Moving Picture Pages - Lack of Massive Cutback Lane

Submitted by Chris of Dange… on

It is the Yang to last week's Yin (for Yin == "Swallowing Kenny Demens").  This play from the Wisconsin game has both Wisconsin and Michigan in the same formation, and Wisconsin runs essentially the same play.  This time, however, the backside OT releases downfield, and that makes about an 8-yard difference.

And I'm going to suck it up and stop whining now, because Brian undoubtedly spends about twice as much time doing the original PPs as I do on the MPPs.  If he can take it, I can take it.

Wha'hoppon:  Wisconsin has first-and-ten at the Michigan 41 on their first TD drive of the second half (Brian describes this one as a 'soul-crushing ground based TD drive,' and has to qualify that with 'first' in order to distinguish it from all the other soul-crushing ground based TD drives Wisconsin had in the second half).  Wisconsin again lines up in the I with twins right and TE left.  Michigan again is in the 3-3-5, although now Avery is playing up, Kovacs is playing back, and the backup DL is in.  At the snap, the backside OT immediately releases downfield, allowing Banks to slant inside the TE.  Patterson gets playside of the center, and Black cleanly beats the playside OT upfield.  Demens fills the hole at the LOS, neutralizing both the playside guard and the FB.

This time, Banks is sitting in the hole where the cutback lane would be, so the RB has nowhere to go and just plows into the pile for two yards. 

Original PP at http://mgoblog.com/content/picture-pages-lack-massive-cutback-lane.

Comments

Greg McMurtry

December 1st, 2010 at 1:52 PM ^

and I mentioned this on the original post. Demens, pre-snap, is lined up slightly to the right (backside) of the NT in this successful defensive play. On the original play, Demens is lined up to the left (playside) of the NT. This new alignment causes the backside tackle to block Mouton and not double Banks. Banks can then beat the TE's block and crash down the line disallowing a cutback.

Chris of Dange…

December 1st, 2010 at 3:16 PM ^

I'm trying to understand why that makes a difference. Is the thinking of the LT...

(10-yard play) "MLB is shading playside and will fill the original hole, so I'd better double the DE and create a cutback lane"

(2-yard play) "MLB is shading backside and won't be able to fill the original hole, I can release downfield and try to get a block on the OLB for a potential big gainer?"

Greg McMurtry

December 1st, 2010 at 7:43 PM ^

On the play for big yardage, the (backside) LG doubles the NT and peels off to block Mouton and the LT doubles RVB.  There's no one else to block backside.

On the play you've highlighted, pre-snap, the LT assumes the LG will double the NT and peel off onto Demens, which would leave Mouton unblocked.  Thus the LT instantly blocks Mouton.  However, Demens again crashes the playside A-gap, which happens to be the same gap the NT is occupying.