Every snap

Spring games are mostly useless because there are so many weird guys on the field. Most of the freshmen haven’t arrived yet, guys with injuries are held out, and those who’ve earned starting jobs appear briefly if at all.

But we did get to see one matchup all game that is of some interest: new starting center (probably) Mason Cole vs. returned from the dead NT Bryan Mone. Both are expected to be very good this year, but Cole is moving down from two years of playing left tackle, while Mone lost all of 2015 to injury. So I thought we might take a trip through the spring game, focusing solely on plays when they went at each other.

Please don’t take this as a UFR—Brian has his own system for that, and I’m not trying to recreate it here. We’re not looking at what Mone does to JBB or walk-ons, but who scored points against each other.

FIRST HALF:

Q	Time	Type	Mone's Job	Cole's Job	Winner
1	0:50	Run	Left A	Pull & seal	Mone
Cole is pulling around the left guard (JBB), whom Mone put on skates at the snap. Cole correctly IDs that he has to deal with that and uses up his block, which means this play is about to be dead. Mone wins the point by pushing Cole backwards to cut off even the hope of a cutback, then tossing Cole to the side to close in on the back, leaving Godin totally free. Monster start for Mone.
1	0:16	Pass	2-gap	3-team Mone	Tie
Mone shows great hands as he works from a 2-tech (over the LG) to the A gap on the other side and remains clean. He doesn't pressure but the offense is using up 3 blockers, meaning the rest of the protection is 1-on-1 (including Isaac vs. Godin). That creates pressure and Speight's throw downfield is a bit too far OOB. Cole did his part though so this round has no victor, except Don Brown.
2	8:00	Run	Left A	Step & seal backside	Tie
On a power play like this Cole is starting playside and just has to block down and seal, a job he is put in an advantageous position to do. We will see this a lot so I’m establishing a precedent that Cole doesn’t get a “win” for this even though he successfully blocked Mone. If Mone gets blocked down and beats it he gets double points. If Mone pushes Cole enough to bother the pulling guard, Mone gets a point. Here Mone tried to push Cole backwards to cut off running room but Cole stalemated him.
2	6:17	Run	Left A	Mone m2m	Cole
The Isaac run I broke down last week. Mone burrowed inside at the snap and delayed JBB's release while working Cole back, but Cole got the last little shove downfield that allowed Isaac to escape downfield so Cole FTW.
2	5:34	Pass	Left A	Protect left A	Cole
Cole got some help from JBB but didn't need it, keeping Mone at arm's length and giving Speight a pretty pocket to throw the Butt TD.
Q	Time	Type	Mone's Job	Cole's Job	Winner
2	2:08	Pass	2-gap	Protect middle	Mone
3rd and 10 and they're one on one. Cole absorbed the first punch then Mone tossed him aside. Cole did well to spin around and regain position between Mone and Speight, but by then the center's in the QB's knees.
2	2:03	Pass	Left A	Protect left A	Cole
Cole wins the arm war this time and keeps Mone at bay without help, leaving Peters a nice pocket to step into if he chooses.
2	2:00	Run	Left A	Step & seal backside	Cole
They're running power away from Mone again so Cole just has to block down. He erases Mone and then releases downfield, nearly taking out a linebacker and setting up to cut off pursuit. Point Cole.
2	1:50	Pass	2-gap	Protect left A	Mone
This pass (the one Wheatley dropped) got off, but Cole got shoved deep into the pocket by Mone before handing the NT off to Pliska and picking up another rusher. No pocket equals point Mone.

Standings are at 4-3-2 in favor of Cole at this point. Obviously the white/maize team was game-planning to run at Godin (at 3-tech) instead of Mone.

[The second half, after the jump]

SECOND HALF

Q	Time	Type	Mone's Job	Cole's Job	Winner
3	7:20	Run	Left A	Step & seal backside	Tie
Another power away from Mone. Both do their jobs.
3	5:31	Pass	2-gap	Protect middle	Mone
Mone won at the point of attack then ripped past to nearly sack. Cole recovered to push Mone past Speight and open up a long scramble. I think Speight's good vision saved Cole here so giving the point to Mone. But there’s an argument to be made that Cole kept his guy to the correct side of his block, since the offense technically gained a a chunk of yards off Cole’s back. Opinions welcome.
Q	Time	Type	Mone's Job	Cole's Job	Winner
3	3:34	Run	Left A	Double Mone	Cole
Cole and JBB are doubling Mone and blow him back a yard. Same play as the Wheatley Donkeys Peppers run but this time Godin closed down the cutback lane.
3	2:12	Run	Left A	Step & seal backside	Tie
Same power play away from Mone. Blockdown is successful.
3	1:47	Run	Right A	Step down and seal	Cole
Fake that power and bootleg for TD. Mone slanting inside hurt him but Cole gets a point for walling off Mone so well the backside pursuit couldn't get around them.
Q	Time	Type	Mone's Job	Cole's Job	Winner
4	6:42	Run	Left A	Step & seal backside	Cole
Momentary double on the backside, Cole gets enough of Mone that JBB can move on to a LB
4	6:00	Pass	Left A	Protect left A	Tie
Cool blitz I might draw up later. The PA part meant another blockdown that became a stalemate. Mone pressured only after QB left the pocket.
4	5:49	Run	Left A	Step & seal backside	Tie
Another block down. Also another big Isaac run that would have been a TFL if Washington had contained.
4	5:16	Pass	Left A	Protect left A	Tie
Not giving points here because Cole had help from JBB, but Mone didn't get any pressure on them.
4	4:36	Pass	Right A	Protect middle	Mone
Tough to concede a point because Mone was kept at bay long enough not to threaten. But he also put Cole on his butt (NTB). Also this play was nearly ruined when Pliska let Bush run through--that is probably on Pliska but the slight chance makes Mone's point more defensible.
4	4:00	Run	Left A	Step & seal backside	Monex2
Remember all those easy blockdowns on power where I awarded no points because Cole started with an advantage and did his job? This time Mone shot right by him and demolished the play in the backfield. Beast Mode play.

FINAL SCORE: Cole 7, Mone 7, 6 ties

Let’s watch the last one in slow motion to an Oblivion song shall we?

Mone was trailing after a bit where the offense did a quick scissors-paper-rock succession off the base power play they showed all day. But he shoved Cole into the backfield for the fourth time of the evening on the penultimate play I charted, then ended the battle with the above. The last play was a screen that the defense had sniffed.

Other than the first and last plays, all the Mone victories came on bull rushes into the backfield. Against a guy who was our left tackle the last two years Mone destroyed the pocket as often as not, and when he didn’t he usually was occupying multiple guys. The offense chose to run elsewhere, which makes sense given it’s a Spring Game and there are easier lunches to be had.

Mone had an excellent day. While Cole got the best of him as often as otherwise, Mone never gave up his gap, and was a terror in the middle on passing plays. There was a 4th and short that the defense nearly held on which unfortunately didn’t match these two since Mone was moved out to 3-tech. From there he slanted into the backside A gap; Cole crumpled a walk-on to create just enough space despite Mone on the ballcarrier’s back.

Cole didn’t look like an All American until you saw Mone go against someone who wasn’t Cole. However outside of this battle Cole was only so-so, not really getting a chance to do much on a couple of screens and sweeps except pulverize that one walk-on linebacker I’m not going to mention by name again unless he appears likely to play someday. The most ominous thing on Cole’s day was two negative plays when Godin slanted by him. There’s your guy who played tackle and now has to get used to a quick burst DL coming from two gaps over. Newsome also was pretty bad all day; despite it being a better fit long-term, I wouldn’t rule out the center experiment becoming a footnote in Cole’s career outside. One big point for center though: he’s got the Power play down.