A random "what if?"

[Mavric]

We often played Cover 2 over the top with matchup-man underneath. As has been stated, there was no reason for West to drop his coverage so it's his man. O'Hanlon should have had safety coverage over the top. So West was primary and O'Hanlon was secondary.

This is the fallacy in blaming the closest guy. Just because he was the closest to making the play doesn't mean it was his fault the guy was open. IMO, this was often the case with Austin Cassidy as well. He was often the closest guy to making the play so people assumed he was always out of position. But most of the time it was someone else who dropped their coverage and he was trying to cover for them. People were constantly complaining about Cassidy playing while the "more athletic" PJ Smith was on the bench. Then Smith finally got his chance and we found out he wasn't any better.

 

[cg_8]

Guys, to clear things up regarding that play.

Bo was mostly known for his match-zone coverage. Pattern match, whatever you want to call it. It's basically a zone concept, except that instead of playing a "zone", you the man who is an immediate threat to that zone, then it essentially becomes man to man.

However, we didn't play the match zone on that specific play. We played a cover-two zone on that play. Don't ask me why, maybe it was best considering that Tyrod wasn't known for his passing ability, so we wanted to keep our CB's closer to the line of scrimmage to make a tackle if Tyrod got outside of the tackles.

Anyway, that's why we see West release the WR. If it was match-zone, that's West's guy until the end of the play. However, since it's Cover-two, that's not his guy beyond 10-15 yards. It's the Safety's responsibility.

Firstly, Tyrod has way too much time in the pocket. He sits then pump fakes to the middle of the field, he actually doesn't even look to that side of the field until after his pump fake. O'Hanlon, reading the QB, jumps the pump fake. Anyone of us would have also, the best Safety most likely would have. So Tyrod finally looks over and sees a guy wide open. O'Hanlon, jumping the middle of the field, is out of position. The coverage was blown, everyone back their did their job, but sometimes the field is just too big for two guys to handle 3 deep-ish threats across the whole field. (That's why Air Raid and the 4 verticals concept has been consistently sucessful).

Don't get me wrong, I am not here to downplay O'Hanlon's career. I am not saying this is what he is known for or anything negative. This stuff happens. He just was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Could have happened to anyone. If anyone is to blame on that play, it's the DL for not getting to Tyrod on that play. Of course, they were also told on 3rd and goal to not try and tackle Tyrod, but contain him. That's why you see Suh not going after him.

Anyway, Cover-2. It wasn't all on O'Hanlon, but technically the coverage was blown by him, it's his man at that point. He made a mistake, we've seen it before, and we'll see it again. Let's welcome in Quarters with open arms, what say you?

 

[AFhusker]

The blown coverage in the VT game was Anthony West and not Matt O'Hanlon iirc

In a 2 deep coverage, the safeties have one responsibility, and that is don't let anyone behind them. What did Matt do? Fell for a fake and allowed someone to get behind him. That is one of the stupidest plays in husker history.

The real issue was that Bo didn't have the balls to go for it on 4th and 1 at VT's 40 yard line when Helu was averaging 6 YPC. He gets a yard, the game is over as VT had no timeouts left. But he pussed out and punted and then the rest is history.

 

[Count 'Bility]

That was cover 3 situation. Both corners drop deep. One safety covers deep middle. Other Safety covers shallow middle (Ohanlon). West screwed up and didnt drop back to his deep third

How do I know this? Bo Pelini said as such in the post game radio show that very day. I remember vividly because I've said as such i dont know how many umpteen times that this gets debated.

 

[Count 'Bility]

Does Zac Lee get hurt? And does Ganz automatically beat him out as starter? If Zac never suffers that secretive injury, he might have done a nice job after all.

Either way, we do finish 12-2. 11-3 at the very worst (Tech torched our defense).

LOL... TT had 250 total yards....

Yeah, which was less than half their average, and 2nd fewest yards of the Leach era.

 

[RunMickeyRun02]

What if we don't get the hail mary against NW? I remember thinking that miracle play just saved Pelini's job. Or what if NWs DBs don't drop two int's on the final game winning drive the year before?

 

[cg_8]

That was cover 3 situation. Both corners drop deep. One safety covers deep middle. Other Safety covers shallow middle (Ohanlon). West screwed up and didnt drop back to his deep third

How do I know this? Bo Pelini said as such in the post game radio show that very day. I remember vividly because I've said as such i dont know how many umpteen times that this gets debated.

This may make sense of them all. Which is why it looks majorly blown by O'Hanlon. The fact that he favors the middle of the field so much seems like he is playing Cover 3 "Cloud". He isn't dropping back, he almost immediately moves to the middle.

It still looks like West THINKS it's Cover 2. He releases the WR at the same point a CB would in a Cover 2 Zone, but in fact, he has the that 1/3 of the field.

I can get down with this.

It gets debated because it looks like Cover 2 because of how West releases the WR without a doubt in his mind of what he's playing. And we see O'Hanlon chasing after.

 

[Mavric]

However, we didn't play the match zone on that specific play. We played a cover-two zone on that play. Don't ask me why, maybe it was best considering that Tyrod wasn't known for his passing ability, so we wanted to keep our CB's closer to the line of scrimmage to make a tackle if Tyrod got outside of the tackles.

I guess I don't see that. All the other underneath coverage guys are running with their man. Only West seems to be playing zone. Looks to me like it was supposed to be man underneath with a cover 2 over the top.

 

[AFhusker]

That was cover 3 situation. Both corners drop deep. One safety covers deep middle. Other Safety covers shallow middle (Ohanlon). West screwed up and didnt drop back to his deep third

How do I know this? Bo Pelini said as such in the post game radio show that very day. I remember vividly because I've said as such i dont know how many umpteen times that this gets debated.

Here's Matt himself talking about blowing the coverage in an article after he had his career game vs OU, so I think this pretty much ends any debate.

http://newsok.com/starting-s-ohanlon-takes-hard-road-at-nebraska/article/feed/104625

The senior safety was a big part of Nebraska's 10-3 win over the Sooners on Saturday, tying the school record with three interceptions and making a career-high 12 tackles.

The performance didn't just give him a measure of redemption for his blown coverage on Virginia Tech's winning touchdown drive in September. It also brought full circle a tale of the Nebraska kid who wouldn't give up on his dream of playing for the Cornhuskers.

O'Hanlon drew unwanted attention in the 16-15 loss at Virginia Tech when the man he was supposed to be covering caught an 81-yard pass to key the Hokies' winning touchdown drive.

Until his big night against Oklahoma, which earned him the Football Writers Association of America national defensive player of the week, it looked as if that play against the Hokies would be the one for which O'Hanlon was remembered.

"It was hard to not have that play replaying in my head every day," he said. "But to come back from that and have a good game like I did, I hope it doesn't erase the memory but substitutes it with something else."

 

[cg_8]

However, we didn't play the match zone on that specific play. We played a cover-two zone on that play. Don't ask me why, maybe it was best considering that Tyrod wasn't known for his passing ability, so we wanted to keep our CB's closer to the line of scrimmage to make a tackle if Tyrod got outside of the tackles.

I guess I don't see that. All the other underneath coverage guys are running with their man. Only West seems to be playing zone. Looks to me like it was supposed to be man underneath with a cover 2 over the top.

Everyone here is right. Watching Hagg on the play, he matches the guy and plays him Man to man. Which shows the typical Bo Match Zone.

The wild card in this whole thing is West. When I first saw it, and before today, I swore it was a cover 2 zone because West releases the guy as if that is his true assignment and he's doing his job. He does it so confidently, there's no hesitation at all in his release. He also doesn't seem at all concerned when the ball is thrown that he made a mistake. If anything, O'Hanlon at the end of the play, lays on the ground as if he made a flippin' huge mistake... Which, he may have.

Count says it was cover 3, and I can see it.

Man, I don't even know anymore... One thing I do know, I love talking football... Good job all.

 

[Landlord]

AFhusker, Matt doesn't actually say anything specific about responsibilities; just that he remembers it a lot. Count is right - Bo himself said that it wasn't Matt's coverage.

Anyways, a lot of pieces are at play. Ndamukong Suh led the country, as a defensive tackle, in pass deflections after that game, because he had 4 of them. Should have had another sack or another deflection on that 3rd and 10 but got caught daring Tyrod to make a move instead of going after him. Ironically, the exact opposite behavior led to Texas getting :01 back, with Suh having got to McCoy just in time for the ball to land out of bounds with time left.

Also, Zac tore a tendon in his elbow during the Va Tech game. Yet another single play that would have won the game for us, if he is able to throw a decent ball to Currenski Gillyen down the sidelines he's still running. Or if Menelik Holt doesn't drop the ball rolling out of bounds on his missed touchdown, or if we don't hold on McNeill's double move touchdown (remember how we punted on 4th and goal??).

 

[admo]

Does Zac Lee get hurt? And does Ganz automatically beat him out as starter? If Zac never suffers that secretive injury, he might have done a nice job after all.

Either way, we do finish 12-2. 11-3 at the very worst (Tech torched our defense).

LOL... TT had 250 total yards....

It sure felt like it to me in the first half. Tech had 207 of those yards by halftime and led 24-3 on the road - in Lincoln. Good catch - Huskers held them to 43 yards in the second. 31-10 was the final. That first half was so frustrating!

 

[zoogs]

No more first and goal ending with a freaking punt.

 

[Count 'Bility]

And we can argue about it all we want. Regardless, there was obviously a miscommunication of some sort on that play. Go figure.

 

[AFhusker]

AFhusker, Matt doesn't actually say anything specific about responsibilities; just that he remembers it a lot. Count is right - Bo himself said that it wasn't Matt's coverage.

Anyways, a lot of pieces are at play. Ndamukong Suh led the country, as a defensive tackle, in pass deflections after that game, because he had 4 of them. Should have had another sack or another deflection on that 3rd and 10 but got caught daring Tyrod to make a move instead of going after him. Ironically, the exact opposite behavior led to Texas getting :01 back, with Suh having got to McCoy just in time for the ball to land out of bounds with time left.

Also, Zac tore a tendon in his elbow during the Va Tech game. Yet another single play that would have won the game for us, if he is able to throw a decent ball to Currenski Gillyen down the sidelines he's still running. Or if Menelik Holt doesn't drop the ball rolling out of bounds on his missed touchdown, or if we don't hold on McNeill's double move touchdown (remember how we punted on 4th and goal??).

He admitted that he blew the coverage. Of course Bo is going to say that it wasn't just on him, that is his job as a head coach is to not lose the player for blowing one of the easiest coverages you can have as a safety. If it was just a miscommunication and it wasn't his man, he would have said it.

As I said before I blame that loss more on Bo for not going for it on 4th and1. With how much our defense was dominating that game, punting and gaining 25 yards (60 vs 85 yards) isn't a big deal when all you have to do is gain one yard and then you are in the victory formation.