I did blame the offensive line...now I blame the clap

[True2tRA]

I felt this needed a thread of its own, so I made one.

 

I noticed the other night against Michigan State how well their DE's Rush and Calhoun were timing our snap count. I mean those guys were shooting up field fast, almost simultaneously as the ball was snapped. If I recall correctly, there was even an instance that Herbstreit swore the MSU defensive linemen was offsides because he timed the count so well.

 

So we've all now learned of this clapping going on by MSU players to confuse our linemen on the count.

 

This got me wondering. If they know the count, wouldn't this clapping we do be the simplest way to watch and jump the snap of the ball? If they know what we are doing to get the snap (clapping) and they know the count........

 

So I looked. How many times does Tommy clap before he snaps the ball? He sometimes goes to center, communicates. Sometimes we send a man in motion. Sometimes we look to the sideline and get the call, but after going back through a bit of the game I noticed every time he looked back to the center after all these things....HE CLAPPED ONCE and the ball was snapped.

 

Now if I'm a MSU defensive linemen, I'm watching those hands and I'm firing off the line the instant his hands touch, or just before. By the time the center reacts to the clap, you can easily react at the same time and nearly come across at the exact same time the ball is snapped.

 

So I looked, and there it is.....Rush times it perfectly almost every time. Calhoun almost equally as good. Sterup and Lewis never had a chance in hell. MSU knew the count at the same time our center knew it.......

[JJ Husker]

I tried to point this out in the clapping thread as well. Even if they aren't f'n with our snap count, they know exactly when to start their rush. This goes for any team. I've never noticed the clap and snap vary one bit all season. It's one Clap.....then snap, every friggin time. The defense has to be getting a better start than our own guys.

[True2tRA]

Sorry, I didn't see that comment JJ. I felt it needed its own thread just for how mind boggling this is. HE CLAPS ONCE EVERY TIME. How are the coaches not smarter than this? It's almost insane. We had no chance. You can't possibly block defensive end that talented when they know the snap count as well as our own linemen do. It's not possible. You look too, there's not even a hesitation by Calhoun and Rush. They fire out of their stance every time and it's almost perfectly as the ball is snapped.

[krc1995]

smart defensive coaching on MSU's part. Also explains why the ends were doing the Statue of Liberty pose. Why wasn't this figured out by our coaching staff at half?

[MichiganDad3]

It is hard to beat a defense that knows your snap count and your audibles. Did anyone check to see if McNeese also did this? Lets hope this is corrected before the Northwestern game.

[zoogs]

I'm not too clear about all this, but I think what teams do is vary the number of times they give the signal, or the time between signal and snap.

 

For example when I hear Tom Brady bark out "white eighty" before the snap. The offense knows when it's going to happen (if they're doing their jobs) and the defense has to guess. If the offense does it exceptionally well, they'll draw the defense offside this way.

 

The Spartans D definitely had a beat on us. They were timing it really well. If what you're saying is correct, we don't have variety and we'll let any defense figure out our snap count this way.

 

I'd like to see a higher level of operation from us, if that's so.

[Zaimejs]

Wow, now I need to go back and watch the game. Ridiculous and telling if true. My brother told me that back in the day, when they played the Iowa School for the Deaf, they figured out that the bass drum on the sidelines was doing the snap count. It gave them an unfair advantage over the deaf kids. Not sure why I'm sharing that here, but there you go.

[NUance]

I did blame the offensive line...now I'm really baffled

 

I just wish they'd get the clap.

[JTrain]

Yeah, it was a big deal. Clap-set-go. Michigan State was getting off the line before our linemen could budge. Something so simple too. It's baffling that they haven't implemented some sort of silent count by now.

[NUance]

Yeah, it was a big deal. Clap-set-go. Michigan State was getting off the line before our linemen could budge. Something so simple too. It's baffling that they haven't implemented some sort of silent count by now.

 

[krc1995]

^{At what point was this discovered? Now if it were during the game we could do something about it, like make snap count adjustments or point it out to the ref at half. Now it just looks like we're whining(we are). This is the Pelini way}

[NUance]

^{At what point was this discovered? Now if it were during the game we could do something about it, like make snap count adjustments or point it out to the ref at half. Now it just looks like we're whining(we are). This is the Pelini way}

 

Maybe Mark Pelini wasn't too anxious to go discuss it with Uncle Bo for some reason. I can't imagine why. lol

[JTrain]

^{At what point was this discovered? Now if it were during the game we could do something about it, like make snap count adjustments or point it out to the ref at half. Now it just looks like we're whining(we are). This is the Pelini way}

 

He's not talking about their clapping. He's talking about ours. And how we don't change up the count.

[NUpolo8]

^{At what point was this discovered? Now if it were during the game we could do something about it, like make snap count adjustments or point it out to the ref at half. Now it just looks like we're whining(we are). This is the Pelini way}

#pointthethumbnotthefinger

[True2tRA]

5:47 left in the fourth quarter tells you everything you need to know. MSU was anticipating and jumping the snap based on Armstrongs clap. When Pelini, the center, hesitates on this single play in the fourth quarter instead of snapping the ball immediately after the clap, both MSU defensive ends are flagged for offsides penalties.