[Husker] possibly

Tue Nov 6 13:46:13 CST 2012

Steve/List, love the Xs and Os discussion...

Maybe someone could shed some light: One thing about last Saturday's game:
it felt like EVERY MSU completion came as a result of a pick/rub route (ok,
not the long TD pass). I was fuming.  Was it just me?

And yes, I noticed we had a 1 or 2 of our own, but theirs seemed pretty
egregious to me.
On Nov 6, 2012 11:00 AM, "Steve Schmadeke" <husker at schmadeke.com> wrote:

>
> 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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> >
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