Gadsen and Villari blocks on Trebor Pena jet sweep

[Crusty]

Just re-watched the game for the (lost count) and saw the great blocks they both made to seal to seal the game. Classic.

 

[hungrychuck]

That was a brilliant call.

Really would like to hang on to Nixon.

Four more years!

 

[kcsu]

Nixon had as much as any coach other than Fran in making us successful.

 

[CA Monk]

For us old timers that reminded me of the end of the Syracuse v. #1 Nebraska game in 1984 when we were just dominating on the line of scrimmage at the end. It’s really noteworthy that at the end of the game when Miami’s defense was playing as hard as they could, they couldnt stop us and get the ball back. No such luck. We ran out the clock on them. Just like we did against Penn State in 1959 and just like we did against Clemson in 2017. They hurt their own cause with that overzealous nose tackle blasting our Center before he hiked the ball, but I think we made three first downs on that last drive. Our guys were motivated and like playing football for Fran in the cozy, Orangey confines of the Dome.

 

[Archimedes]

It reminded me of watching Jim close out basketball games with the baseline home run pass against the opponent's press back in the day. Game on the line. The play starts. Wait, I know what this is. Yep, the other team is completely flat-footed. Game over. Cuse wins again. DART.

 

[hungrychuck]

For us old timers that reminded me of the end of the Syracuse v. #1 Nebraska game in 1984 when we were just dominating on the line of scrimmage at the end. It’s really noteworthy that at the end of the game when Miami’s defense was playing as hard as they could, they couldnt stop us and get the ball back. No such luck. We ran out the clock on them. Just like we did against Penn State in 1959 and just like we did against Clemson in 2017. They hurt their own cause with that overzealous nose tackle blasting our Center before he hiked the ball, but I think we made three first downs on that last drive. Our guys were motivated and like playing football for Fran in the cozy, Orangey confines of the Dome.

While there are probably more differences than similarities, one thing I remember about our comeback against the Canes in 92 is that we realized we couldn’t beat them running wide with the option and began to blast them between the tackles. It changed the game.

That last drive obviously came much later in the game. A game in which we torched them through the air. But the similarity is that we had to grind out a running game that hadn’t previously been great. And whether that was some cumulative wearing them down or just our guys stepping up to a different level, the run game won the game.

 

[Oakland]

That was a brilliant call.

Really would like to hang on to Nixon.

Four more years!

Brilliant call because it worked! BTW, I loved the call, but if it had failed there would be lots of criticism of posters here.

 

[Crusty]

For us old timers that reminded me of the end of the Syracuse v. #1 Nebraska game in 1984 when we were just dominating on the line of scrimmage at the end. It’s really noteworthy that at the end of the game when Miami’s defense was playing as hard as they could, they couldnt stop us and get the ball back. No such luck. We ran out the clock on them. Just like we did against Penn State in 1959 and just like we did against Clemson in 2017. They hurt their own cause with that overzealous nose tackle blasting our Center before he hiked the ball, but I think we made three first downs on that last drive. Our guys were motivated and like playing football for Fran in the cozy, Orangey confines of the Dome.

I wa thinking of the Nebraska game as well. They were supposed to have a great line. Turns out not so much!

 

[sufandu]

Brilliant call because it worked! BTW, I loved the call, but if it had failed there would be lots of criticism of posters here.

Brilliant call because it worked or it worked because it was a brilliant call?

I think it was a great call because it was safe and it was different than what Miami was expecting. It had been set up perfectly, the timing for it was perfect, and we executed.

 

[FrancoPizza]

one thing I remember about our comeback against the Canes in 92 is that we realized we couldn’t beat them running wide with the option and began to blast them between the tackles. It changed the game.

It wasn’t between the tackles it was a fullback trap - the first phase of the freeze option. The trap blocking is what became effective. Ultimately it was the interception on the penultimate drive when we were knocking on the door again that probably sealed our fate. Graves had a rollout to the left with Gedney leaking to the right sideline. He was wide open. Graves turned and spotted him. Went into his throwing motion but was hit from behind. The ball popped up and a linebacker dove to intercept it. Horrible twist of events.

The last drive we had to kill time because graves was sick. There’s no other logical explanation. Had we more time to work with we don’t get into a passing frenzy which played into their strengths and resulted in back-to-back sacks when we were already in the red zone. The final play Miami played a deep zone and let gedney catch it in front of them.

 

[orangefog]

Brilliant call because it worked! BTW, I loved the call, but if it had failed there would be lots of criticism of posters here.

Of course, because most of us are s&?theads.

 

[MGraves5]

While there are probably more differences than similarities, one thing I remember about our comeback against the Canes in 92 is that we realized we couldn’t beat them running wide with the option and began to blast them between the tackles. It changed the game.

That last drive obviously came much later in the game. A game in which we torched them through the air. But the similarity is that we had to grind out a running game that hadn’t previously been great. And whether that was some cumulative wearing them down or just our guys stepping up to a different level, the run game won the game.

Yes, I remember Al Wooten and Marcus Lee? breaking off some big runs between the tackles late in that game. If only we had a few more seconds...

 

[Libero2]

Brilliant call because it worked or it worked because it was a brilliant call?

I think it was a great call because it was safe and it was different than what Miami was expecting. It had been set up perfectly, the timing for it was perfect, and we executed.

I also think that if it hadn’t worked, we had 3rd down to decide a course of action. Even if we just ran it twice and punted, we would have put Miami at their own 20 (one presumes Stonehouse would have been told to kick it into the upper deck of the back endzone) and they would have had about 25 seconds to go 80 yards with no timeouts. Even with our defense that’s a situation coaches would feel good about. Obviously I’m glad we never have to know how that would have gone… but no one should be killing Nixon for the jet sweep if it didn’t work the way it did.

 

[CuseGrad94]

Yes I remember Al Wooten and Marcus Lee? breaking off some big runs between the tackles late in that game. If only we had a few more seconds...

I love me some Al Wooten hence the avatar!

 

[David321]

That play was awesome indeed. My biggest take away of our final drive was LQA though; if the man hadn't already cemented himself as an SU legend by then, he is now.

You simply can't ask anything more from a RB then what he gave us on that final drive.

 

[OttosShoes]

One *really* critical detail about that play is that it was an end-around. Normally when they run a jet sweep, Kyle is back in shotgun, he cues Trebor with a fairly obvious wave, and then the handoff is forward.

When they ran it, Kyle was under center, the motion started sneakily when he glanced over, and then he turns around for the handoff to Trebor, which looks exactly like it would for a zone run for LeQuint, the play most would've expected in that situation.

There were just no cues for the defense that Trebor was doing anything other than dragging a defender; he was already going like 20mph with the ball when they realized what was happening. I suspect Nixon had that in his back pocket for a 4th and goal situation, but sealing the game worked great too!

 

[Crusty]

One *really* critical detail about that play is that it was an end-around. Normally when they run a jet sweep, Kyle is back in shotgun, he cues Trebor with a fairly obvious wave, and then the handoff is forward.

When they ran it, Kyle was under center, the motion started sneakily when he glanced over, and then he turns around for the handoff to Trebor, which looks exactly like it would for a zone run for LeQuint, the play most would've expected in that situation.

There were just no cues for the defense that Trebor was doing anything other than dragging a defender; he was already going like 20mph with the ball when they realized what was happening. I suspect Nixon had that in his back pocket for a 4th and goal situation, but sealing the game worked great too!

Always thought the distinction was when the end/wr moves. In the jet sweep he moves before the ball is snapped and crosses the QB just as the ball is snapped. in the end around he moves after the snap.

 

[NJCuse97]

While there are probably more differences than similarities, one thing I remember about our comeback against the Canes in 92 is that we realized we couldn’t beat them running wide with the option and began to blast them between the tackles. It changed the game.

That last drive obviously came much later in the game. A game in which we torched them through the air. But the similarity is that we had to grind out a running game that hadn’t previously been great. And whether that was some cumulative wearing them down or just our guys stepping up to a different level, the run game won the game.

I remember Shelton Prescott telling me how frustrated the OL was because they had realized much earlier that they could have success running up the middle and the coaches were holding back from doing so with their play calling. Maybe they were trying too hard to establish a contrary pattern, or maybe (as some of the line thought) because the coaches didn’t trust it. Miami had a helluva LB corps that year.

 

[wfschrec]

One *really* critical detail about that play is that it was an end-around. Normally when they run a jet sweep, Kyle is back in shotgun, he cues Trebor with a fairly obvious wave, and then the handoff is forward.

When they ran it, Kyle was under center, the motion started sneakily when he glanced over, and then he turns around for the handoff to Trebor, which looks exactly like it would for a zone run for LeQuint, the play most would've expected in that situation.

There were just no cues for the defense that Trebor was doing anything other than dragging a defender; he was already going like 20mph with the ball when they realized what was happening. I suspect Nixon had that in his back pocket for a 4th and goal situation, but sealing the game worked great too!

They ran a very similar play to Pena in week 1 for a touchdown from 1 yard out. When I saw it it looked quite familiar.

 

[javadoc]

It wasn’t between the tackles it was a fullback trap - the first phase of the freeze option. The trap blocking is what became effective. Ultimately it was the interception on the penultimate drive when we were knocking on the door again that probably sealed our fate. Graves had a rollout to the left with Gedney leaking to the right sideline. He was wide open. Graves turned and spotted him. Went into his throwing motion but was hit from behind. The ball popped up and a linebacker dove to intercept it. Horrible twist of events.

The last drive we had to kill time because graves was sick. There’s no other logical explanation. Had we more time to work with we don’t get into a passing frenzy which played into their strengths and resulted in back-to-back sacks when we were already in the red zone. The final play Miami played a deep zone and let gedney catch it in front of them.

I think Graves was hit from the front, because Warren Sapp shed his man and burst forward so quickly Graves couldn’t react. Rohan Marley caught the floater. Freaking Sapp.

 

[FrancoPizza]

I think Graves was hit from the front, because Warren Sapp shed his man and burst forward so quickly Graves couldn’t react. Rohan Marley caught the floater. Freaking Sapp.

He was hit from outside his field of vision. Simply rewatch on YouTube if you don’t remember. Graves held the ball a little too long and could’ve ran for the first down too. Half second more time is all he needed though and they’d have taken the lead 17-16. Such is fate.

 

[SmilinBob]

That was a brilliant call.

Really would like to hang on to Nixon.

Four more years!

That might be tricky.

 

[DomeHolmes]

That was a brilliant call.

Really would like to hang on to Nixon.

Four more years!

Earns every penny

He‘s not a crook

 

[kingtidge]

That was a brilliant call.

Really would like to hang on to Nixon.

Four more years!

Really impressed with Nixon... and also that play.

Villari has been suspect blocking this year and OG has a penchant for taking plays off late in the game when he's tired... Really glad they bulldozed in stereo on that play and both ended on a high note.

If we can keep Nixon for another year and he performs similarly, he'll likely be gone... would love another year with him tho.

 

[Sudano]

I wa thinking of the Nebraska game as well. They were supposed to have a great line. Turns out not so much!

The days of Harold Gayden and Jaime Covington.