zoogs
Assistant Coach
This is just something to throw out there. I compiled a list of plays and outcomes from the first half, according to the Yahoo! Sports play-by-play of NU/Wisconsin. With that in mind, I take a look at the collapse that followed and offer up my opinion of where Beck went wrong. Your mileage may vary.
Bear in mind that some of Taylor's runs came off of called pass plays, but without the game type, it's hard to tell which of them were and which weren't. Also keep in mind, the stats do not show which plays were ones where Taylor made changes...and which plays were ones where Taylor should have made adjustments at the line, but didn't. Stats can only tell you so much.
Rex: 6 carries, 17 yards, 2.83 ypc
Taylor: 11 carries, 40 yards, 3.64 ypc
Other: 2 carries, 5 yards, 2.5 ypc (Legate and Abdullah here. Legate fumbled; we recovered)
Team: 19 carries, 62 yards, 3.26 ypc
Taylor: 6/9 (66.7%), 98 yards, 10.9 ypa (16.3 ypc), 2 sacks - 7 yards lost, 1 fumble on a sack (we recovered)
I would say that to that point in the game, the offense was all around pretty solid, but we were particularly effective through the air. Taylor was on the money. Rex was not really on his game.
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The drive after Taylor's first pick, we had Taylor going 2-for-4 for 30 yards (completions of 26 and 4 yards) before his second interception. This drive was 5 plays, 5 passes.
I do not think we went wrong on this drive until the fourth play. The first three plays of this drive had us advancing 30 yards to set up a 2nd-and-6 from the Wisconsin 46.
The pass play on 2nd-and-6, which resulted in an incompletion, was a critical error and forced the pass play on 3rd-and-6, which was the interception. If I am not mistaken, this was also Taylor's most excusable pick of the night. The 3rd-and-6 was one where we had to pass.
This was a successful drive and I can't question anything that was called in light of that. We got the ball with 32 seconds to go and gained 30 yards in 3 plays to set up Maher for a field goal, which he missed. This drive was 2 passes, 1 rush.
The drive after that was the start of the third quarter. Dirk focuses a lot on this one single playcall, but I don't blame us coming out with a pass here, for reasons I have mentioned previously. The playcall resulted in an uncovered back in the flats on the rollout, something that would have been a great start to the second half and something that would have kept that Wisky D on their toes. This pick may have been the worst and most inexcusable of the night.
Bottom line, at some point Taylor was going to be asked to throw again in the second half. I think Beck felt Wisconsin was probably betting on seeing a run here, and took his shot. I think Beck was going to commit to the run in the second half, but felt this was our best chance to reintroduce the pass, rather than on another 3rd-and-6+ situation. Sooner or later, you need to give Taylor an easy completion to build up his confidence. A successful completion here would have been a critical spark, and we had it. Taylor was set up as well as he could have been for the first throw of the second half that was inevitably going to have to happen, sooner or later.
The first two interceptions came on a 3rd-and-15 and a 3rd-and-6, and in both times the pass call was the right one also, in my opinion. I think you could go back and criticize the 2nd-and-16 pass call prior to the 3rd-and-15, but keep in mind, that was during a stretch where Taylor was hot and everything was going right for us through the air.
After that drive, the next time we got the ball back, it was 34-14. Ballgame.
Between Taylor's first interception and his final one, we called 7 pass plays and 1 run play. Prior to Taylor's first interception, we had been very successful offensively, including (and particularly) through the air.
I believe Beck's only glaring mistake, during this stretch, was on that 2nd down and 6. However, that mistake was a critical one and had lasting and very serious consequences. In the breakdown of the collapse, though, I really believe the "12-of-15 obviously won't work" line/stat frequently being thrown around to be pretty misleading, and does not accurately sum up what happened.
An important note: the "calls" I refer to, to this point, refer ONLY the decision to run or throw on a given down. I can't comment on the specific formations or plays or routes that we used, and would defer to someone who can. All of that stuff belongs in a different domain, one asking the question, 'Did we have the proper scheme installed for this game.'
Discuss!
Excel spreadsheet showing the play results prior to the first interception
Bear in mind that some of Taylor's runs came off of called pass plays, but without the game type, it's hard to tell which of them were and which weren't. Also keep in mind, the stats do not show which plays were ones where Taylor made changes...and which plays were ones where Taylor should have made adjustments at the line, but didn't. Stats can only tell you so much.
Rushing
Rex: 6 carries, 17 yards, 2.83 ypc
Taylor: 11 carries, 40 yards, 3.64 ypc
Other: 2 carries, 5 yards, 2.5 ypc (Legate and Abdullah here. Legate fumbled; we recovered)
Team: 19 carries, 62 yards, 3.26 ypc
Passing
Taylor: 6/9 (66.7%), 98 yards, 10.9 ypa (16.3 ypc), 2 sacks - 7 yards lost, 1 fumble on a sack (we recovered)
I would say that to that point in the game, the offense was all around pretty solid, but we were particularly effective through the air. Taylor was on the money. Rex was not really on his game.
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Drive #1 post-interception
The drive after Taylor's first pick, we had Taylor going 2-for-4 for 30 yards (completions of 26 and 4 yards) before his second interception. This drive was 5 plays, 5 passes.
I do not think we went wrong on this drive until the fourth play. The first three plays of this drive had us advancing 30 yards to set up a 2nd-and-6 from the Wisconsin 46.
The pass play on 2nd-and-6, which resulted in an incompletion, was a critical error and forced the pass play on 3rd-and-6, which was the interception. If I am not mistaken, this was also Taylor's most excusable pick of the night. The 3rd-and-6 was one where we had to pass.
Drive #2 post-interception
This was a successful drive and I can't question anything that was called in light of that. We got the ball with 32 seconds to go and gained 30 yards in 3 plays to set up Maher for a field goal, which he missed. This drive was 2 passes, 1 rush.
Drive #3 - Pick #3
The drive after that was the start of the third quarter. Dirk focuses a lot on this one single playcall, but I don't blame us coming out with a pass here, for reasons I have mentioned previously. The playcall resulted in an uncovered back in the flats on the rollout, something that would have been a great start to the second half and something that would have kept that Wisky D on their toes. This pick may have been the worst and most inexcusable of the night.
Bottom line, at some point Taylor was going to be asked to throw again in the second half. I think Beck felt Wisconsin was probably betting on seeing a run here, and took his shot. I think Beck was going to commit to the run in the second half, but felt this was our best chance to reintroduce the pass, rather than on another 3rd-and-6+ situation. Sooner or later, you need to give Taylor an easy completion to build up his confidence. A successful completion here would have been a critical spark, and we had it. Taylor was set up as well as he could have been for the first throw of the second half that was inevitably going to have to happen, sooner or later.
The first two interceptions came on a 3rd-and-15 and a 3rd-and-6, and in both times the pass call was the right one also, in my opinion. I think you could go back and criticize the 2nd-and-16 pass call prior to the 3rd-and-15, but keep in mind, that was during a stretch where Taylor was hot and everything was going right for us through the air.
After that drive, the next time we got the ball back, it was 34-14. Ballgame.
Conclusions?
Between Taylor's first interception and his final one, we called 7 pass plays and 1 run play. Prior to Taylor's first interception, we had been very successful offensively, including (and particularly) through the air.
I believe Beck's only glaring mistake, during this stretch, was on that 2nd down and 6. However, that mistake was a critical one and had lasting and very serious consequences. In the breakdown of the collapse, though, I really believe the "12-of-15 obviously won't work" line/stat frequently being thrown around to be pretty misleading, and does not accurately sum up what happened.
An important note: the "calls" I refer to, to this point, refer ONLY the decision to run or throw on a given down. I can't comment on the specific formations or plays or routes that we used, and would defer to someone who can. All of that stuff belongs in a different domain, one asking the question, 'Did we have the proper scheme installed for this game.'
Discuss!
Excel spreadsheet showing the play results prior to the first interception
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