What Did We Learn - Ohio State Edition

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Between Day's unsportsmanlike conduct, and the fan's unsportsmanlike conduct, I was hoping we got an extra 30 yards out of that little debacle.


I'm just glad those 30 yards weren't awarded to Ohio State because they felt bad about their loss to Oregon

 


Live I thought the Dowdell run at :25 was really bad.  Thought he failed to press the hole and see the backside A gap open huge.  Now that I see it was an insert, I understand why he bounced it so quick, but I think the TE let him down here by doubling inside instead of getting the WLB on the scrape exchange & putting Dowdell 1 on 1 with the CB.  Which is pretty much the objective of insert.    

 
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Some copium on a few of the screens/bubble RPOs - we can definitely still argue that there were too many. But (especially the RPOs), these are getting the exact look we should be able to punish. This is the "muddy up the LOS, but keep safeties deep" look, and it's hard to do much else here. I've been wanting to see more downfield RPOs (thought I did, but on rewatch think it was straight playaction), but then you're throwing into the safety. Maybe a Bubble/Slant here with the pressed CB playing the bubble so hard? But the real answer is, just block that guy:

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The nickel blitzed (probably as a check based on this formation), so Barney 1 on 1 witha safety coming up from10 yards is great. Should be a guaranteed 5-6, if he makes him miss clean potentially a lot more. The play has an answer for the defense, it's a quick read and a good throw but it's -2 yards.

Again, this is one where we in theory have a terrific matchup. The LB stays inside to play the run, the safety is 12 yards deep, and the CB is playing tight so he pretty much engages with Banks on his own. Turns into a loss of 1.

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I think this is the one people were pointing out that at least he sealed his guy and maybe Barney should have cut in, but I can't imagine that's what Banks is supposed to do. Barney was in motion, and sitting down inside of Banks would let the LB back into the play. I think Banks has to maintain the outside leverage here and he doesn't. This kind of stuff is why I'm more down on McGuire than Satt. I have heard zero negative things about Banks in any capacity, so I have to imagine he is working hard and playing as he is coached. But he has been a downright terrible blocker, and I have a hard time assigning the blame to the player when it seems like he goes above and beyond.

This one is a called screen, and again we got a good look for it. I do think the OSU DL was looking for it, but he was in the backside A gap and crossed the face of 3 linemen to make the play. If OSU was fully expecting screen, that is a bold move to have your backside DT as the assigned player to stop it but he did. I think if that's a playside 3-technique or the DE, one of the linemen picks him up. 

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I just don't think they expected that guy to go that far - but if someone picks him up, we have 3 blockers for 2 defenders and can even clean up the DB if the WR loses his block. I don't think Emmett can come further inside because you are expecting some interior pressure, but they kept it mostly on the edges.

I have been of the opinion that it was too many screens/passes to the flat, but man they all looked like great calls about a second before they weren't.

 
This is the "muddy up the LOS, but keep safeties deep" look, and it's hard to do much else here.


If you're Sean McVay you often times are trying to draw this look to get your capable wideouts in position to throw downfield on the sidelines to them.

Do we have the receivers to do that? Maybe.

But you're of course right that the execution is poor.

 
Now this one, I flat out hated and it's a bad playcall. We got the first down on 3rd and 3 with a nice quick out to Barney, but the receiver on the opposite sideline who doesn't even need to move during the play false started - which the refs deigned to notice, unlike on OSU's QB sneak. So now it's 3rd and 8 instead - I know OSU has athletes, but Lloyd and Barney are quite possibly the 2 fastest players on the field and there is no deep coverage. Whatever we call, this has to be checked to a shot IMO:

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This is the one I think people are stuck on with the "OSU knew when screens were coming," and it's definitely accurate in this case.

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I don't even think you need a check prepared, Raiola should have a hand signal for Lloyd/Barney if they ever see this coverage. Raiola has shown he can manipulate the pocket or backpedal to buy time, so I don't think them bringing more rushers than we can block matters. #24 is very fast, but Lloyd can run a fade or a skinny post and the DB is playing too far off to slow him down. This one I hate. A screen on 3rd and 8 is fine although very predictable - but I cannot justify running it into this defensive look.

 
Actually we did run a downfield RPO - where this video starts. Got the PI too, hoping we see more of these - they are even more situational than the bubble/arrow RPOS though.




 
Sorry, I think this is my last one. This is what it's supposed to look like! Notably this was Neyor and not Banks, so maybe that's something. Barney maybe could have done even more, he comes to a stop after catching it probably preparing himself to get lit up. But no one is there, and he gets 10 yards.

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These are great shots and I recall both.  In general, it's more difficult to execute quick screens against man press vs the #1 receiver.  I referenced the stalk and go stuff in the other thread, there's no stalk here because the CB's in your face.  Personally, I would want the #1 receiver fighting to hook the CB and getting both these plays to the edge.  When I saw the 2nd play live I wondered if that was the design or Banks took the path of least resistance because there just isn't much room to turn that up.  

Typically against press on the #1 you like to crack down with an expectation the CB follows enough to create space.  Then you can run slip that (stalk and go).  So on the 1st play, you send #1 to block the S, the CB should follow him to some degree because he's locked in man.  Cross blocking like this also creates breaks in coverage discipline more easily.  The 2nd play I thought they ran it like that from a tighter set to get Barney around the CB.  If they didn't, perhaps they should.  

 
From my perspective, this is simple.  No team should be able to cover you from a press cover 0 look.  This is automatic send your best matchup to the post and your QB has to hang in to deliver & punish them.  I'd like to see the #2 receiver here because he has a free release.  

 
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