Good post.Tommy made a great read on the play.
Here's what I see on this.
The "quarters" is their complicated version of Cover 4.
But they aren't in quarters on this play. They are blitzing with 6 guys. In this case, they play a Cover 3. They don't like m2m on their blitz'.
Honestly, a perfect play to call, because the safety is deep, and since it's a zone, all Tommy has to do is make a coverage read. The other safety is too far back to make a play (despite the fact that he made the pick) so if the corner moves with DPE, the throw goes to Hovey, which is exactly what happened, but one or the other, or both guys broke their route way too early or too late. Hard to tell which, but Tommy had it. It was there.
Hovey and DPE have some talent and would probably catch anything coming their way as well as making a play after the catch. But their timing was WAY off. Bell would have nailed it. Bell has the awareness and timing down. Timing wasn't there, and that just comes down to plain old inexperience. I mentioned on a previous post that the play was very "west coast offense-ish" of us, considering the play was dependent and Tommy's throw was dependent on guys running their routes at the right moments for it to work. They just didn't, it's a shame too. I honestly thought that we were going to do it (win).
Not a chance. He was going to play right away because baseball likely wasn't going to have him here 4 years. And even if they would have planned to RS him at beginning of the season it would have been burned by now with the injuries, hell we considered burning Tolbert/Irons and Harrison was on a whole different level.Why? He would have probably redshirted anyway.Damn you Monte Harrison. Stupid baseball
Yea I think he would of played due to the injuries to our WRs.Not a chance. He was going to play right away because baseball likely wasn't going to have him here 4 years. And even if they would have planned to RS him at beginning of the season it would have been burned by now with the injuries, hell we considered burning Tolbert/Irons and Harrison was on a whole different level.Why? He would have probably redshirted anyway.Damn you Monte Harrison. Stupid baseball
Thanks for the link ZooggiGame replay on ESPN3 (no cable subscription required, anyone can watch this)Anyone happen to have a shot of the the field on that last play? Like one that shows the full coverage/routes and if we would have caught it.
![]()
1. Michigan State hasquarters?cover 3, with 2 zones vs 2 receivers on each side of the field. Pierson-El (inside top) is going to peel off the sidelines and take the shallow DB with him, giving Hovey (outside top) the clear to run a post well inside of the deep DB.
![]()
2. Tommy sees the progression and takes it. Unfortunately, with the benefit of stills we can see the developing collision between Hovey and Pierson-El. Hovey appears to cross in rather than run a post into the open area. Looks like a poor read of the coverage by him.
![]()
3. Tommy releases the ball and we can see the defenders reacting. Note that he's about to get crunched on either side by Michigan State linemen. There wasn't time to scan the field.
Takeaways
I don't think anybody would have been able to diagnose the impending collision as the play was unfolding. Even if one could have, based on the symmetrical development of the play, there was no way of knowing they had something on the other side of the field. It's not a case of "Oh, OK, the defense is taking this away, so I've got an open guy *here*, automatic throw."
Westerkamp is going to get some room on his out route here, similar to what Hovey should have had. To make the connection, Tommy would have had to turn his body and really zip it in there to the far sideline. Not sure there was time for that. If that had happened, that would have been big time, as in Gruden QB Camp 2016 material big time.
I think it's fair to wonder why Coach Fisher didn't have Alonzo Moore in on this play. His absence, with the benefit of hindsight, proved to be crucial.
So are now saying a new football doesn't grip as good as a worn football????It seemed like as the weather got better.. Tommy finally started gripping the ball better. Ball wetness was affecting him early.
ummm.. i was talking about how wet the ball was.So are now saying a new football doesn't grip as good as a worn football????It seemed like as the weather got better.. Tommy finally started gripping the ball better. Ball wetness was affecting him early.
Total anarchy if you're telling so.
I figured no sarcasm icon would be needed for youummm.. i was talking about how wet the ball was.So are now saying a new football doesn't grip as good as a worn football????It seemed like as the weather got better.. Tommy finally started gripping the ball better. Ball wetness was affecting him early.
Total anarchy if you're telling so.
I am emotionally unstable right now.... I need my hand held.I figured no sarcasm icon would be needed for youummm.. i was talking about how wet the ball was.So are now saying a new football doesn't grip as good as a worn football????It seemed like as the weather got better.. Tommy finally started gripping the ball better. Ball wetness was affecting him early.
Total anarchy if you're telling so.
I am emotionally unstable right now.... I need my hand held.I figured no sarcasm icon would be needed for youummm.. i was talking about how wet the ball was.So are now saying a new football doesn't grip as good as a worn football????It seemed like as the weather got better.. Tommy finally started gripping the ball better. Ball wetness was affecting him early.
Total anarchy if you're telling so.
I just flinch everytime someone posts a reply to me.
I am emotionally unstable right now.... I need my hand held.
I just flinch everytime someone posts a reply to me.
I don't think the pass to Westy would have gone anywhere, and it could have potentially been an INT as well. The smartest route on this play in hindsight is Taariq Allen's. The defender in the middle of the field never looked at Allen or even that side of the field. It was 2 on 2 coverage and the safety was well off Taariq.![]()
The blitz along with the cover 3 meant the shorter routes and the 10-15 yards space in the middle was going to be open. Westercamp was probably the best option considering how much space they were giving him. It looked like Pierson-El was supposed to run an out-and-up but after Hovey broke off his route and bumped into him, he went for the space by the sideline. By that point Tommy was already throwing the out-and-up. I don't know if it would have been complete or still an interception had DPE stayed with the route. The corner was in great position for it either way.
![]()