MANBALL

Oh god he's loose. [Bryan Fuller]

Here’s an interesting observation: Ever notice that a lot of the highlights from this year’s Playoffs and conference championships came from under center? Have you noticed the same thing in NFL highlights? Is this real?

Not too long ago Jim Harbaugh was one of a dying breed of offensive minds in football who still ran their offenses primarily from under center or the pistol. A decade later, under-center offenses have made a major comeback in both the pros and the highest levels of college football. It’s not that big of a surprise; defenses figured out how to react to shotgun spreads, and did so. But offenses are still primarily from the shotgun, or various hybrids like the Pistol and Offset. But I think there’s also a sampling bias going on with the big plays, because under-center plays are more likely to produce explosives.

Under-center runs have two things going for them when it comes to producing explosive plays:

  1. The ball is hidden at the mesh point, and
  2. The running back is able to angle towards more gaps with momentum.

The first point reduces the amount of time the defense has to react to whoever ended up with the ball after the mesh point. The second dramatically shortens the timing of the play’s development. While you’re giving up the gun’s benefit of letting the quarterback see the field, what you’re getting in return is more effective play-action, and runs that have a better chance of breaking big as the RB has access to more gaps that the defense has less time to react to.

Contrast this run from under center

With this one:

Even though they’re attacking the same spot, the way they play out is so different. Everything is compressed in the under-center run, with fewer defenders flowing to the ball because they haven’t had the chance to react. Those with the play in front of them are reacting as quickly as they can, but even that works against them, as one of these dudes overruns Corum.

If under-center/pistol running was manifestly better these teams would not have spent most of this game in the Gun. Keeping your quarterback’s face towards the defense has all kinds of benefits for passing and quarterback running. But there’s something to be said, when you need a big play, for going behind the center.

[After THE JUMP: The good explosions.]

If Roman Wilson isn't a household name this time next year I'm coming for all of you. [Bryan Fuller]

Why is this coming out in May? Because I need the grades for HTTV.

Why isn't Brian doing it? Because it's May.

Where's the B1GCG? Brian already charted it, will write it up soon.

FORMATION NOTES: TCU runs out a 3-3-5 base personnel with a couple of hybrids, and moves them around for different looks. Often one of the hybrids is a 3rd safety, but one (or both) can also become 3-4 OLBs. It's most obvious against this covered formation:

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This also lent itself to something like Mint fronts, usually having the hybrids follow Michigan's TEs and walking down another safety to get 8 in the box from a deceptively light pre-snap look. I just called this 335 Over:

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And when Michigan showed a spread formation the same personnel became a Tite front. TCU calls #13 Dee Winters an "OLB" but I used "SAM" whenever referring to him.

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SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Normal. Schoonmaker went out for the game after his long catch and Loveland-Honigford-Hibner were the TEs except when Bredeson was in for heavy stuff. Edwards the whole way at RB except short situations for Mullings—the one he fumbled he lined up as an offset fullback. Trente Jones came in as a 6th OL, and El-Hadi got a snap as a 7th OL. Wilson went out with a stinger early but came back. When they went 5-wide they just had Edwards and Loveland line up as receivers.

[After THE JUMP: Nose tackle got whupped and he don't care.]

When there was but one set of footprints: That was when I was carrying the team. When there were none, I was hurdling a fool. [Patrick Barron]

Letters: I’ve taken to adding them (p=pass pro, y=YAC, c=catch, b=block for RBs) to pass event +/- since it’s included in the charting now. So Hayes(-1p) means he got a pass pro minus versus a run blocking minus.

Formation Notes: Penn State often swaps their SAM, #23 6’1”/230 Curtis Jacobs, for their nickel, #25 5’9/180 Daequan Hardy, but a) uses them exactly the same and b) is lying their asses off about Jacobs’s size since he’s looks 6’0”/205 at most. Since their numbers look alike on digital film, I think I labeled them incorrectly a few times before it hit me that the HSP looks like he’s shrunk. PFF says Jacobs got 43 snaps to Hardy’s 24, for what it’s worth.

They also use a lot of different formations with their base personnel I called this one “4-3 Over 4i” to denote the SDE is lined up inside the T’s shoulder (that’s Jacobs on the top).

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And this is Nickel Odd Split:

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Michigan added a pure tackle over formation (“T-Over”) that preserves that TE as an eligible receiver (their MSU version did not).

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Substitution Notes: Cade the whole way, Haskins almost always with Edwards in for a few, another big chunk of Trente Jones, WRs went Johnson-Sainristil-Wilson most of the way, with Anthony, Baldwin, and Henning rotating in. Erick All was limited but in on crucial downs.  Snap counts are here.

Weather note: Heavy winds, sleet at times, and the ground got soaked and remained one big splooshy puddle of ploopiness, so adjust your expectations accordingly.

[After THE JUMP: I deserve that, Michigan deserved to win.]