etc.

As Imperial said, things that our staff should be able to fix.

 

[MSOrange]

They were talking about the quick throws outside on The First Team this morning in Sirius College Sports. Saying the exact same thing our coaches are saying, about how more teams are going to it as a basically a stretched out running play.

It's interesting. I feel like we go to the well a little too much, and the backwards passing part just seems high risk to me. We don't throw them all backwards, but some we clearly do. We just need to get more efficient with it, know when it's best to pop Gulley thru the middle, etc.

As Imperial said, things that our staff should be able to fix.

I don't like the backward passes either. They make me nervous. I still remember that one backward pass to Jerome Smith that blew up in our face.

 

[Chip]

I don't like the backward passes either. They make me nervous. I still remember that one backward pass to Jerome Smith that blew up in our face.

Estime knew to jump on his, thankfully.

Broyld did what Jerome had done on the one he dropped. Luckily it was deemed forward, but it was close. I don't think you want someone guessing trajectories.

 

[MSOrange]

Bumping this thread in case anyone wants to talk about football

 

[jimsonjunction]

If you look at our bubble screens we took exponentially longer to get the ball to the WR vs Nova running the same play on the other side.

I'm not too versed on the X's and O's, but this seemed like a big weakness to me. If it's going to be a significant part of the offense, it needs to be run like clockwork.

It also depends so much on what the defense is giving you. If the corners are 5+ yards off the line, they're so much more effective. I pull my hair out when it's called and the corners are practically in press coverage. Can anyone clarify how this works? When the play is called, are we just hoping the d-backs are going to give us space? This is why it seems like a play that should be called based on what the defense is doing, rather than something that's the staple of the offense.

 

[ImperialOrange]

I'm not too versed on the X's and O's, but this seemed like a big weakness to me. If it's going to be a significant part of the offense, it needs to be run like clockwork.

It also depends so much on what the defense is giving you. If the corners are 5+ yards off the line, they're so much more effective. I pull my hair out when it's called and the corners are practically in press coverage. Can anyone clarify how this works? When the play is called, are we just hoping the d-backs are going to give us space? This is why it seems like a play that should be called based on what the defense is doing, rather than something that's the staple of the offense.

One of my biggest peaves is how we defend the same exact play. 3 WR's out and we put 2 DB's out there and have the LB and S run like hell to try and get out and cover. Nova, by contrast, had 3 DB's out there in close proximity when we split 3 WR's out or 2 vs 2.

 

[pulaski74]

Bumping this thread in case anyone wants to talk about football

like some others I'm no football guru but Missouri has used variations of this play and even quick passes to the slot with great success over the last few yrs. Execution and good players make it work and sets up the run as well as the pass downfield

 

[lvilleorange]

BLUF: The bubble screen is used to keep defenses honest and allow offenses to utilize the zone run.

This is a nice article that can be used as a starting point for understanding the usage of the bubble screen and read options.

http://www.elevenwarriors.com/2012/03/why-bubble-its-all-about-constraint

It seems to me that Hunt still has some progress to make on initial reads or if he is trying to make a progression post snap. He probably would have made the necessary adjustments during halftime had he kept his composure better. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Hunt perform this week.

 

[bevosu]

One thing that bothered me last year when we'd try a screen, bubble screen. Seems we don't block for the receiver worth a damn. Missed blocks or lazy blocks. I don't think we've mastered that yet.

 

[ImperialOrange]

One thing that bothered me last year when we'd try a screen, bubble screen. Seems we don't block for the receiver worth a damn. Missed blocks or lazy blocks. I don't think we've mastered that yet.

I think this is the initial reason for Ben Lewis getting more PT being that he blocks well. The fact that he is also doing well as a WR is a bonus.

 

[ImperialOrange]

One thing I think we could do with the screens to Broyld, if we get the ball to him fast enough, is have the far WR run a backside post and have Broyld pass out of it. Safeties will all be moving up and towards the ball carrier and if you connect on that post one time it'll go for 6 and make all the defenders play a bit further off moving forward.

I did like the pump and go off the bubble screen as a play call as well, simply not when we ran it.

 

[GoCuse08]

Bubble screens seemed to work great against us at the spring game.

 

[Crusty]

BLUF: The bubble screen is used to keep defenses honest and allow offenses to utilize the zone run.

This is a nice article that can be used as a starting point for understanding the usage of the bubble screen and read options.

http://www.elevenwarriors.com/2012/03/why-bubble-its-all-about-constraint

It seems to me that Hunt still has some progress to make on initial reads or if he is trying to make a progression post snap. He probably would have made the necessary adjustments during halftime had he kept his composure better. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Hunt perform this week.

Lester said his reads were correct. Thought he was settling in when the left hook happened.

 

[007]

BLUF: The bubble screen is used to keep defenses honest and allow offenses to utilize the zone run.

This is a nice article that can be used as a starting point for understanding the usage of the bubble screen and read options.

http://www.elevenwarriors.com/2012/03/why-bubble-its-all-about-constraint

It seems to me that Hunt still has some progress to make on initial reads or if he is trying to make a progression post snap. He probably would have made the necessary adjustments during halftime had he kept his composure better. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Hunt perform this week.

This article should be required reading for some on here who complain all the time about the number of bubble screens, or why passes being thrown behind the LOS...

"The zone read and bubble screen can be combined together into a package. In other words, the QB can either make an automatic pre-snap check to the bubble if the slot receiver is uncovered, or he can throw the bubble during the play depending on his read. The offensive linemen can run-block since the throw is behind the line of scrimmage. The defense's job is thus made more difficult by the fact that they cannot 'guess.' The bubble screen thus serves the purpose of constraining the defense and evening out arithmetic, while having the added bonus of getting the ball to an athlete in space."

One key in the CMU game will be forcing them to take a defender out of the box to respect the bubble, and then running the inside zone read - between the tackles and Hunt keeping it around the end. If they can defend the bubble and keep the extra man in the box, it will be a long day.

 

[TheCusian]

In the FSU v Okie State game the blocking WR faked the block and turned up field. Not one FSU defender was within 10 yards till he scored. I want to see that run after we throw 2-3 bubbles.

 

[Crusty]

I don't like the backward passes either. They make me nervous. I still remember that one backward pass to Jerome Smith that blew up in our face.

I think that was against the opener against NW in 2012 (?). Could not believe my eyes when Jerome just looked at the ball on the ground. NW picked it up and scored as I remember.

 

[Franz69]

One thing that bothered me last year when we'd try a screen, bubble screen. Seems we don't block for the receiver worth a damn. Missed blocks or lazy blocks. I don't think we've mastered that yet.

Not just that, but what drives me insane are those instances when the lead blocker is our smallest player. Chris Clark previously and Estime this year. The play basically has a ZERO percent chance of working.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Not just that, but what drives me insane are those instances when the lead blocker is our smallest player. Chris Clark previously and Estime this year. The play basically has a ZERO percent chance of working.

You just gave me a thought/realization. We get far too cute with play calling trying to set the table for future plays vs just calling plays for the current play to be successful.