On the Fifth Day O’Trenchin…

On the fifth day o’trenchin’ ol’ Jy gave to me fiiive golden hattttts…four mountaineers, three pancakes, two overtimes and a beeer in a tree.

A belated Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!

Picking up where we left off with West Virginia, the trust level just wasn’t there with Baker and his O-Line.  Trust and respect are a couple of things that can’t be gifted.  They have to be earned.  Because of the mistrust, Baker takes off a little early here when he has o.k. protection.  It’s not great protection, but it’s o.k.  If he’s gonna take off and run I’d like to see him take the blue path, as the nose is playing to his right or the offensive left locked up with Darlington.

TX1

 

 

The red gap shows the opening had he taken the blue path in the previous picture.  I know i’ve talked about this before, but to this point in the year, baker had been rushed by every d-line he’d played.  So again the trust hadn’t been earned.  Taking off and making something happen had been the mantra, and frankly that’s kind of his style.  If he waits a tick he’s got Perine in the left flat one on one, or take off to the right and pick up a few.

TX2

 

 

Two things to look at.  First, the O-Line has got pushed back about four yards, and second, Brown is beat to the top.  If I’m Clemson, I’m watching this Texas tape.  They brought pressure on every play, and forced the issue.  They attacked from everywhere.  Zone blitzes, dropping eight, then showing a delayed blitz.   Overload blitzes, twists, and everything you can imagine.  Going into the game, the mindset of Strong and his staff had to be that no matter what, we’re coming at em.  And they did that…all…day…long.

TX3

 

 

Here’s the delay blitz.  And it’s probably one of the reasons after the coaches watched the tape that Samia has started every game at right tackle since.  St. John has to pick up on the body language of the outside blitzer, bottom left arrow.  The protection is slid to the left as you see Samaje helping out over there.  Brooks is going out on a route, and St. John has to know that.  If you slide to the right, you can see #95 has gone down inside and given St. John the old Reggie White throw move, so combined with the fact that he didn’t call out the pressure and slide the protection right, he got beat too.

TX4

 

 

If you’ve read any story lines about Dru Samia, you may have heard that he knows the playbook, and that’s what’s really set him apart.  He knows what EVERYBODY is doing.  If you look at the protection here, St. John has to know that the blitzer is coming outside, so he would call it out and take the blitzer and just get something on him.  Nila then would slide over and take the guy shooting down inside.  Inside arrow.  St. John has to know that Brooks is going out on a route, and he has no help outside.  Texas isn’t rushing a lot of people, as it’s just four, but when you don’t get a hat on a hat, and then the hats you do get on, get beat, it’s not good.

TX5

 

Because at this point, look at everyone to the left of big ol’ #55 for us.  They’re doing o.k.  You’ve got three guys blocking the nose(because the protection wasn’t slid right) with Big O and Perine handling the end.  Again, St. John needs to be blocking the outside blue arrow rusher, and Nila would have taken the inside blue arrow.

TX6

 

If you check the receiver separating down the left hash, had Baker had time, the guy isn’t wide open, but Baker has shown he can make those throws.

TX7

 

To put it no other way, the Sooners just got whipped against Texas.  They weren’t ready to play.  You could see it in the body language and busts like this.  Sometimes you can come into a game without an edge, have some success, and then get going.  In other cases if you don’t come out ready to go, you get beat.  Texas played with more emotion than they had all year, and the old saying goes that a scared man is a dangerous man.  Texas was dangerous that day and it showed.  After this game, Alvarez became a fixture at left guard and Samia became a fixture at right tackle.  You know the results from Texas till now.  We’ll get started on K-State here pretty soon.

30 Comments

  • Kevin says:

    Love this. Will our improved, more experienced O-line handle an all-day aggressive pressure like Venables is bound to have drawn up? And will we be able to take advantage of any soft spots in the defense?

  • Jpsooner23 says:

    U running out o time!

  • Sooner Ray says:

    Lots of growin up after this game, thanks JY.

  • SamSooner says:

    JY, thanks for posting. It’s funny how it doesn’t look as bad after a second look. Samia is the kid out of California that you thought was a steal if he stayed committed. I can’t wait to see him put on another 30 pounds. The future looks bright.

  • Exiled In Ohio says:

    I love this stuff! Thanks JY!

  • OUn8v says:

    Thanks, JY. I’m sorry, but St. John would make me pull my hair out. I kept hollering at the TV set for Dru. And, now look. 😉

  • Soonerfandave84 says:

    Thanks JY, the OL began to gel with the insertion of Samia. The running game improved and that kept teams from pinning their ears back to rush the passer.

  • EasTex says:

    Thanks, JY.
    From the cocoon we saw early in the season, to the glorious butterfly we see now.
    I just watched the practice report that I had recorded and Jessica interviewed Coach B. He said the development of this group has been the most amazing he has ever seen. He said the OL knows the tiggers have shown multiple alignments that are they are prepping for and the guys are studying film for what the individual players techniques are.
    Along with the development of the OL, the minor adjustment of lining Perine and Mixon one yard further back on each side of Baker has helped enormously. I think not only does it help the backs see and react better, I think it has helped the timing with the OL better, especially when they are pulling.

    • Bob Edwards says:

      For once, we seem to have some assistants that will adjust when things are not working. In the past, some of our assistants seemed to use the “if this hammer isn’t working then I must not be hitting it hard enough” strategy. Just keep pounding the same thing till it works. Sometimes its a matter of repetition, but sometimes you need to use a screwdriver rather than a hammer.

      • EasTex says:

        Coaches, grad assistants and players all are deserving of credit for what they have accomplished so far. The chemistry this team has is something that can’t be manufactured and is what I believe has been the impetus for their success.

    • Golfluvr13 says:

      One other thing I have noticed while watching a couple of games after the shorthorn loss. With Perine and Mixon lining up a yard deeper, they are picking up blitzers easier. I noticed, I think it was ISU, Perine come all the way across the to the other side to pick up a blitz and stop it that gave Baker time to throw a long pass. It is amazing what an OC that communicates and LISTENS to his players can accomplish!

      • SamSooner says:

        So true.

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  • Birddawg says:

    Our 2015 recruiting class is something special.
    Samia coming in as a true freshmen to take ownership of knowing the Offense inside and out and work day in and day out has been a godsend for this season.

    Then you add 3 more starters..
    Westbrook #2 wr
    Siebert punter/kicker.
    Will Johnson NB

    All three phases effected by great recruitment and players earning responsibility.
    Impactful!

    Great write up JY.

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  • Ed Cotter says:

    Great stuff JY. Seeing the breakdowns really helps understand the problems this OL was facing early on. They made some great adjustments in personnel and attitude and the rest is history. Thanks again for the O’Trenchin. Boomer!

  • John Garner says:

    Thanx again JY! I wonder how often Coach B and the OL have studied the saxeT tape? A bunch I bet. Especially Coach B. LR as well. Ever since Dallas, the O has really emphasized the run. That, I think, has been the biggest improvement in the offense.

  • ToatsMcGoats says:

    You never disappoint, JY. This loss doesn’t sting as bad the second time around.

  • Golfluvr13 says:

    Thank you JY. I love reading these breakdowns. And you did not even have to show St. John’s poor foot placement before the snap on this one to show that he just did not quite fill the role of RT.

  • Indy_sooner says:

    Not sure if I missed it but a significant issue, particaulrly early on, was that UT Nose Tackle, Hassan Ridgeway. Any time you take out three of our linemen on one person, it’ll be a long day and I’m not surprised that we’d often find three orange jerseys in the backfield at any given time. To my untrained eyes, I would think that we want them looking at this tape, because it assumes things that just aren’t there as the season progresses. The backs are drive blocking much better but more importantly, receivers are able to get in space quickly and most importantly, the line play is much more cohesive.

    JY, I know there’s a couple days left, but perhaps some footnotes on how this line-play compared with Baylor? I know they brought the running game, sans a mobile QB like Tx

  • Tex'ish says:

    Thanks JY – good stuff and most appreciated! Quite the OL transformation as the season progressed.

  • Cush Creekmont says:

    Fine stuff as always. This was the one game even I could see the poor line play. Your analysis has helped explain how many errors were mental. It shows how important SMART players are. Thanks!

  • Slim Sooner says:

    Thank you for another great breakdown, JY. Painful loss, but just look at us now. I love trenchin’ and seeing how far the boys have come.