Willis and Allen in at the same time | Syracusefan.com

Willis and Allen in at the same time

mark79

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Let’s say we put Allen and Willis in at the same time and rolled them both into the flat on opposite sides.

A dump off to them would be like a run more or less. But wouldn’t that force the other team to assign a linebacker to each and open up the middle like crazy for Gadsden and Pena? And long routes as well for our speedsters?

What am I missing.

Edit: it might force a safety up as well but that would have the same result.
 
I think that's the intent when they split Allen out. However, he has been known for having really good hands since he stepped on campus, do we know if Willis can catch the ball?
I thought I had heard somewhere that he can.
 
I think that's the intent when they split Allen out. However, he has been known for having really good hands since he stepped on campus, do we know if Willis can catch the ball?
From 247 sports:
2022: As a junior, ran for 1,133 yards and 17 TDs on 5.99 yards per carry, while catching four passes for 29 yards. Also got defensive snaps, totaling 11 tackles and one INT.
2021: Finished sophomore season with 171-1,023-9 rushing (5.98 ypc) and 13-140 receiving.
- Gabe Brooks

He's a true RB and he can CTB.
 
From 247 sports:
2022: As a junior, ran for 1,133 yards and 17 TDs on 5.99 yards per carry, while catching four passes for 29 yards. Also got defensive snaps, totaling 11 tackles and one INT.
2021: Finished sophomore season with 171-1,023-9 rushing (5.98 ypc) and 13-140 receiving.
- Gabe Brooks

He's a true RB and he can CTB.
Even if Willis can’t we could try it with Nixon. Would love to try it with Willis tho. He’s a load.
 
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From my preview: "He should make a great tandem with Allen: “We’ll have thunder and lightning with both of those kids able to play,” Brown said. Without a running quarterback, I’d like to see them playing in tandem: Mr. Inside, (Willis is 226 pounds), and Mr. Outside, (Allen is 201), to give our running game the versatility it needs. Both are good pass catchers and should provide McCord with good targets."
 
I just hope we don't waste James freshman year on kickoff returns.
Last year Perry losing a year as a blocking back was stupid.
Ugh, if all he does is return KOs it’s fine. Just like Perry playing short yardage was fine.
 
I just hope we don't waste James freshman year on kickoff returns.
Last year Perry losing a year as a blocking back was stupid.
From what some people in the know have said, he's a bit raw, skill wise. His size and speed are perfect for kickoff returns while he rounds into form. He's a RB so he'd probably be buried behind the other guys anyway. Qadry Ismail was a kickoff guy for the first two years while he worked on his hands. He worked his way into a 2nd round draft pick.
 
From 247 sports:
2022: As a junior, ran for 1,133 yards and 17 TDs on 5.99 yards per carry, while catching four passes for 29 yards. Also got defensive snaps, totaling 11 tackles and one INT.
2021: Finished sophomore season with 171-1,023-9 rushing (5.98 ypc) and 13-140 receiving.
- Gabe Brooks

He's a true RB and he can CTB.
Those stats don't scream pass catcher to me. I'm not saying he can't, just that his high school usage didn't make it clear he could. I look forward to him catching some stuff with a little forward momentum and room to build more before he runs over some DBs.
 
Our depth of weapons on offense gives us a lot of options to be creative. Getting Willis and Allen on the field together in a package with some wrinkles is definitely one of them. Another interesting wrinkle out of a 2RB personnel group is starting with 22 personnel and motioning both RB out wide, which should make some defenses move LBs into the flats. Then motion Villari into the backfield, and quickly snap the ball for a handoff to Villari against a defense that likely doesn't have much in the way of size still in the middle of the field.

You would also want to have lots of if/then variations on this, and show the motion early in the game without necessarily taking advantage of what they do. Now you know how they will respond to that personnel and motion, and you have a couple plays up your sleeve for key third downs and late game situations.

I'd also like to see us put Gadsden and Villari on the field together sometimes with either an empty backfield one a single back, and I'd like to see Villari run the occasional jet sweep out of that formation - to set up the even more occasional fake jet sweep TE pass, and perhaps even the fake jet sweep flea flicker.

You'd have Zeed streaking down the left sideline, Villari taking a jet sweep to the right side, and Gadsden as a blocker on the right side. On the TE pass variation, OG would release and run a short out route for an easy completion. On the flea flicker, Villari throws it back to McCord for the bomb over the top to Zeed. After throwing the flea flicker, Villari could head to the middle of the field as a second option that may get lost underneath for an easy big game. You could also start with Zeed on the right side for the reverse off the jet sweep.

Big question mark is whether the OL can hold up long enough, but I think when you have a weapon as versatile as Villari, you should at least have a few variations on a standard play that use his various weapons - then pull them out when needed in a high leverage spot in an important game.
 
Is Nixon going to be innovative or will it be" This is what I've always done and we'll do it here, too!"?
 
Is Nixon going to be innovative or will it be" This is what I've always done and we'll do it here, too!"?
I’m guessing innovative. Or he wouldn’t have come.
 
Let’s say we put Allen and Willis in at the same time and rolled them both into the flat on opposite sides.

A dump off to them would be like a run more or less. But wouldn’t that force the other team to assign a linebacker to each and open up the middle like crazy for Gadsden and Pena? And long routes as well for our speedsters?

What am I missing.

Edit: it might force a safety up as well but that would have the same result.

I don’t want to pull a WR for Willis.

Meeks is our fifth best receiving option, which is incredible. OG, LQA, Haynes, Pena and Meeks are as daunting of a top five receiving set as a team can have.

I love Willis. He should get snaps. A decent amount. But let’s keep McCords weapons out there.
 
I hear ya. I would like to have it in our bag of tricks though because I can’t imagine how they could possibly cover Pena and Gadsden one on one. Or Haynes or Meeks. Any WR we put out there would be much harder to cover. Not suggesting it for our base offense.
 
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Ugh, if all he does is return KOs it’s fine. Just like Perry playing short yardage was fine.
Yeah that type of thought process sailed with the transfer portal. Roster is year to year, not worried about any freshman’s 5th year at this point. if the can help you they will play because they could be gone in 4 months
 
I don’t want to pull a WR for Willis.

Meeks is our fifth best receiving option, which is incredible. OG, LQA, Haynes, Pena and Meeks are as daunting of a top five receiving set as a team can have.

I love Willis. He should get snaps. A decent amount. But let’s keep McCords weapons out there.
It depends on matchups. Some opponents may have good CB depth but LBs who can't cover our RBs.
 
Its only stupid if the kid wants to play 5 yrs and do a grad degree. Not every kid does.

5th year of NIL money is probably more lucrative that fighting for a practice squad place if you go undrafted.
 
Let’s say we put Allen and Willis in at the same time and rolled them both into the flat on opposite sides.

A dump off to them would be like a run more or less. But wouldn’t that force the other team to assign a linebacker to each and open up the middle like crazy for Gadsden and Pena? And long routes as well for our speedsters?

What am I missing.

Edit: it might force a safety up as well but that would have the same result.

NC State lined up with a split T (two running backs flanking the QB) a handful of times.
It gives you some unpredictability.

NC State used it to run a couple counters, with the blocking back doing some nice work opening holes for the other back to run through after a short delay to read the block.
 

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