Dylan Raiola

Guy Chamberlin said:
It may be an unpopular take, but I haven't had much issue with Holgorson's play calling the first six games of the season. I'll have to trust you that Minnesota was a playcalling debacle, but some folks really didn't like Holgorson before this.
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We'll see if I change my opinion on the rewatch, and I definitely had my complaints live. But I'm not sure anyone is complaining much if we hit the wide open deep shot to Key, or if Hunter catches the one that hit him in the chest. It also bothers me how many people are throwing out a "called passes" number that is very clearly pass attempts + sacks when a good chunk were RPOs. There's fault everywhere when you only score 6 points and that includes the playcalling, but with the missed blocks, missed throws, and drops I don't know that "debacle" is fair.

TGHusker said:
Yes, what game was it that Rhule said there would be some surprises or something big happening with the run game? I guess it was more of Rhule flapping his lips with nothing to show for it.
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I think it was Holgorsen saying "something we've never seen before," and I believe it was the snap to Haarberg, hand to Raiola, who handed it back to EJ play.
 
But your OC can also recognize much earlier in the game when the other team is selling out on the blitz, or if your line is getting crushed up the middle in pass protection.

Your coach can call a timeout, bring the OC and the QB together, and say "guys we're going to do something different or we're going to lose this game."

I don't think that's happening, and that's pi$$ing me off. Same conversation that we had for literally years during the Frost era; do something different to get the ball quickly out around the bubble of the blitz.

It can't be this hard.
 
Guy Chamberlin said:
But Raiola going 17-25 for 177 yards doesn't sound that bad, and Emmet had a serviceable per carry average, so was it just about the sacks? Was the OL really an abomination or was it also Raiola holding the ball too long and not being particularly elusive?
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We were consistently getting into 2nd & manageable and then instead of going with a quick hitter play to just try to setup 3rd & short, we'd get sacked.

This happened on 2nd down over and over and over all game.
 
Undone said:
But your OC can also recognize much earlier in the game when the other team is selling out on the blitz, or if your line is getting crushed up the middle in pass protection.

Your coach can call a timeout, bring the OC and the QB together, and say "guys we're going to do something different or we're going to lose this game."

I don't think that's happening, and that's pi$$ing me off. Same conversation that we had for literally years during the Frost era; do something different to get the ball quickly out around the bubble of the blitz.

It can't be this hard.
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Same. There are plays that can be called to punish a D that’s pinning their ears back every play. It’s as though our recent OC’s are unaware that 1) There are plays to counter this and 2) It’s ok to use them.

If we are running/passing enough in the eyes of the HC then fix it. In game. Not after.

For years we get our teeth kicked in and the presser is just a bunch of could’ve, would’ve, should’ve BS.
 
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Husker_In_WI said:
We'll see if I change my opinion on the rewatch, and I definitely had my complaints live. But I'm not sure anyone is complaining much if we hit the wide open deep shot to Key, or if Hunter catches the one that hit him in the chest. It also bothers me how many people are throwing out a "called passes" number that is very clearly pass attempts + sacks when a good chunk were RPOs. There's fault everywhere when you only score 6 points and that includes the playcalling, but with the missed blocks, missed throws, and drops I don't know that "debacle" is fair.



I think it was Holgorsen saying "something we've never seen before," and I believe it was the snap to Haarberg, hand to Raiola, who handed it back to EJ play.
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ok - So one play but not a system wide improvement.
 
Undone said:
We were consistently getting into 2nd & manageable and then instead of going with a quick hitter play to just try to setup 3rd & short, we'd get sacked.

This happened on 2nd down over and over and over all game.
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First half:
  • 2nd and 7 from our 28 - we catch them in a safety blitz and Raiola looks for Hunter going deep, Hunter didn't realize it was an RPO and blocked. Sack, and a throwaway would've been ineligible man downfield at that point
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  • 2nd and 8 for our 17 - Speed out to Johnson for 3. Previous play was a run for 2. Not sure exactly what was going on on this play. I think it's the right read and we expected 12 to follow Hunter? In hindsight one of the 2 deep guys had to break open, but I think these are clearout routes and this is a "throw to EJ" read the second he has leverage on the LB, 6 - who doesn't even go with him. Good tackle by 12.
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  • 2nd and 7 from their 41 - previous play was a run for 3. Run with a box safety bailing at the snap, it's a good look. Aggressive fill by the LB, and not sure Spindler went for the right guy off of the double team. 2 yards.
  • 2nd and 10 from the 24 - previous play was a run for no gain. Here's the quick game everyone is talking about, not sure where he's supposed to go with it (Haarberg has a safety on him just off screen). Actually I'm sure it's EJ, but they've been tackling well so I assume that's why he passes it up. This is the diving flip to Hunter after a scramble, 10 yards.
  • 2nd and 6 - fade to Key. I do hate these fades, but he has the guy beat and it's a throw we have to be able to make. It was an 8 man box. Probably overcomplicating things but this could maybe convert to a slant if the CB is playing outside like this, but Key gets around him and he and Raiola just don't connect.
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    • Ball is in the air here, so I think it's more on Key for not getting to it or drawing PI:
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  • 2nd and 5 from our 30, previous play was a run for 5 - this is a deep shot, can't tell if anyone was open. I understand the complaints, but this is max protect and should never be a sack. Gottula gets beat, and then the DT dives at Knaak's knee (he dove, it's not Lutovsky pushing him down) so when Raiola stepped up it was into a pileup. I don't think this is technically legal, but Knaak needs to keep his feet.
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  • 2nd and 6 from our 23 - previous play was a run for 4. PA rollout to Lindenmeyer, the lefty pass. 12 yards, harder than it should have been. This is also a 9 man box, you're welcome to run into it if you'd prefer a 0-2 yard gain.
  • 2nd and 11 from their 12 - previous play was run for -1. Knaak gets beat early and has to just shove his guy upfield, Raiola probably runs forward too far instead of stepping up and Gottula's guy is able to just step inside and throw him down. Not great protection, but this one didn't need to be a sack based on the blocking.
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  • 2nd and 10 from our 6, ~1 minute left in the half - previous play incomplete deep shot to Hunter. Slant to Hunter, 12 yards
  • 2nd and 3 from our 25, 0:31 remaining - previous play 7 yard scramble (protection was fine) 3 man rush, can't see the routes but they are deep. Gottula does kinda get beat, but Raiola could step or or roll out and does neither? Sack, end of half.
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Second half second downs:
  • 2nd and 7 from our 28 - previous play run for 3. quick hitch to Hunter for 5.
  • 2nd and 9 from their 42 - previous play was a quick pass to Barney for 1. This could have changed the game - we did have a successful first down run for 12 a few plays back, so you can argue running here is the move. But this is the exact look you hope for, and we just missed it:
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  • 2nd and 5 from our 22 - previous play RPO scramble for 5. Mesh which was locked up, scramble for no gain.
At this point it is 21-6 and it's the 4th quarter, so being more pass heavy is expected.
  • 2nd and 6 from our 29, previous play run for 4. Out to EJ for 3.
  • 2nd and 10 from our 41 - previous play deep ball that hit Hunter in the face. Run for 2 (Mozee).
  • 2nd and 1 from our 44 - previous play 9 yard out to Lindenmeyer. Screen to Hunter for 10.
  • 2nd and 1 from their 37 - previous play run for 9. ~3:00 remaining. Deep shot, missed the check down to EJ scrambling into trouble.
  • 2nd and 6 from our 49 - previous play TE delay to Lindenmeyer for 4. ~0:30 seconds remaining. Deep shot, both tackles get beat and the guard blocks the path forward trying to help, sack. Raiola probably shouldn't have gotten that deep anyway, but they had been spying on the 3 man rushes.


Definitely some individual questionable calls, but for the most part what we were doing got the looks we wanted and we didn't hit them. Honestly the exceptions are things people are calling for more of - the short passes were locked up consistently, and a fair number of the runs we did call were into heavy boxes and got nothing. We needed to hit one of our deep shots - Raiola overthrew Key twice on fades (one in the red zone so not a deep shot and potentially Key's fault for not finding the ball), and hit Hunter twice on them where he couldn't bring them in. Neither were completely uncontested, but both catchable. Also would've had another shot at one on the very first 2nd down of the game, but Hunter was blocking.
 
Undone said:
I stand corrected. Thanks for the amazing write-up, man!
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I'm just trying to cope tbh, but I can at least see what the plan was on the rewatch. Long post defending the playcalls aside, EJ did break some chunk runs even into the heavy boxes so I also would've liked a little more emphasis on the run. But the RPOs and shots were there, Hunter just had a rough game and it seems like Raiola locking in the timing/trajectory with him may have cost him the same with Key.
 
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