[Husker] The VaTech game was a lot like the 1996 ASU game

[Scott R Lawson]

Mark a still photo is not going to tell all the story but I will stick to my thinking here, because even if the safety goes for the outside WR (who is already almost by him in that frame) the other safety would actually be able to 'slide' that way once the ball was in the air and probably help tackle the TE after about a 25-30 yard gain, but NO ONE else was going to help with the WR running down the sideline. Not to mention there is no one within at least 10 yards of the outside WR in that photo and, although I'd need a magnifying glass to tell it looks as if Taylor is already locked in on him and in mid throw.

You make some great points, but I believe the safety flat out went to the wrong read.

And Marvin Sanders (who has forgotten more about defense than we ever knew) was correct, he did not get deep enough in the first place in that situation.

Scott in NY




-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Landin [mailto:marklandin at gmail.com]
Sent: Mon 2009.09.21 17:50
To: Nick Chevance
Cc: Scott R Lawson; husker at tssi.com
Subject: Re: [Husker] The VaTech game was a lot like the 1996 ASU game
 
A still on this blog
(http://huskermike.blogspot.com/2009/09/nuvirginia-tech-let-knawing-begin.html)
shows pretty clearly O'Hanlon'd pickle. The TE had already beaten
Thorell down the middle, and West was sitting about 15 yds off the LOS
and was about that far away from any VaTech player. The deep WR on the
far side looks covered, as was the far receiver in the flat. That left
O'Hanlon to play Russian Roulette. Taylor had already broken towards
Boone, so O'Hanlon rolled that way assuming he was the bigger threat.
Taylor suddenly reversed field and found Coale and ... well, you know.


On Mon, Sep 21, 2009 at 4:05 PM, Nick Chevance <nickchevance at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Mon, Sep 21, 2009 at 3:25 PM, Scott R Lawson
> <SLawson at uamail.albany.edu> wrote:
>> I thought about this a lot as well, that perhaps a shorter field would have made it slightly easier to defend Taylor if the Huskers failed to convert the 4th down, but then again VT would have only needed to get about 25 yards or so to be in FG range.
>>
>> 20/20.
>>
>> Scott in NY
>
> Except they were down by 5, so its unlikely VaTech would have even
> thought about going for 3 on that drive.
>
> But I too support Scott's position on this way back up in this thread.
>  In that situation, the safety's only concern is to not let anyone get
> behind him.  But he was caught peeking inside in case Taylor started
> upfield.  I haven't seen the play since the replays, but I don't
> remember any other wideouts heading down field as Mark suggests here.
> (Mark, I'll fire up the old DVR tonight and take a peek.)  I do
> remember watching O'Hanlon peeking inside while the VaTech receiver
> ran past him down the sideline.
>
> The defensive line had Taylor in contain all afternoon, and on that
> play Taylor wasn't going to get many yards if he ran, and I think we
> would have preferred that.  But its a real hard situation to be in
> (and having a ball go over my head in a JV game many, many moons ago,
> I speak from experience).  That is a big mental error, and I'd bet the
> farm he knew almost the second he saw Taylor throw it.  And even if
> there were other receivers out on that play deep as Mark suggests, his
> responsibility doesn't change - no one deep uncovered.  And in cover
> two, the other safety is supposed to be back there too.  The corners
> release and look for anyone coming off the line or out of the
> backfield (e.g., tight ends, backs, and the QB).
>
> But all in all, that one play doesn't make the safety responsible for
> the game, or a bad person, or unsuitable as a Blackshirt.  It does
> mean he made a mental error.
>
> There are others saying that his bigger mistake was making the tackle
> - that if they had scored on that play, we'd have the ball back with
> over a minute to go (but with no time outs).  While that is true, I
> can't see many players being able to analyze the play at the time its
> happening and decide to make an attempt but purposely fail.  As a
> player, his only thought was - I goofed up, I gotta get that guy and
> get him down.  That's what a young college player would think,
> regardless of what others with the benefit of time and distance think.
>
> Nick
> --
> "I wish I were less awkward around strangers. I never know what to say
> when someone asks me who I am and what the hell I'm doing in their
> house."
> Andy Ihnatko
>
> _______________________________________________
> husker site list
> husker at tssi.com
> http://romaine.tssi.com/mailman/listinfo/husker
>



-- 
"He's old enough to know what's right and young enough not to choose
it. He's strong enough to win the world and weak enough to lose it." -
Neal Peart