Picture Pages: Exploiting The Lack Of A Scrape Exchange

Glad you covered this Brian.  The thought of what the offense should/would/is doing when the opposing defense contains Denard all day has been lingering in the back of my mind all week.

One thing, why didn't we use a tight end at H-back to block the defensive end more often and force the read off of the OLB?

Thanks for this.  Reinforces the fact that the game plans are good, and are working.  Just can't afford to blow the scoring opportunities.  Very optimistic for tomorrow.

As we've been saying all year, RR has a solid offensive attack going — and it's worked out really well (just look at the stats). Good stuff, Brian.

into something bigger next year. 

Also, saw WVU run the midline several times last night.  The DT for USF was just running around lost when WVU ran it.  To echo earlier sentiments from others, I'd love to see us run this too.

to MSU's adjustment (or Iowa's if we assume they adopt MSU's approach)

MSU adjusted to this and blew it up a few times. Later in the game MSU would slant that backside DT around the double and blitz linebackers into the A gaps, which stuffed Michigan on a couple of third and shorts.

Is this where the PA slant or bubble screen come into play as the LB's are now fully sucked into the line.  That would leave the outside more free, right?

A quick question with respect to running the zone read against an alignment that includes a DE staying home in containment . . . Is there any reason to run the zone read against this defensive alignment given Denard's ability to juke out of tackles?  Maybe its wishful thinking on my part but I hate to think that MSU was able to throw Michigan off their plan.

in picture 4 it's 2 on 1, Denard and Smith (with the ball) vs. MSU DE.  What if Denard handed off to Smith, then Smith gets the DE (the contain guy) to commit to him, then Smith flips it to Denard coming around the outside?

I'm not RR so there is probably something terribly wrong with this idea.  I just can't help but notice the contain guy crashing on Smith and Denard running around him on the outside with no one out there except a CB that is being blocked by the WR.

wouldn't this have been a bigger gainer if he took it to the strong side instead of cutting back?  the three receiver set allows for a potential block on the safety.

That if MSU's gameplan was to limit Denard on the ground, they succeeded.  With RBs that are performing to expectations, Michigan might have gotten more out of this game.

I certainly recall the infamous 3rd and 1 that got stuffed in the first half, but I actually really dont remeber any other third and shorts that were stopped. Am I forgetting one?

I remember a third and medium that Denard was stopped on a QB draw in the 3rd Qtr. but I think everything else was a TO until throw every down time.

Nice breakdown.  I actually think MSU was caught off guard by the runs initially because they figured Denard would keep the ball more, and really should have suffered by more than 3 points as a result.  I will believe forever that if UM turned those first two drives into 10-14 points, that game is completely different.

" Michigan had to go away from this later, but not  before they saw a couple drives end when they went to the well one too many times with the 5'6" Smith."

To me, this is the one aspect of the offense that keeps bothering me.  Smith is obviously not getting it done (not criticizimg his effort, and I recognize that he may not be 100% recovered from the ACL - just stating a fact), but we keep going to him.   I can't understand this when we have Hopkins, who as Brian pointed out in the offensive UFR looked good on his limited touches, sitting on the bench.

I was all ready to comment about how this wasn't doubles on the tackles and that Dorrenstein was one on one with the tacke.  Looking back though, if Molk and Schilling are on one tackle, Omameh must be in there.  I just thought it was funny that you literally can't see him at all in any of the shots, but he must be there. 

As I was scrolling through the picture pages on the Smith run, I couldn't help but notice the huge hole to the left, between Schilling and Lewan.   Smith got most of the eight yards he did by being slippery, as initial contact was 2 yards past the LOS.  If he cuts left, I wonder if initial contact doesn't happen until anoth 5 yards downfield.

Lo and behold, on the Shaw run -- pretty much Shaw's only run of the day that went for anything -- Shaw bounces through the hole between Schilling and Lewan, and goes for 20 yards.

There are a lot of hypotheticals there, but I'm wondering why Smith didn't go left.  the obvious answer is that the game is played much faster than the speed at which I read picture pages, but the other possibilities are intriguing as well.

• Maybe Smith doesn't yet trust his knee enough to make a hard cut.
• Maybe Smith has inherited Carols Brown's (limited) vision) just as Shaw has inherited Minor's injury bug.
• Maybe the speed of the play at the point of the handoff means that the play is essentially committed to go straight forward. (Late read effect?)
• Maybe the short yardage m.o. is to get the first, and eschew higher risk/high reward cutbacks.

Thoughts?

Cox? ? ? ?

And--nonexpert question--someone above mentions Smith's "slipperiness" helping obtain several extra yards on the diagrammed play. But does Shaw's "explosiveness" net us 20?

why not option off of someone else, e.g. DT?

You have the fastest, shiftiest runner in college football...

and you don't even TRY to see if that gumpy DE can make the solo tackle in open space????

GAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Rich HAS to tell Denard to KEEP that ball and challenge the DE.

MSU did not have Dwight-frickin-Freeny out there.

There is no excuse for our run game to bog down like it did.

NONE. 

And don't tell me we had to start passing when we got down in the game.  With our jet tempo, M scores by runnng it just as fast as any pro-style 2-minute drill in the country!

It's these little coaching failures along the way (and he's had a few now, such as getting outcoached by the ZOOKER of all people!) that could add up to RR getting the axe if he isn't careful.

C'mon Rich, I really am pulling for you. But jeez.

make this DE commit more to the RB?  I remember Juice Williams just killing us with his fantasic ball fakes and seamless mesh-point by pulling the ball out at THE VERY LAST second.  He was the master at getting that DE to take just one small step toward the RB and then he was around the end and into the open field.  

Or, was the Sparty DE coached to ignore the RB and focus on Denard no matter what?

Just curious - Great stuff as always! 

I like how their LBs read run and then attack the LOS (since I never get to see this from our team).  We should anticipate similar well coached assignment football.  Here's to hoping Denard makes assignment football look silly when he makes defenders miss as he gets to the second level.