Upon Further Review 2016: Defense vs UCF Comment Count

Brian

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FORMATION NOTES: Okay. I added a column. "D Pack" is short for defensive package and lists the personnel. 4-2-5 is Michigan's standard with two ILBs and Peppers on the field. Peppers counts as part of the 5 because he can play CB and S, which he did in this game. 3-2-6 lifts a DL for (currently) a safety. There was one 4-0-7 with Peppers at LB and six other DBs on the field.

I'm still sifting through what I want to do with the other columns. I'm probably going to split Front into Front and Coverage, but given how complicated coverages are these days and my lack of ability to see downfield sometimes that'll be noisy data.

Anyway. Most of the stuff wasn't crazy. I called this 4-3 SAM slide, as it's a 4-3 even with Peppers on the end of the line:

4-3 sam slide

This was a more standard 4-3.

pop-slant-1

PERSONNEL NOTES: Almost zero rotation in this game. Starting defense when the whole way, with all 68 snaps given to the starting  DBs. Kinnel and Watson got 10 and 7 snaps in various dime packages; Lavert Hill got in for that 4-0-7 play.

Peppers, Gedeon, and McCray all missed one snap. The DL rotated six guys close to evenly. By snap counts: Winovich(55), Glasgow(47), Godin(40), Wormley(36), Gary(33), Hurst(33). Marshall got 13 and was the only other DL to play.

[After THE JUMP: calm with bursts of WTF]

Ln Dn Ds O Form D Pack Front Type Rush Play Player Yards
O25 1 10 Shotgun twins twin TE 4-2-5 4-3 sam slide Run N/A Edge read give Clark 11
Same play as the TD with a different but also not great result. UCF pulls both G and threatens a sweep around the edge; RB runs to the opposite edge. Give. Not great all around. Clark(-2), in press, will end up pancaked eight yards downfield. McCray(-1) runs right up the gut despite neither potential ball carrier going there, and ends up behind Chase Winovich as they try to track this play down. Winovich(+1) actually does a really good job to pursue this; if Clark isn’t getting wrecked good chance he tracks this down near the LOS. Since Clark is getting wrecked the corner is wide open.
O36 1 10 Shotgun 4-wide 4-2-5 Nickel man press Pass 6 Throwaway Glasgow Inc
Peppers flips out to boundary corner with Stribling inside of him. M gets set and runs a blitz. Tight man after the PA fake and nobody open(cover +2); QB hitches up and gets smashed by Glasgow(+2, pressure +2) and McCray(+1). He’s in his throwing motion; ball ricochets anywhere. Glasgow beat his guy up the gut himself; McCray got a little help from the fact the RT is coming off of Winovich. He may also be confused by Michigan's late movement. RPS +1.
O36 2 10 Shotgun 2-back 4-2-5 4-3 over Pass N/A Flare screen Hill 9
First 2 vs 3 play; UCF motions a back out of the backfield to no response from M, then throws him the obvious screen. Hill(-2) gets cut; Clark gets his guy back a bit, forces the play inside, and has a shot at disengaging to tackle; his man simply tackles him. Refs -2. Thomas(+1, tackling +1) has an excellent fill that stops the WR before the marker. RPS -1.
O45 3 1 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 Nickel man press Run N/A Yakety snap Peppers -5
A gift. Thomas(-1, tackling -1) has an opportunity to get the QB down for a ten yard loss and whiffs without contact. He does force the QB slightly wide and into Peppers(+1), who gets into his blocker and sheds easily for the TFL.
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0, 13 min 1st Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Pack Front Type Rush Play Player Yards
O20 1 10 Shotgun twins twin TE 4-2-5 4-3 even Penalty N/A False start N/A -5
oops
O15 1 15 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 4-3 over Run N/A Inside zone Hurst 0
Pick your DT wrecking ball here. Hurst(+2) and Glasgow(+1) stand up single blocking and put in yards in the backfield. That’s all she wrote for this play. Hurst got more blast than Glasgow so extra point for him. Winovich shuffled down to help tackle but with McCray outside of him that’s not playing both ends of the option, push.
O15 2 15 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 4-3 over sam slide Pass 5 Throwaway Wormley Inc
M stunts Hurst and Wormley; Wormley(+1, pressure +1) drives his guy so far back in the pocket that his leap to dissuade a throw does so and causes a scramble. Also nobody is open(cover +2); Hurst pursues to the sidelines and QB dumps it.
O15 3 15 Shotgun trips 3-2-6 3-3-5 press man free Pass 4 Fly Clark Inc
This is not at all a coherent pocket but Michigan drops Gedeon and McCray off into short zones as they send Peppers so maybe this is bait? McCray would seem to have a scramble covered short of the sticks. UCF blocks the four guys who come(pressure -2), with Peppers about to get off the ground and get to the QB. Throw is made before that can happen; Clark(+2, cover +2) does a great job to find the ball and make a PBU. Ball’s a bit short and many a PI flag has arisen in this situation. Ball falls right to the WR and Clark has to claw it out.
Drive Notes: Punt, 0-0, 11 min 1st Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Pack Front Type Rush Play Player Yards
O25 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 3-2-6 3-2 dime Run N/A ZR screen keeper Gary -3
Hard to tell what exactly this is because UCF runs it so badly. RB runs across the face of the QB as if to threaten sweep. OL blocks a stretch, but I think this is a pure decoy and not a real read. There is a read in the second bit of the play as the H back pulls out of a block on Peppers and arcs around, where two WRs are two on two with Michigan DBs. This screen looks pretty good; never gets thrown. UCF RG ignored Gary and the RT stepped right. Result: Gary and Gedeon untouched up the gut with Peppers blitzing from the edge. Gary(+1) forms up, contains, and tackles, but this was more UCF dorp than anything.
O22 2 13 Shotgun trips TE 3-2-6 3-3-5 zone Run N/A Inside zone Gedeon 4
Formation does something odd to Michigan’s alignment. Peppers pulled over the bunch with Michigan again playing 2 on 3 w a safety at ten yards. Play is just an inside zone. Winovich(+2) shoots inside on the snap and zips by the LG; he just about solo TFLs and forces the play to the backside. With Hill coming around the edge and McCray blitzing there’s little chance this does anything but cut back… and there is no force player on the cutback. This might be because the TE is covered and M doesn’t react to this well; it’s either Gary or Gedeon who errs. Despite Gary’s youth usually these slants are designed to get a LB blasting these cutbacks so it’s Gedeon(-1) for allowing the back to squeeze out some yards.
O26 3 9 Shotgun empty 3-2-6 5-0 dime press Pass 5 Scramble Gary 30
Scramble times, and especially bad ones since this is 5 vs 5 in the box. Gary(-2) is almost certainly the culprit as the slams inside. He hits Winovich, who is also slamming inside. Glasgow loops around Winovich, so Gary gets the Price Is Right horns. McCray(-1) also got too far upfield on a play where he’s basically a DE rushing straight up and should be thinking contain. Pressure -3.
M46 1 10 Shotgun trips TE 4-2-5 4-3 even Pass N/A Bubble screen N/A 15
Michigan tempoed and RPS’d hard. They’re waving at each other and somehow convince themselves that Peppers needs to be in the box instead of over the trips to the field. Over the trips to the field: one dang dude. With Hill bailing deep on the snap this is 100% free yardage. RPS -3.
M31 1 10 Shotgun trips TE 4-2-5 4-3 even Run N/A Power O Wormley -2
DL comically overwhelms UCF. Wormley(+2) stunts inside, barrels over a guard, and initiates a tackle. Winovich(+2) does more or less the same. Godin(+1) isn’t relevant but meets the TE and flings him back four yards with one shove. McCray comes around to clean up on a blitz.
M33 2 12 Shotgun 2-back twins 4-2-5 4-3 over zone Pass 4 PA pop slant McCray Inc
They fake the flare screen that was successful on their first drive and then try to hit the slot WR on a slant. This is wide open for reasons that are frustrating(cover -2), but McCray(+2) slows up his pursuit and deflects the ball. Michigan had both Clark and Hill sitting uselessly away from the play to a side of the field with literally no eligible receivers; the recognition here is very poor.
M33 3 12 Shotgun trips tight bunch 3-2-6 Okie one Run N/A Pin and pull Wormley 0
Bunch is so tight that it’s a standup inline TE flanked by two H-backs. Wormley lines up outside of these guys with three LBs in a huge gap between Hurst and Winovich. Shruggie. Michigan wins this tactically because it’s the sweep it feels like. Wormley(+2) fires upfield, wrecks a WR, delays a TE who trips, and obstructs a pulling G. Last G has to bend around all this so Hill and Clark are free to run up and hit the back for nothing. RPS +2.
Drive Notes: Blocked FG(50), 7-0, 6 min 1st Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Pack Front Type Rush Play Player Yards
O11 1 10 Shotgun twins twin TE 4-2-5 4-3 even sam slide Pass 5 PA Fly Stribling Inc
Hurst(+2, pressure +2) wrecks the C and fires up the gut, forcing a throw. This is at Stribling(+1, cover +1), who is step for step with the WR and will have a play on just about any ball. It’s well long.
O11 2 10 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 Nickel even man Run N/A Outside zone Hurst 1
Version of the ZR screen play above where they give it to the back. Hurst is unblocked and rips upfield at the quarterback; this is too aggressive. More about him later. RB is trying to run a 3 on 3 zone, more or less. Winovich(+1) and Glasgow(+1) both drive their men deep into the backfield and stay under control. Back has to just about stop in the backfield and cut back behind this. This allows Hurst(+1!) to recover from his crazy aggression and tackle with help from Gedeon(+0.5), who beat a cut block.
O12 3 9 Shotgun 4-wide 3-2-6 Okie one Pass Screen Glasgow -4
This is comprehensively doomed for a lot of reasons, the primary one Glasgow(+3) either reading the play or being given a screen spy assignment, abandoning his rush, and getting out to tackle outside the numbers. The number of nose tackles who can do this on their own is close to zero. Not likely to go anywhere anyway; Hill(+1) shed a blocker and dodge another one so there’s not much in the way of convoy. RPS+2.
Drive Notes: Punt, 14-0, 2 min 1st Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Pack Front Type Rush Play Player Yards
O25 1 10 Shotgun 2-back twins 4-2-5 4-3 even sam slide Run N/A Inside zone Glasgow 2
Again with the flare screen action. This one is up the gut, and there’s a bit of a problem when you’re UCF trying to run it up the gut. M stunts. Wormley(+1) shoots under a TE and gets to the POA. Glasgow(+1) does the same and he had to stop slanting away from the play and get back around to it; impressive. Pile of bodies, minimal gain.
O27 2 8 Shotgun empty 4-2-5 4-3 even Pass 4 Circle McCray Inc
Just enough time to get this off but no more as Winovich(+1, pressure +1) works through two guys on a stunt and gets through for a hit. Pass is out before that hit. It’s still wide of his WR; McCray almost intercepts. W/ McCray in good position and Gedeon in the middle waiting to react this was going to be third down even if accurate. Cover +1, McCray +0.5.
O27 3 8 Shotgun trips 3-2-6 Okie one Pass 4 Sack Winovich -3
This is a pure speed rush from Winovich(+3, pressure +2) around the edge that isn’t quite good enough for an immediate sack. But there aren’t any immediate exit areas and when the QB steps up in the pocket Winovich keeps going and gets a sack/strip from behind. Hurst recovers. I’m not issuing a point for falling on a loose ball because randomness, but Hurst(+0.5) gets a plus for being in a good spot to prevent a pocket breakout. Cover +2.
Drive Notes: Fumble, 21-0, 1 min 1st Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Pack Front Type Rush Play Player Yards
O25 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 Nickel over press man Run N/A QB sweep Peppers 2 (Pen -11)
QB sweep counterpart to the long TD to come. Gary(+1) drives through a TE and bumps one of the lead guards. He’s not controlled and gets held (no call) and cuts off inside options. Peppers(+1) gets cut by an OL and still gets up to tackle a the LOS; that cut is not a legal play and UCF is penalized.
O14 1 21 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 Nickel over Pass 5 Sack Gedeon -12
Another disaster play for the UCF OL. This is supposed to be a screen but M is in so fast it’ll never get off. Winovich(+1) is tackled(refs -2) without a call. Gedeon(+2) times his blitz perfectly and is through up the gut. Gary(+2, pressure +4) just blows through the LT; those two combine to sack. Glasgow(+1) had gotten in the throwing lane, helping the carnage.
O2 2 33 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 Nickel even man Pass 5 PA stop and go Stribling Inc
Pressure(-2) doesn’t get through, allowing a fake and then a pump despite five guys. Throw is an attempted double move that Stribling(+2, cover +2) is way over the top of and is more likely to catch than the WR if accurate. It’s not accurate.
O2 3 33 Shotgun twins twin TE 3-2-6 Okie one Penalty N/A False start N/A -1
Oops
O1 3 34 Shotgun trips tight bunch 4-2-5 4-3 sam slide Run N/A Inside zone Hill 3
A give up and punt.
Drive Notes: Punt, 24-0, 12 min 2nd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Pack Front Type Rush Play Player Yards
O13 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 3-3-5 half press Pass 5 Corner Thomas Inc
Marshall is in as a standup end as M shows a 3-man front. He blitzes. Half roll of the pocket; Wormley(+1, pressure +1) rips through the backside tackle and is a step away from a sack when the ball is out; QB just misses an open corner route that Thomas(-1, cover -1) is late on getting over the top of.
O13 2 10 Shotgun twins twin TE 4-2-5 4-3 even zone Run N/A Edge read give Thomas 87
This has been much discussed. McCray(-2) gets sealed out by a WR. He needs to blow this guy up but his eyes are on the back and he lets the guy in his chest; he’s also too aggressive upfield. Stribling(-1) locked out as the force player and gives up a ton of ground without much if any attempt to get off a block. Thomas(-4, tackling -3) gets beat to the edge and that’s all. Glasgow(+1) got off a cut block and just about ran this down because he is a robot viking.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 31-7, 8 min 2nd Q
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Pack Front Type Rush Play Player Yards
O23 1 10 Shotgun 2-back TE 4-2-5 4-3 over sam slide Run N/A Triple option McCray 1
McCray(+1) steps to the LOS on the dive fake and is probably the guy who induces a pull; he then glides outside directly into the path of the QB. He forms up to force a pitch; Thomas(+1, tackling +1) is on the pitch man and makes an open field tackle. Winovich(+1) provided good drive on the RT to give McCray a clear flight path.
O24 2 9 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 4-3 even Run N/A Outside zone Godin 0
Godin and Wormley stunt on the playside with Godin(+2) impressively working his way around a tackle who probably should have done better to lock him out. Godin rips through him and makes a tackle outside the numbers. Wormley(+1) surged upfield to make the outside the only viable path. Gedeon(+0.5) didn’t have to do anything but mirrored the back well and was there to clean up if necessary.
O24 3 9 Shotgun 3-wide 3-2-6 3-3-5 off Pass 5 Scramble Gedeon 35
two DTs slant inside with Gedeon looping around to blitz. UCF picks this up. Gedeon(-2) buries himself inside a guard and opens up a huge rushing lane. Peppers(-2) blitzes from the edge; gets cut off, and falls. QB runs a long distance. Pressure –3.
M41 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 3-2-6 3-2 dime Run N/A Split zone Hurst 4
Up the gut is again zilch. Hurst(+2) fires an OL back and then disengages back where he came from to tackle Wormley(+1) slanted his way into the gap behind as M had a slant/blitz/cleanup on. RPS +1. This should be zero yards but it turns into a rugby scrum that lurches forward a bit; I’m not grading a scrum.
M37 2 6 Shotgun 3-wide 3-2-6 3-3-5 half press Run N/A Split zone Gedeon? 11
This is a bust by someone. Peppers and Gary both get outside their blockers to force it back. Godin went straight upfield; the LBs split, with Gedeon(-2) running himself way outside where he does not need to be and getting sealed out; McCray(-1) is checking a backside gap instead of hitting the area it should actually go. Godin powers through a G and almost makes a diving ankle tackle here but with no slowup from Gedeon he can’t make it work. Kinnel(+1, tackling +1) comes in with a great fill to hold this down. Dangerous play right up the gut and he nails it.
M26 1 10 Shotgun empty 4-2-5 Nickel over press man Pass 5 Throwaway McCray Inc
QB gets happy feet and bugs out despite a nice pocket. McCray chases him and he dumps it. Cover +1, I guess.
M26 2 10 Shotgun twins twin TE 4-2-5 4-3 over sam slide Pass 6 PA pop slant Hill Inc
Open for the first down and simply missed. Hill(-1, cover -1) beat but in a difficult position for him to make this play. RPS -1.
M26 3 10 Shotgun 3-wide 4-0-7 Quarter even Pass 5 Sack Winovich -5
Lavert Hill and Watson in for the two actual LBs. QB is again just like NOPE and panics. He runs into Winovich(+1) and Glasgow(+1), who are pushing the pocket back to him(pressure +2); Peppers helps clean up.
Drive Notes: Blocked FG(49), 34-7, 2 min 2nd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Pack Front Type Rush Play Player Yards
O7 1 10 Shotgun trips tight bunch 4-2-5 4-3 even Run N/A Pin and pull Gary -2
If you’re guessing I charted this play only because Rashan Gary(+3) ripped through a TE and shot past a pulling OL for a mansome TFL, you get a dollar.
Drive Notes: EOH, 34-7.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Pack Front Type Rush Play Player Yards
O28 1 10 Shotgun trips 4-2-5 Nickel even man Pass 4 Bubble screen Peppers 7
Two safeties and 13 and 15 yards; two on three to the screen side and a gain. Peppers(-2) sees the bubble action and then bizarrely looks inside and steps to the QB, which means he gets locked out instead of wrecking this. Gotta be confusion.
O35 2 3 Shotgun trips 4-2-5 Nickel over man Run N/A Inside zone Godin 5
Standard inside zone with a read attached. M stunts Wormley inside and loops Godin around to the outside. Wormley might overpenetrate a tad here or Godin might not react quickly enough. I guess Wormley(-1) provides the slight avenue; Godin has to check the QB and when he comes down to tackle.
O40 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 Nickel over Run N/A QB stretch Glasgow 0
Zone fake to the outside with the back and on the keep QB is doomed. Glasgow(+2) puts the C deep in the backfield and cuts off the frontside entirely. Wormley(+0.5) reads and then comes down to help out.
O40 2 10 ??? 4-2-5 ??? Pass 4 Scramble Winovich 26
Winovich(-2) way overruns his spot and opens up a huge lane. Wormley on the other side is coming through and if Winovich is in a similar spot someone’s making a tackle at or behind the LOS. Glasgow(-1) falls over as he tries to release and chase, but I don’t think it would have mattered much. Pressure -3.
M34 1 10 Shotgun trips TE 4-2-5 4-3 over sam slide Run N/A Inside zone Gedeon 34
A bust. Whose bust I don’t know. I don’t think it’s Gedeon, as McCray blitzes around the outside and Gedeon moves to the cleanup spot I’ve seen earlier in the game from various linebackers. I think it’s gotta be Godin or Gary(-2). Peppers is around the outside and Gary fires up a gap further inside. Godin stunts back around Gary, which puts him a gap that’s already taken care of, because Gary slanted upfield of the OL. With Gedeon zooming out of the play and Glasgow not quite able to get back to it, once the RB clears the LOS he’s gone. Godin(-1) actually has a light shove on Gary as they swap that may prevent him from getting over the top of his OL.
Drive Notes: Touchdown, 44-14, 8 min 3rd Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Pack Front Type Rush Play Player Yards
M48 1 10 Shotgun twins H 4-2-5 4-3 even Pass 4 Scramble Wormley 0
Playside TE lost in space and Wormley(+0.5) just runs by him. This flushes Patti. Glasgow(+1, pressure +2) has ripped through the C and forces Patti to cut, allowing some recovery time. He breaks the pocket to find Michigan in some short zones. Peppers runs him OOB. Cover +1.
M48 2 10 Shotgun twins twin TE 4-2-5 4-3 over Run N/A Split zone Marshall 2 + 15 pen
Mostly RPS as Marshall(+0.5) doesn’t really have to respect the zone read since Stribling’s outside of him with no eligible receivers to his side of the field. He crashes down. McCray(+0.5) met a guard releasing and stood him up to constrict some space. RPS +1. Hurst(-2) gets a PF as he shoves an OL in the back.
M31 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 4-3 even Pass 4 Sack Wormley -4
Coverage botch in the secondary as Gedeon and Peppers are running different coverages. Doesn’t end up mattering as Wormley(+3, pressure +3) deposits the RT into the QB and disengages to sack as the QB bugs out.
M35 2 14 Shotgun trips TE 4-2-5 Nickel even zone Pass 5 Throwaway Marshall Inc
Happy feet again for the QB as the pocket mostly holds up. He doesn’t have anywhere to go (cover +2) and starts running around. Michigan pens him in pretty well. He leaves the pocket and chucks it away. Pressure +1, I guess.
M35 3 14 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 4-3 even Pass 4 Screen N/A Inc
This looks decently set up but a number of M defenders are in the area so it’s tough to tell what will happen if this is complete. It isn’t. QB throws it wide.
M35 4 14 Shotgun empty 3-2-6 Okie one Pass 5 Wheel Peppers Inc
Pocket just holds up for Patti; Peppers(+1, cover +1) is step for step on this route and it would have to be perfect. He also does an accidental somersault afterwards. Thomas(+1 ,cover +1) coming over the top of this as well, anything further inside is in danger of being picked off.
Drive Notes: Turnover on downs, 44-14, 4 min 3rd Q>
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Pack Front Type Rush Play Player Yards
O30 1 10 Shotgun trips 4-2-5 Nickel over man Pass 4 Scramble Marshall 7
Marshall(-2) is both tentative and overaggressive upfield, so his rush has little shot of getting there and opens up a big rushing lane. Pressure -2.
O37 2 3 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 3-3-5 lb slide weak Run N/A Power O Gary 4
Michigan aligns in a three man front and slides their LBs away from the DE so there’s not much to the run strength other than Gary. He does okay but gives a little ground to a double, and then there’s nothing behind him except Peppers. Peppers(+1) does a good job against an OL in space to get over the top of him and get outside to thump the back down after a relatively minimal gain RPS -1.
O41 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 Nickel under press man Run N/A Edge read give Peppers 8
Again the naked RB edge run coupled with a potential QB read the other way. Gary’s playing shuffle technique and can’t get out on the edge fast enough after he gets read. That’s not on him but rather the way M is playing zone read. Peppers is dropping on the snap and then hesitates as he sees what’s happening. He jets around Hill and a WR to make a tackle before the sticks but would like to see him recognize and attack this more promptly. RPS -1.
O49 2 2 Shotgun trips TE 4-2-5 Nickel over Run N/A Inside zone Gedeon 4
LBs shoot playside here when they should be checking cutback. Covered TE can block Gary and M is not slanting hard playside so despite the OL motion to the field someone should be checking the back door. Gedeon(-1) puts himself in the wrong spot; Hurst(+0.5) absorbed a double the whole play and he should be flowing free to this gap. Instead Gary(+0.5) has to power through the TE and tackle from the side.
M46 1 10 Shotgun trips TE 4-2-5 4-3 over sam slide Run N/A Inside zone Gedeon 1
Peppers down into the box and now the LBs can hit it hard playside. Gedeon(+1) blitzes up the gut and drives an OL into the backfield. Glasgow(+0.5) fights to the gap outside; Hurst(+0.5) drove his guy back and constricted space. Gedeon disengages to tackle.
M46 2 9 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 Nickel under press man Run N/A Speed option Thomas 3
TE arcs around and DE is left free; pitch. Thomas(+2) shuts this down almost by himself; getting to a spot at the numbers where he can push it back to help and then shoving the TE backwards. Back slows up, finds Glasgow(+0.5!) and then dances around for a few.
M42 3 6 Shotgun trips TE 3-2-6 3-3-5 half press Penalty N/A Offsides Peppers 5
Peppers -1.
M37 3 1 Shotgun 3-wide ??? Okie zero Pass 8 Throwaway N/A Inc
The house is duly sent. Patti can’t stand in; he bails and throws it OOB. Pressure +1; looks like Hill got shook but too late. RPS +1; this met deep routes and double moves.
M37 4 1 Shotgun twins twin TE 4-2-5 Okie zero Run N/A Inside zone Hurst 2
Hurst(-0.5) gets shoved out of the hole just enough on a single block; Hill gets held pretty severely and can’t get to the gap with any momentum as a result. Refs -1.
M35 1 10 Shotgun twins twin TE 4-2-5 4-3 over Penalty N/A False start N/A -5
Oops
M40 1 15 Shotgun trips 4-2-5 Nickel even Run N/A Inside zone Glasgow 0
Godin(+1) and Glasgow(+1) both fight inside as the RB commits there. He’s trying to bounce outside once the center gets closed off and trps on an OL; Wormley there to clean up if necessary.
M40 2 15 Shotgun 3-wide 3-2-6 Nickel under Run N/A Speed option Peppers -1
McCray the nominal WDE. UCF blocking screwup should draw a chop block call on Glasgow but does not. That does have two guys block one and allows Peppers(+1) a free run he uses to hit the QB very, very hard. On replay it’s actually Wormley(+2) who forces the fumble, which he does after cutting off the pitch and forcing the QB into Peppers.
M41 3 16 Shotgun 3-wide 3-2-6 3-3-5 pinched press man Pass 5 Slant Kinnel 13
Kinnel(-1, cover -1) beat easily on a slant as he’s in off coverage and cedes way too much ground. Glasgow held as he tried to loop around and pressure the QB(refs -1) but probably no difference since this ball is out so fast as a first read.
M33 4 3 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 Okie zero Pass 6 Throwaway Wormley Inc
This is supposed to be a throwback screen but Wormley(+2) realizes this as the TE tries to release and just grabs him(refs +2) to prevent him from being any sort of option. He releases him pretty quick but the grab is clear and kills the play. QB is getting instant pressure from Winovich(+1, pressure +1), who shot upfield faster than even a screen can deal with by slicing through two unprepared OL. He does a good job to keep under contain and get his hands p to dissuade a throw, and then he tackles just after the QB can get rid of it.
Drive Notes: Turnover on downs, 44-14, 13 min 4th Q.
Ln Dn Ds O Form D Pack Front Type Rush Play Player Yards
O25 1 10 Shotgun 2-back TE 4-2-5 4-3 over off Run N/A Power O Clark 5
RB motions out; other RB gets a handoff up the gut. Gary(+1) whips a TE and picks off the puling G; RB forced into the mess. Winovich(-0.5) has contain and overpursues, allowing a relatively quick outside bounce. Clark(-1) is out there unmolested and while he makes contact and tackles; this takes five yards.
O30 2 5 Shotgun trips 4-2-5 4-3 even off Run N/A Power O Gary 2
More or less the same play. Gary(+1) again puts the tight end in the rushing lane. LBs hit the playside hard and there’s nothing out there so back just buries himself in the line. Godin(+0.5) and Hurst(+0.5) provided no lanes inside.
O32 3 3 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 4-3 over Run N/A Speed option Gedeon 2
Winovich(+0.5) does a decent job of delaying a pitch decision from the QB, which allows Gedeon(+1) to avoid a cut block and flow despite blitzing on the snap. He initiates a tackle; McCray(+1) finishes it after ripping through an OL upfield. He only gets there because of Gedeon but getting to this spot took a shed. Thomas(-0.5) was the force guy and gave a lot of ground.
O34 4 1 Shotgun twins twin TE 4-2-5 Okie zero Run N/A Inside zone Hill 5
Hill’s lined up as a bear LB inside of a DE next to a DT; he gets a TE. He gets blown out because he’s a safety. RPS -1.
O39 1 10 Shotgun trips TE 4-2-5 4-3 over Run N/A Inside zone Hurst 6
Hurst(-1) does his thing, driving his man deep into the backfield. RB deploys a quick stutter step as if he’s going to break outside, which convinces Hurst to fight to the other side of the block. RB then shoots straight upfield. Slick by that dude. Hurst eventually got single blocked and this allows free releases to the LBs. McCray does a good job to get off his and tackle but it’s tough to do much more than hold this down.
O45 2 4 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 Nickel even Pass 4 PA post Gedeon 17
This ends up wide open; Gedeon(-1, cover -1) sucks up on PA, understandably. I’d knock this more if UCF wasn’t trying to kill this game. Hill(-1, cover -1) takes an inefficient path to the WR and can’t get a play on the ball.
M38 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 4-2-5 4-3 even Run N/A Power O Winovich 3
Stunt sees Winovich(+1) duck inside and then sift through the trash until he gets to the POA; Gary(-1) just stands up and doesn’t blast anyone; I think we might be done with playing our asses off. Bet he got a talking to after this in film.
M35 2 7 SHotgun trips TE 4-2-5 Nickel over Run N/A Pin and pull Gedeon 1
Hill(+1) gets out and fends off a kickoff block to cut off a lot of space; this is three yards inside the numbers. Gedeon(+0.5) flowed free behind this as the other pulling OL can’t get around on im; he forces it back and tackles. RPS +1.
M34 3 6 Shotgun 3-wide 3-2-6 Nickel even off Pass 4 Throwaway Peppers Inc
Godin(+1) dives inside a guard and draws his attention as he gets through to the QB. Peppers(+1, pressure +2) gets a free run and what a run it is. Dude is shot out of a cannon and plows the QB as he throws, forcing an incompletion. RPS+1.
M34 4 6 Shotgun empty 3-2-6 5-0 dime off Pass 4 Sack Peppers -2
Same exact rush. Peppers(+1) again just blows by the world and gets in on the QB. QB bugs out and manages to escape. He has to run up in the pocket, where Winovich(+0.5) cleans up. Pressure +2. RPS +1.
Drive Notes: Turnover on downs, 51-14, 6 min 4th Q. UCF doesn’t get the ball back.

panicpanicpanicpanicpanicpanicpanic

Really?

2panic7panic5 yards rushing

Well, okay. That wasn't ideal. But most of this fits into two categories: early-season-new-defense busts and over-eager puppies at defensive end losing contain. Both are fixable.

The QB scrambles are going to happen to everyone every once in a while; Michigan gave them up at an unfortunately high rate. There were four that cross the line of scrimmage, gaining a total of 98 yards. That's an extra 20 carry running back having a good day.

Usually the culprit was a guy going in a wrong gap, as Rashan Gary does here:

And Ben Gedeon does here:

Gary's a freshman. Gedeon's miss is a little concerning but like everyone else he's in a new defense. Some rate of busting is inevitable.

When it wasn't simply missing assignments it was usually a defensive end refusing to give up in a detrimental way. This was usually Winovich; he got way out of his lane on the final big scramble and was pulled for Lawrence Marshall for a while after that one. On the bench they were probably telling him that sometimes you do have to give up on your edge rush, admit defeat, and turn into a boring guy who just tries to contain.

I don't expect this to continue. Gary and Winovich will both get better mentally. And the return of Taco Charlton will be a huge improvement in this department. Charlton's rushing style is to blast through an OL, not loop around him. He naturally avoids the kind of contain issues an undersized and dogged Winovich is prone to. Getting back Mone will also send Wormley out to DE more often, where he was very good a year ago at preventing these kind of issues.

So these mean nothing?

Nothing.

You have absolutely zero concerns that this will bite us in an important game?

I mean, it could happen. John Navarre once ran for 50 yards against Iowa. I have no concerns this will be significantly worse than last year once guys get their assignments down.

Okay but the touchdowns are all panicpanicpanic, right?

The 34-yarder was just a bust. I don't think it's on Gedeon, as some have suggested. It's one of the DL on the backside of the play. Michigan sends Peppers off the edge, so that's one gap. The two DL should be in the two gaps next to Peppers. Instead they're in one:

image_thumb[22]

Godin stunted back around Gary; Gary drove on a slant and got boxed out. I have no idea which guy it is. Gary would make more sense because he's a freshman, but this stunt makes little sense in the context of the play. I split it after finding a weak justification to do so.

The big one is something that exposed a couple of potential problems. UCF runs their edge read play. This is a zone read variant that exploits modern DE's shuffle technique by shooting the back to the outside immediately. Michigan's not in great position to deal with this but it's not the worst, either. Problem #1 is Mike McCray, who's too focused on the back:

image_thumb[9]

He's got to know that he's got a blocker outside of him and that they're going to try to edge him; instead of focusing on that blocker and shedding him he ends up taking that contact without even looking:

image_thumb[14]

WR locks his hands in on McCray's chest plate and now he's in trouble. Some people have complained about holding; I don't think it is because of the placement of the WR's hands. McCray let those hands in there by not even contesting them. He loses this block, and he's a 250 pound LB getting hit by a UCF receiver.

That's step one. Step two is Dymonte Thomas putting on his Interesting Times hat and blowing the fill. Neither of those items are busts that we can write off as the cost of a new defense.

I do wonder why McCray is split out over the slot here instead of Peppers. If I was Don Brown I'd be putting Peppers in the gray area on every damn play like this.

And the screens?

There were fewer of them than I remembered. UCF hit bubbles for 15 and 7 yards and a flare for 9. They stood out in memory because of the absolute dearth of successful edge plays a year ago and the fact that they seemed set up for success pre-snap, with Michigan playing two guys over a bunch of three and maintaining a super deep safety. Against this quarterback the deep safety seems completely unnecessary, and so I wonder if this was Michigan trying not to tip their hand. FWIW, late in the game they did start putting three guys in close quarters with WR bunches.

The first one had to be just a straight up bust since Michigan had one cornerback over three guys, with Peppers motioning inside to a LB spot just before the snap and never actually getting set. On another I don't know what Peppers is looking at:

You'd think that bubble motion would draw a response similar to last year's. Instead he's running at nobody in particular. I don't get it.

Also sort of in this category, here's a zone arc thing on which the tight end motions out and a screen looks like a solid gain:

Hill's not looking at the edge threat and Stribling's not getting off his block. A QB who just throws that is likely to find he added a chunk of yards to his resume for not very much.

I wasn't a huge fan of what happened on the edge here, but getting Peppers back on that job should put a halt to edge plays.

These are a number of things that we're just kind of hand-waving away.

It's hard not to when this—

CHApanic

--shut up with the spinny guy already CHART is what both PFF and I spat out. It is ridiculous. I'm guessing +67.5 for the DL is an all time record:

[NOTE: PFF grading works out differently than mine. In UFR zero is bad for DL; it's average in PFF. Their scale seems to be about a third or a half of mine. PFF has a "penalty" section that I've elected to omit for space's sake, which is why the individual components might not add up to the "overall." number. I'll note when it's a big discrepancy.]

DL UFR grade PFF grade
Player Snaps + - T Run Rush Cvr Over Notes
Wormley 36 17 1 16 4.0 1.4   5.6
Glasgow 47 16 1 15 4.0 2.2 6.2
Hurst 33 9 3.5 5.5 2.9 0.9 2.8 Late hit PF.
Charlton      
Gary 33 9.5 5 4.5 3.8 1.2 5.0
Mone
Godin 40 5.5 1 4.5 1.9 0.4 1.9
Marshall 13 0.5 2 -1.5 0.6 -0.3 0.3
Winovich 55 16 2.5 13.5 3.5 1.5 5.2
TOTAL 83.5 16 67.5 An absurd blowout I don't think I've seen the likes of.
LB UFR grade PFF grade
Player Snaps + - TOT Run Rush Cvr Ovr Notes
Peppers 67 7 5 2 3.0 -0.1 0.3 2.3 -0.9 for the offsides.
McCray 67 6 5 1 0.6 2.4 0.4 3.4
Gedeon 67 5.5 7 -1.5 1.7 0.7 -0.7 1.2
Bush 0
Furbush 0
TOTAL 18.5 17 1.5 Maybe I'm harsh on LBs?
DB UFR grade PFF grade
Player Snaps + - T Run Rush Cvr Ovr Notes
Lewis 0
Stribling 68 3 1 2 0.4 -0.1 0.6 0.9
Clark 68 2 3 -1 0.9 1.0 2.0 Run number odd to me.
D. Hill 68 2 4 -2 0.7 -0.1 -0.9 -0.2
Thomas 68 5 6.5 -1.5 0.2 -0.1 0.1 Did enough to offset one v bad thing
Watson 7 0.1 0.1
Kinnel 10 1 1 0 0.1 0.1 0.2
L. Hill 1  
TOTAL 13 15.5 -2.5 Coverage metric very good though.
Metrics
Pressure 24 15 +9 More busted pockets, more croosh.
Coverage 18 8 +10 Open guys mostly spread trickery.
Tackling 3 4 -1 All minuses on the 87 yarder.
RPS 11 10 1 Spread tossup, I'll take it.

PFF was actually higher on the performance that I was; I thought Gary had enough busts to take him down to meh; they ranked him on par with the Glasgows and Wormleys of the world. I was iffy on the linebackers; PFF had all of them solidly positive.

UCF's OL struggled against SCSU (not that SCSU) in their opener, so this was always likely to happen. I just can't get that exercised about scattered errors that happened to be gauss rifle shots to the head in the context of utter dominance elsewhere. Without Charlton, Mone, and Lewis.

Nothing from this game stood out as a personnel issue that should persist, and when UCF tried to do anything other than fritz around the edges it got crushed. This power play was the most hilarious of the various events. Hurst gets a double and stands up to it. Every other DL making contact with a UCF player blows him out:

This is why I am sanguine about happenings.

There was one lingering concern I had.

WHAT IS IT panic

I didn't like Michigan's reaction to the various covered TE sets they showed. Something about their approach just seemed off. The clearest example I have is a pop slant that McCray deflected; despite the successful outcome of the play that dude is wide open:

He's wide open because Michigan's spending Clark and Thomas covering nobody in particular. There are no WRs to that side of the field. Once the play starts both backs commit to the other side. It feels like a team prepared for this pop slant is going to send Thomas at it as soon as they read run action.

That and what I called "edge read" where the back just jetted out of the backfield as fast as possible and the screens that didn't seem like clear busts were a large number of RPS minus plays. Michigan did not look 100% well-prepped to take on Frost's offense.

Whether that's a natural consequence of a new defense, Michigan declining to put their real answers on film, Frost catching Michigan off guard, or a continued structural defect is something that can only be answered by time.

Gotdang, those DL numbers. How?

Michigan took the unusual step of leaving in their starting defense for this whole game. I have no idea why. Maybe they were mad about the touchdowns. In literally other 30-point clubbing I've UFRed the starters are out for at least the fourth quarter and often chunks of the third. This was an unusual opportunity to run up the UFR score.

That said, I be like dang. The number that jumps out next to the various other numbers is Chase Winovich, who had a monster game. A sack/strip is always a good start towards a double digit day:

While I think that dogged pursuit getting rewarded was part of the problem on UCF's last major scramble, if he can continue to do that the busted pockets are much easier to take. And on this play going gung-ho all the way around the edge may be correct; Michigan's got a couple of linebackers in short zones, so a scramble isn't going to get much. The QB has a lane directly in front of his face but passes it up because of Michigan's defensive call.

Meanwhile Winovich was thumping guys back as in the clip just above this section. That was the most surprising part of his day. I wasn't expecting him to remind me of Hurst by blowing guys into the backfield.

Meanwhile, Glasgow was rampant as always. I'm pretty sure that he's in a screen spy here and this isn't him reading the play and reacting, which would be ridiculous:

But even if that's an assignment he's executing, Michigan has a nose tackle who can be tasked with tackling a RB outside the numbers on a screen and that's just fine. Glasgow further demonstrated his range on the long touchdown, when he was the closest player to the back despite having to fight off a cut block:

image_thumb[3]

If Thomas ends up forcing that back the most likely outcome is Glasgow making a tackle on a 10.3 100M guy 15 yards downfield.

Also he throws people around sometimes like he's Willie Henry.

Interior pass rush is so rare and Michigan gets a ton of it.

Hurst looked much like his old self, flashing that trademark burst to dump opponents in the backfield:

He blows up the center on this play with one hand:

Reports about his injury were that is was of the nagging variety, so I don't doubt he's less than 100%. Hard to tell against this level of opposition.

Wormley… well, it's very Chris Wormley that he racked up the highest number of anyone and I didn't specifically clip anything for him other than the holistic run-crushing above. I will endeavor to remember that I should clip his +2s, of which he has many.

All of these gentleman annihilated their opposition. Thus the numbers.

Gary not so much though?

He had a lot of positives, including this tantalizing preview of his career:

I dinged him twice for two-point deductions, once on a scramble that was in his gap and once on the 34-yarder. He looks like what he is: a true freshman who's going to be ridiculous.

Is Matt Godin really just a step or two behind Ryan Glasgow, as Harbaugh said?

Uh… no. I say this at least half out of Glasgow respect, though. Godin has been solid so far. He has range similar to Glasgow's (because he's really an SDE) and can get off single blocks pretty effectively:

Holding up to pounding has always been his weak point and will probably continue to be. He hasn't had to deal with much of that yet.

[SOMEWHAT ODD SIDE NOTE: I know this is a DT but this play is actually an excellent example of what McCray should have done on the 87-yarder. Godin focuses on the blocker, gives ground to get around him, gets his hands inside the opposition's, and uses them to rip the guy away.]

This felt like a step back from the linebackers, but PFF?

I might be a harsh grader when it comes to linebackers, though I've always warned that if a guy comes out at zero in UFR that I think he's been fine. The PFF numbers above are far more positive for reasons I can't yet explain. I do think they're liable to offer more points than I do on a successful blitz. I might be underrating timing and flying up under control.

Anyway, I did think the LBs came back to earth. I don't think their performance from the opener was their actual level, though, so I'm not too disappointed. McCray continued to be very effective on blitzes; I also liked his smooth transition from inside to out on this triple option:

He steps forward and threatens to dump himself in the LOS, which is what I think induces a pull; then he reads that pull and is out on the QB. He had the issue on the 87-yarder and I thought he was in the wrong spot on the 34-yarder.

Gedeon had a couple of questionable moments. On this play he way overplays the outside run that Michigan seems to have covered:

He gets on one side of a block definitively and there's a big lane up the gut. He did that again on the 34-yarder so maybe this is somewhat by design, but with the edge completely shut off there Gedeon is running himself into areas of the field the ball cannot go. (By the way, check out the safety fill from Kinnel on this play. Pretty good.)

But he looked good as a blitzer, too, and he hasn't done anything yet that causes me to throw my hands up. He's properly physical. His athleticism is an asset. Here he's blitzing to the backside of the play and is still able to get around and prevent a third-down conversion with help from McCray:

I don't think either guy from last year gets there. Maybe to tackle eight yards downfield. Not before the marker. (Meanwhile, McCray goes upfield of a block here and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Note, though, that he didn't run around it. He violently discarded his blocker. He does get there to help once Gedeon starts the stop so that's a plus.)

We haven't seen either guy take on many blocks downfield, so that's still in question. That may not be an important part of the skillset given the DL.

We haven't even talked about Peppers, Mr. Flying Up Draft Boards.

We touched on him in the screen thing.

Cumong man.

Fine, fine. Peppers didn't do anything game-changing—turns out the forced fumble was actually Chris Wormley on this play…

…but we did see some hints of his ability to disrupt pockets and just hammer people. That hit above drew an "ohhhhhh" from the stadium for good reason, and a couple of late blitzes on which he came free demonstrated his superior explosion. He gets from linebacker depth to the QB in a flash:

Brandon Harrison disease did pop up on a similar rush on the next play, albeit on a sack:

If you don't get a blocker on Peppers he's going to do something bad to you. Now let's change whatever we need to change to put him over the slot consistently.

Cornerbacks? Anything yet? I mean, nothing yet. But anything?

They looked good in very limited opportunities to determine anything about them. Clark had an excellent PBU:

When targeted Stribling looked to be in position to do the same only to watch throws sail anywhere but the receiver. Receivers were blanketed as far as I could see them downfield, which was about 15 yards when no throw deep was forthcoming.

I was disappointed with their run support. On an early run I neglected to cut Clark got shot downfield and pancaked by his man, and Stribling didn't apply any force to his blocker on the 87 yard run. Don't know how Clark got his solidly positive run D grade.

Heroes?

Every DL who played except Marshall.

Maybe not so heroic?

Thomas did enough good to get back up to or close to zero, but that long run was largely on him. I thought the LBs were a bit shaky; PFF not so much.

What does it mean for Colorado and the future?

Probably not much either way. UCF was bad enough that I don't think we can be sure we learned anything about the line, and the things that went wrong are fixable, mostly.

Michigan defensive ends need to cool it a tiny bit. Sometimes you have to know when your speed rush has lost and convert to a power rush or just plain old containment.

Busts are happening and will continue to do so for a bit. Mental errors were widespread, with about 5 or 6 players contributing.

Chase Winovich could be a find. Even considering the competition level this was a stock-up performance from a first-time starter and redshirt sophomore. There wasn't much difference between him and the rest of the line.

Comments

mikegros

September 15th, 2016 at 4:50 PM ^

They crushed the previous record. Wormley had the 6th best UFR score for a DL on record. Glasgow was tied for 11th (though did not set a personal best, being +15.5 last year against Minnesota), and Winovich was tied for 16th best. 

Glasgow and Wormley combine to be 7 of the top 15 UFR scores for DL all-time and approach Mike Martin/Brandon Graham levels of awesome. (the 4 of them make up all but one of the top 15 UFR scores for DL all-time.

Link to larger image: http://imgur.com/a/SuukX

smwilliams

September 15th, 2016 at 4:52 PM ^

If anything, the UFRs for the first two games have gone about as expected:

- WRs and Butt look great

- DL is a world-destroying force

- Peppers wants to separate people from that which they hold most dear

- Our CBs are probably the best in the country, safeties are good, but liable to bust every now and then.

- OL and LBs are concerning

Things that maybe haven't gone as expected:

- Wilton Speight is the starter and looks very, very good

- Mike McCray is better than Ben Gedeon

That last one is super interesting. Brian had him ending up a +1 and he played really well against Hawaii. While Gedeon seems to be on that Bolden level, McCray has this potential to be a possible All-B1G player. The one snap Brian mentioned where UCF runs a quick slant that's wide open ended up being an excellent play by McCray. He recognizes where the QB wants to go, slows up, and almost picks off the pass. It's weird, but #9 is quickly becoming the player I'm most fascinated by during the games and while reading the UFRs.

TrueBlue2003

September 15th, 2016 at 7:50 PM ^

I agree 100% with your individual player summary, but for a DC that was supposed to be much better at these spread offenses, some of the schemes and calls were head-scratching: the positioning of Peppers first and foremost.  I remember thinking, where was Peppers on the 87-yarder? It's almost as though we're trying to lull teams back into running plays Peppers could be destroying so that we actually will put him in the position to destroy them when it actually matters? Dunno.

And on many of the QB contain plays we had 5, 6, even 7 DBs on the field, all in coverage with no spying LB.  Again, with our corners and their terrible QB arms, seemed like too many DBs in coverage rather than a LB spying the QB.  As Brian says, maybe we're just trying to hide the ways we're really going to try to stop this stuff?

antonio_sass

September 15th, 2016 at 4:57 PM ^

"I do wonder why McCray is split out over the slot here instead of Peppers."

This seems to happen a lot of the time. I feel like Peppers is blitzing off the edge more often than not, which isn't super successful (compared to him coming on a delayed blitz or a blitz through A or B gap in combo with a D-Lineman). In a couple of the major bust plays, Peppers is a de-facto defensive end, going 1v1 against a tackle which washes him out of the play.

And as Brian mentions, it would seem to make sense to have Peppers covering a slot while Gedeon or Mccray edge rush -- however, often those roles were reversed in this game.

Is this how Matt Milano was used at BC?  

mGrowOld

September 15th, 2016 at 4:59 PM ^

Dude bitched yesterday on twitter that the absolutely free content provided by UFR wasnt as much fun as it used to be cause now it's all filled up with videos, charts and stuff.  Still trying to figure out exactly what the guy wanted other than LESS documentation to support the claims.

Image result for wtf animated gif

 

TrueBlue2003

September 15th, 2016 at 8:07 PM ^

and I eagerly await the UFRs, but it has seemed a bit more business-like with less personality than in the past.  Maybe when things are good, it's tougher for Brian to inject his brand of emo humor into things. If so, that's a tradeoff I am very happy with.

Wasn't me on twitter, though.  I don't do the twitters.

M Ascending

September 15th, 2016 at 5:01 PM ^

I'm having trouble understanding why Wormley (36) and Hurst (33) got so few snaps, given their preseason hype as stalwarts of the DL. Who primarily is eating into their snaps? And why?

reshp1

September 15th, 2016 at 5:28 PM ^

Brian (or anyone else), how do you feel about tipping stunts based on alignment? The lineman doing the looping is almost always lined up 1/2-1 yard farther back from the LOS. I didn't see many cases where they tried to mix it up. Staggered line = stunt pretty much 100% of the time.  

GoBlueinMN

September 15th, 2016 at 6:23 PM ^

Perhaps I am overly optimistic about the defense and coaching staff, but any chance some of the RPS/failure to adjust issues were a concerted effort to put some errors they know are easily correctable on film in order to bait future opponents into attempting similar plays?

Seems like a reach, but Harbaugh...

wolfman81

September 15th, 2016 at 6:49 PM ^

You don't have to execute your assignment on this play. You can play less than your best, and attack this opponent with something less than an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. 75% effort is good enough to beat this team, so that's all you need to give.

I simply refuse to believe that Harbaugh would want to put some mistakes on film as a lure to opponents so that they can see it on film...

TrueBlue2003

September 15th, 2016 at 8:21 PM ^

against CU (is it weird they do the CU thing even though they're the University of Colorado?)

I would bet that we'll see some Damion Terry against MSU if he's not the outright starter by then.

Perry Hills for Maryland had 500+ yards rushing last year and they're supposed to be running an OSU-style spread-to-run.

IU will maybe run their guy a bit to keep the D honest but doesn't seem like Lagow is a threat.

wolfman81

September 15th, 2016 at 10:29 PM ^

UC is the beginning of all of the California schools. I think they want to be distinctive...?

It always annoys me, because it is Univ of Colo, not Colorado Univ...But adding the city doesn't help because that is what all the Cali schools do too. UC Davis, UCLA, UC IRVINE, UC BERKELEY,...The only other C state is Connecticut (I think...) and they have their own be UConn...

Time for me to quit drinking and go to bed...