Mavric's Musings - Northern Illinois

[Mavric]

Thought I'd work through the game to see what happened.

Should have known it was going to be a bad day when Lindsey couldn't even catch the opening kick.

Nice of the Huskies to spot us seven yards on the first play.

Simple outside zone - hat on a hat.  5 yards.  First down.

Similar protection concept as what bit us on the last play against Oregon.  This time Foster pulls to block while the rest of the line slides left.  Foster/Wilbon barely get enough as Lee actually does a nice job stepping up into the pocket and finds DPE for 36 yards.

Second running play.  Second time it's a straight-ahead give.  You'd probably say the Huskies "only" have seven in the box but they have an OLB and a Safety pretty close and keying run.  Not much of a push by the OL  but not much room to run when you have nine defenders that close.  One yard loss.

Clean pocket.  Crisp throw.  Easy target.  Lindsey for 11 yards and a first down.

This is the play I discussed from the tweet in another thread.  I'm sure many - including the author of the tweet/article - pointed to this as an example of "poor OL play".  But the line actually did all they could do here.  Straight-ahead give.  Everyone is walled off to the right.  But NIll could put nine guys in the box because of our formation.  A Safety that was walked up is able to hit Wilbon in the backfield and slow him up enough to blow up the play.  Wilbon did a great job to still get 7 yards but it could easily have been more if the safety has to play at normal depth.

First pick-six.  Things were going well up to this point.  But it's (mostly) down-hill from here.  Coaches tried to throw Morgan under the bus for this one but I don't know how he could have blocked him.  Our alignment was different from a lot of the bublle screens we've faced where the receivers are almost stacked.  DPE was well inside of Morgan and the DB broke on the snap.  Morgan hasn't even gotten his first step down and he's already beat because the DB can jump to the inside and go around Morgan instead of having to go through him.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

Cool stuff, Mav.  Thanks for the work on this.  On the first pick 6, the design of the play was for Morgan to block the CB, but the formation tipped the CB off to jump the route.  The CB was staring inside at DPE before the snap.  Lee could have seen this from a pre-snap review of the defense, and just ran the ball off to Wilbon (Riley said it was an RPO).  Morgan had no chance to lay a hand on the CB.

 

[wiuhusker]

That pick on the bubble was entirely on Langs. Unless there's some sort of read there that Tanner makes that I'm not aware of this play stood no chance. And for people to blame Morgan is equally undeserving. Just a terrible play call. #Runtheball 

 

[BigRedBuster]

The more I watch that first pick 6, the more frustrating it gets.  That corner was so sold out on that INT that all Lee would have had to do is double pump and DPE would have been wide open in the end zone with no-one within 10 yards of him.

PS....I agree it's a terrible play call in that situation.

 

[Mavric]

First play of the second possession.  Similar to the play above where we motion into a three-TE-type set and run straight ahead.  NIll can walk a safety up to get eight guys in the box because they can anticipate the run.  I'm sure that's not a tendency that they've noticed on film.  Gain of 3.

Quick set.  Quick throw.  Easy target.  DPE for 5.

We have all 11 guys in tight formation at the snap on 3rd & 2.  I wonder what we're going to do?  In particular, they have three guys between our guards but we try to run A gap.  There was at least a half-hearted fake to DPE but it's another straight-ahead run.  Again, no push from the OL so it's on them too but I was running a more creative running scheme with my 4th graders that morning.  One yard loss.  Punt.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

That pick on the bubble was entirely on Langs. Unless there's some sort of read there that Tanner makes that I'm not aware of this play stood no chance. And for people to blame Morgan is equally undeserving. Just a terrible play call. #Runtheball 

Supposedly the play was an RPO, so Lee must have had a pre-snap read that enables him to pass the ball.  But, looking at the D when Lee is about to throw it, both safeties are 8+ yards deep, so that screams to run the ball on that play.

 

[Mavric]

First defensive snap.  We obviously haven't adjusted anything from the first two weeks.  RPO and the QB could have had whatever he wanted.  He was looking left and there appears to be room there.  Good thing for us the RB wasn't lined up on the other side because those receivers were salivating for a bubble screen.  Instead he gives to the RB and an unblocked Gifford barely holds on to drag him down for a gain of 6.

Bubble screen.  The QB is a bit slow to get it out there and Reed is able to close in time to hold him to a three yard gain.

Crazy what a little alignment and scheme can do.  We lose a yard on 3rd & 2 despite a 40 pounds per man advantage over their DLine.  But we were completely bunched in tight and ran straight ahead.  They spread us out, fake the jet sweep and that allows their QB to run for 4 yards even though we have eight in the box.

Fortunately their QB isn't very confident.  He double-clutches then throws wide despite having an open receiver against soft coverage.

Speaking of soft coverage, let's give a seven yard cushion on a five yard hitch.  Half roll, easy 7 yards.  Could have been more but the throw was high and outside so the WR couldn't get going very quickly.

Once again, we are lucky their QB is bad.  We insist on playing man coverage against a bunched trips formation which is just begging to get picked.  The out was wide open for an easy first down but the QB throws wide and they have to punt.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

I've heard comments on how there were a number of pass plays that NIU could have hit during the game, but their QB wasn't able to make the pass.  That is still concerning.

 

[brophog]

Supposedly the play was an RPO, so Lee must have had a pre-snap read that enables him to pass the ball.  But, looking at the D when Lee is about to throw it, both safeties are 8+ yards deep, so that screams to run the ball on that play.

The outside LB is the usual read on such a play. 

 

[Mavric]

I'll give a pass to the formation and play because we started on our own two after DPE decided not to catch the punt.  But for the record it's another tight formation and straight ahead run.  Better push from the OL helps Wilbon get 2 into an eight-man box.

Now this is a nice play from Langs.  A little motion to shake things up.  Play fake when they're probably expecting run.  And a short safe pass that gets 5 yards.

Now back to the vanilla.  Shotgun snap on 3rd & 3.  No pick, just a quick out from Spielman but the combination of lacking a sharp cut and the DB not being worried about him going deep let him knock the pass away.  Not that he has time to go through a progression on this play but I'm not sure why he chose Spielman who had tight coverage at the snap instead of going the other way to DPE who's guy was eight yards off at the snap.  You can see he had the first down on an easier throw (top-right).  The defender in front of him is going to run right past him trying to shadow Wilbon.  Punt.

 

[Mavric]

Nice play by Khalil Davis (my POW, if you hadn't noticed; more from him later) to fight off the block and make the tackle.  Three yard gain.

Another easy pitch-and-catch as we continue to play our OLBs in No-Man's-Land.  Newby is asked to close down on the run fake then get back out to cover the slot once he sees pass.  Aaron Williams helps hold it to a three yard gain but we do realize we'll play teams with better athletes than the Huskies, right?

We finally tighten up our coverage and props to Lee for knocking this pass away but we are again fortunate to be playing an inexperienced QB.  The ball should already be halfway to the receiver by now.  Instead he hasn't even thrown it yet.  Punt.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

The outside LB is the usual read on such a play. 

I did notice him slide inside, which would have given Lee the indication to pass it to DPE, but the CB then countered that and jumped the route.

They also could have been baiting Lee to throw the bubble screen by sliding the  LB inside, or maybe it was a great guess and play by the CB. 

 

[Mavric]

Another double-TE set.  Another straight ahead run.  Another play where people will see "bad OL play" when the OL has successfully blocked all of their front seven.  Unfortunately we are so predictable that their safety can fill to the line of scrimmage before the handoff.  Again, Wiblon has to avoid someone in the backfield to gain his two yards but it has nothing to do with the line playing poorly.

And what do you know.  After being under center and running from a double-TE set on first down, we go shotgun and throw on second down.  But I'm sure this isn't anything that guys who get paid to watch film of us all week would ever figure out.  Clean pocket.  Simple hitches by both TEs (plus Morgan).  Goes for 11 yards.

This is far from a clean pocket.  Lee actually does a really good job of stepping up to find room to throw.  But look at how deep he is.  He's 9 yards behind the line and Farniok got no help.  That's almost impossible to stop a speed rusher if the QB is that far back.  Farniok got called for holding but I'm not sure it was that bad.  But credit Lee for still being able to find Morgan for 17 yards.  On a side note, I think every pass Lee has completed to this point are throws that he hasn't had to lead the receiver.  They've all been on hitches plus one bubble screen where Wilbon was running directly away from him.  I'll try to watch that the rest of the game.

The screen game makes a less-than-stellar return to the field.  This is the oddest thing to me.  How can a team that works on screens so much be so bad at them.  It's been that way since Riley got here.  TA was terrible at throwing them so that took a lot of the blame but our timing is almost always messed up.  Just like here.  The linemen don't get out in time so neither one is there to block the one defender anywhere close.  Wilbon gets past him and gains 20 but Foster gets called for the block in the back - which was also caused by the poor timing.  This would have been a huge play if we could run it right.  Note 1 - are you keeping track of how many tackles Wilbon breaks?  It's a lot.  Note 2 - another pass to a stationary target.

First & 24 and we go all hitches - stationary targets.  Does Lee complete a pass to a moving receiver this game?  I'm beginning to have my doubts.  This one was good for 7 yards.

Well, I guess he technically does.  But DPE is not moving very fast.  And not very far away.  And it's about two feet over his head.  Goes for 8 yards.

I'd REALLY like to know what went on right before the snap here.  Second pick six.  Gates turned around, motions with his hand and says something to Hoppes, who is lined up just outside in a wing spot.  Hoppes then folds inside, seemingly looking to block while Gates sets up outside the DE.  But the DE rushes inside - right towards Hoppes.  But Hoppes never even looks at him.  Instead he releases into the pattern.  But the DE has beaten Gates inside, gets the hit on Lee and causes the INT.  It sure looks to me like Gates motions Hoppes to block inside - which  he does - but Gates is expecting help inside which never comes.

 

[Mavric]

Our fist play after Spielman's nice kick return is a two TE set with motion into a three TE set from under center.  What do you want to bet it was going to be a run?  We don't find out for sure because Foster false starts but the way he fired out was definitely not a pass pro set.

First & 15 is just screwed up all the way around.  Lee is barley able to pull down the high snap.  Farniok gets beat inside so his guy gets enough of Wilbon to slow him down but Wilbon gets free.  Hoppes doesn't really hold his block so Wilbon has to bounce to the outside where the squatting OLB is waiting for him.  No gain.

Beautiful pocket.  Lee does come off Morgan and finds Spielman WIDE open down the seam.  Unfortunately he sails it over his head and Spielman can't come down with it.

Third & 15 and we throw a swing pass four yards behind the line.  Interesting.  It appears this pass gets knocked away but he had A LOT of work to do to get the first down from there anyway.  Punt.

 

[shyndy]

This thread doesn't make me feel better about our defense like I did during the game sans the one drive.