[Husker] possibly

Tue Nov 6 10:59:46 CST 2012

I share your observation about the play calling in the last few plays of the winning drive and I think that it contributed to the TD pass.

I was among those who was wouldn't have been surprised by a kick on second down, even though we were on the right hash for a sharp angle.  When they lined up for another play instead, I knew it had to be something safe in that it 1) had to go to the end zone, 2) had to avoid a risk of a sack and 3) had to avoid a chance of a turnover.

So I was calling for and expecting a fade route.  It's a play that has a quick read and release, minimizing the chance of a sack.  The read itself is simple enough.  You drop it in where only the fade receiver can catch it or throw it away.  The defender almost always is forced to play with his back to the ball.  Importantly, the route combination is run so that the fade receiver and his defender are the only players in the area, minimizing the chance that some other player can intercept the ball.

The play was from the right hash.  We lined up our biggest receiver, Quincy Enunwa, on the left side at about the numbers.  Jamal Turner was in the slot inside, just outside the left hash.  Both receivers were backed off the line of scrimmage.  Each had a single defender lined up opposite, with Jamal's defender backed off an additional three yards.  No other receiver or defender was lined up on that half of the field.

From the formation, what I expected was for Turner to break to the inside while Enunwa ran the fade to the back pylon.  Since there were no other defenders in the area, the man guarding Turner had to make certain that Turner couldn't get an inside release, leaving Enunwa to work the fade against a single defender, or so I thought.

Instead, Enunwa simply stood up at the snap and then drifted in towards the hash.  His defender had to stay close to him, even though Turner couldn't take the chance on completing the pass short of the goal line.  This meant that Turner had all the room in the world outside to beat a defender who was probably predisposed to guard the inside.  Turner didn't have to fake very hard.  After a quick stutter, he basically just broke hard to the open green.  Turner and the defender were the only two players in that entire half of the end zone.  Martinez just had to throw an easy ball into the area for the TD.

It was all very nicely done.

P.S.  There was one other significant part of the play.  Even though no other players were on that half of the field, Martinez still needed to get the pass off.  Michigan State rushed seven players at the snap.  Ameer Abdullah handled the blitz off the left end, with Martinez throwing over that lane.  The ball was out before any Michigan State player was close.

P.P.S. On the first down play, it was the same formation.  As near as I can tell (since the camera angle didn't show the full action), Enunwa did run a fade or similar pattern to the deep left end zone.  Turner ran a shallow out route down the goal line and then came back in, but this was to leave Kyler Reed free to work against the safety assigned to cover him after he took a quick step out and released straight up through the end zone.  The route had the same virtues as the classic fade.  Kyler and his defender were the only players in the area and the defender had his back turned.  On that play, the Huskers only had six to block seven and Martinez had to throw quickly over an onrushing unblocked linebacker who was coming through the gap vacated by Kyler Reed.

On Nov 5, 2012, at 4:06 PM, Jerry Budd <gbudd at roadrunner.com> wrote:

> Actually, I didn't even think of that (nor apparently did Coach Pelini) until after reading everyone's comments here after the game.  I was more focused on our clock management and avoiding anything approaching a turnover (I was in the stands in 2002(?) when Jamal Lord threw the pick into the end zone against Texas just before we could attempt the game tying FG to put the game into OT).  BTW - I haven't reviewed the game replay yet but I haven't heard anyone here (or anyone else for that matter) give our OC any credit for calling plays on the last drive into the Red Zone that minimized the likelihood of us committing a turnover.  Has anyone?  Maybe I just missed it!
> 
> As long as we manage the clock decently, which meant making sure Taylor would throw the ball away if needed to avoid a [game ending] sack (something he rarely does btw), and we wisely choose plays that kept the chances of turning the ball over to a minimum, then I have NO problem with our not kicking the field goal with 20 seconds to go.  But that's just my view of the work through admittedly Red colored glasses.  :)
> 
> On my original point about going for it on 4th down at midfield with 3+ minutes left, there was virtually no discussion about that, either in the media, or here, which surprised me somewhat...  Anyway, onward to PSU!
> 
> GBR, Jerry
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On Nov 5, 2012, at 10:48 AM, gscratch1 at comcast.net wrote:
> 
>> 
>> 
>> "Anybody surprised that Bo didn't opt to punt the ball on 4th down with 3+ minutes to play vs going for it? 
>> 
>> " 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> approximately everyone in the Western Hemisphere 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> OTOH, since he decided not to punt, you knew he would decide not to kick a FG with :20 left, didn't you? 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Glen in IL 
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