Trench Warfare | Minding the Details

For the last couple of weeks you’ve heard me and others talk about how the offensive line has some talent but with so few starters as a collective unit, they need some time to put it together. Part of refining the execution is blocking but part of that is figuring out who to block.  The Sooners had a lot of success against Tulsa. But I went through a few plays to show that they could have had even more success had they cleaned up the mental aspect of the game, and been a bit more crisp in some execution.

Below I want you to note the blue line that shows to the left there are four defenders, and to the right there are seven.  The obvious weakness in the defensive alignment is to the left.  The o linemen on the left side goes Brown(T), Farniok(G) and Alvarez(C).  If you notice, the defensive ends on the both sides of the line are stood up, and their body language shows they are coming, as you would expect down on the goal line.  Pre-Snap body language is a big deal, and something you have to know and understand both as a QB, and as a Tackle. In this instance, there has to be a hot call for Brown to make, or for Mayfield to check to a better play.  The Sooners did go to the left side where there were less defenders, but made a big mistake.

 

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This is a bust by someone, depending on how it’s taught.  The way I was taught, because the play is going to the left, the tackle has to make a fan call.  Fanning out means that you spread or fan out to block on that side. Here, Brown gets the defensive end, but if you note the top blue arrow, Farniok leaves Alexander unblocked, and makes him look like Dick Butkus down on the goal line.  The bottom blue arrow is pointing out that while Farniok blocked the wrong guy, the double team ends up a yard deep in the end zone.  So again, had the fan call been on and Farniok simply blocked Alexander, and left Alvarez one on one with the nose, Samaje, can take the red arrow route, and walk into the end zone, as the corner has Westbrook in man on the outside and is turned to the play.

Perine ends up getting smacked by the red x, and it looked a lot worse than it was, because the bottom defensive end got in on the play too due to the bust.  One guy does it different, and it’s 7-0 good guys early on. Farniok may have found his calling as a guard too though as he’s a road grader in there.

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Here is another bust that is cleaned up relatively easily.  Tulsa was very aggressive in forcing the issue.  They ran stunts, blitzes and attacked the line of scrimmage.  Going back to pre-snap body language, the linebacker on the outside whom i’ve pointed out with the red arrow, and the linebacker next to him are showing that they’re coming pre snap.  St. John has to see this.  We called it a storm call, and if I’m at tackle here I’m yelling Storm! Storm! Storm!  What that means is that the outside linebacker is blitzing, so for the defense to stay gap sound, the D-Tackle over St. John is coming inside.  The Storm call alerts the guard, Nila to be ready for me to pass the D-Tackle off, since as a tackle, I’ve gotta get out there and pick up the linebacker.  If it’s a fake, at least Nila’s ready for it.

 

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St. John stays with the D-Tackle, and leaves the OLB unblocked having not called it out.  Samaje (Blue Arrow below) is working inside out and is going to pick up that inside linebacker I pointed out as he should.  If St. John simply calls out this Storm call, then he gets the OLB, and Andrews probably has a big play down the seam, as you can see Baker is looking right at him, and the defender who is covering Andrews is beat right now.  Since there was a bust with the protection, Baker has to scramble and gets about six yards, but it could possibly had been six points if it had been executed correctly.  Again, ability vs. execution shows that with the people that were blocked, the protection looks solid, minus the one miss.

 

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Pre-Snap body language is something you have to have to have to pay attention to as an O lineman.  If this gets cleaned up, this is a really big play, since the two linebackers I’ve pointed out are coming, and the middle linebacker is on his horse right now and coming first.  Farniok has to see this.  While he’s supposed to block down, and in this case that means the nose in between him and Alvarez, the linebacker is showing he’s coming A-Gap.  What that means is that his nose is going to slant away from him.  He has to see the linebacker coming, and pick him up, and leave Alvarez one on one with the nose.

 

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While that makes it a tough block for Alvarez, by Farniok not picking up the linebacker, it makes it almost impossible for Nila, since he’s pulling around, and the linebacker is at top speed pre-snap.  Had Farniok picked up the A gap, the first guy that Nila sees coming into the gap is the linebacker who’s still back a few steps, so then you’d have Brooks following St. John through the hole, with St. John just looking for someone to block.  Even still, Nila has to be ready for anything here, and kick his guy out hard, while St. John gets up on the linebacker.  With Brooks’ speed, this could have been another running TD, and had the play down on the goal line got blocked correctly early, it’s 14-3 with the run game being the bell cow.

 

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So finally, what has to be understood by Sooner faithful is that it’s very possible, and quite likely for this to get cleaned up quickly.  Coach Bedenbaugh is gonna wear these guys out on the details this week and next week since when you look at the tape, guys aren’t getting pushed around or knocked back.  There’s just a lot to process, and you have to know exactly what to do, and understand that might change at a moment’s notice as an o-lineman.

You have to stay gap sound and arrive angry and physical.  So when I sit back and say just keep the faith and hold on, the stuff that’s being missed isn’t an ability issue.  Keep in mind that three guys are brand new starters, and Saturday, Nila was the only one who was a starter a year ago.  Even with all of that, as the game wore on and the speed of the game got familiar, the guys cleaned a lot of this up and were flat out mashing people in the second half.  The extra week of work should help keep some of these finer points ironed out. Once it’s cleaned up, the run game should pop and the offense should take another step forward.

78 Comments

  • Lincoln Hawk says:

    These are just awesome. Thanks JY!

  • Chad says:

    Yes, thank you very much for taking the time to put this all together. Great stuff!

  • KJ1123 says:

    Nice one JY! When that goaline play got stuffed I literally said “DEREK WHAT ARE YOU DOING!” Samaje would of literally walked into the endzone.

  • KJ1123 says:

    The interior guys open the gate way too much….not sure if they understand they need to stay square and slide instead of opening up and riding out…that penetration just kills the offense and sends Baker scrambling.

  • OceanDescender says:

    I know he had to slide over to a new position but I’m kinda surprised that Farniok as a redshirt senior is having these busted assignments. In any case, I’m looking forward to the oline having a potential statement game against the mountaineer defense.

  • Robertson / Robertson 2016 says:

    Oh, JY. You had me at warfare. <3

  • Cush Creekmont says:

    Great stuff JY! Watching live, I could not pick out why the run plays got stuffed. The first goal line play in particular worried me. Your explanation of line play nuance has helped me understand the decision errors are situational and not operating gaffs. With OUr exceptional running backs, creating creases can create huge gains as well as the passing game.

  • Doobie74OU says:

    Dad gum JY! Here everybody is wanting to be mad and rant and rave and you come in spouting all this logic and reasoning! Maybe the world isn’t ending tomorrow! LOL!

  • Soonerfandave84 says:

    JY I am glad you do this because as I watch the game its easy to see missed blocks, but you can’t always tell at full speed if its ability or just missed assignments. Keep up the good work sir!

  • Jason Vos says:

    I wonder if they will stick with Farniok at LG when the other guys come back. I said after the game that Farniok looked good run blocking against Tulsa.

    Having a 6’8 340 LT and a 6’9 345 LG is interesting 🙂

    • JY says:

      Yeah I’m interested too. At any rate it’ll give us a lot of depth on the interior.

      • Zack says:

        But would you move Alvarez out of the starting lineup? Or keep him in and tell darlington he’s the back up center. I like Alvarez at center more than darlington and simply just because of the size difference.

        • Jason Vos says:

          Move Alvarez to back up C/LG. Darlington still understands the C position a lot better than Alvarez.. Last thing we need is a mistake when playing BIG 12 games.

          This would allow if there is an injury to Brown at any point for Farniok to slide into the LT spot

          Then Alvarez would move in at LG.

          Plus you could rotate Farniok and Alvarez at LG if need be

          • Zack says:

            So you like darlington over Alvarez? I just think Ty is too small, always have thought that. 280 soaking wet and not unbelievable strong, I would go with the bigger guy.

          • Soonerfandave84 says:

            In a situation where guys don’t know what to do, wouldn’t you want the most experienced center calling out the protections?

          • Zack says:

            Yeah but darlington has had his issues too. I don’t think in terms of calls or football IQ that there’s a big difference. I think it would help our offense to have a bigger body in there at center.

          • Soonerfandave84 says:

            Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen him get pushed straight back too

          • Boom says:

            Not to argue Zack but I would be under the impression that since Ty’s dad was a coach, he learned a lot growing up. IMO, probably a lot more than other lineman. I would say he’s working with new guys and he was out the 2nd game so there was not as much gelling going on as it should.

          • Matt says:

            did Alvarez show more power than Darlington? I didn’t watch him that closely

          • Zack says:

            I’m not sure that his power is that much greater although I would assume it’s at least slightly better. But if I’m not mistaken he outweighs Ty by about 20 pounds and from my standpoint I would rather have that extra weight leaning on the DL plus it would seem harder to move Alvarez.

          • EasTex says:

            I value technique over bulk, and Ty has always been a technician including his first start as a true freshman for an injured Ikard.

          • Boom says:

            What some don’t understand is most NFL interior linemen are around 290 – 310. Sure there are some bigger ones but this accounts for a lot of them.

          • EasTex says:

            I don’t know about the nfl, haven’t paid any attention to it in 20 years, what I do know is it is unreasonable to expect an OLman to just blow every DLman off of his feet on every play. Technique is reasonable to expect and if some would actually watch Ty at work he almost never gets beat. He will get pushed, but he does a fantastic job of turning his opponents-either away from the QB or out of the running lane.
            Some complain Ty is too light at center, yet think Samia’s size is great. They weigh the same and Samia is 2 inches taller.

          • Boom says:

            Same with Frison as he only weighs 285. I think Samia and Frison will be ready next year with good weight. I agree, you don’t have to blow anyone away, only seal to create creases. Angles & steps are key along with communication.

          • EasTex says:

            Absolutely!
            And learning how to use a charging DLman’s bulk and momentum against him with a simple turn or twist. It takes experience, skill and a quick mind to perform OL duties now, not just the bulkiest bodies.

          • Boom says:

            My QB and I were good friends and I snapped in my younger days. We had a C who was big but he would just jump and hope the guy fell over him. Our FB was getting blown up on the belly (wishbone) and he would see me and wave me in. I would run out there and hear my HC yelling the whole way. If we ran to the right, I could snap and step with my right foot so fast the NG never had a chance as i would just seal and push him away from the play. Like you said, use his forward mo and just push him sideways. I ran just a little under 4.7 so my first step was fast. after a play and a big pick up, here would come lumbering in the other C that outweighed me by 55. My bud (QB) & I still laugh about that to this day. We would do it all the time.

          • EasTex says:

            On offense I was the RG, we ran the Arkansas offense of the 60’s which involved lots of QB run/pass rollout options. I was the pulling guard on the rollouts and traps. I wasn’t very fast, but my main strength was I was quicker than anyone I played against and my legs were very powerful, I got up to 720lbs on leg presses as a 15 year old, but the coaches freaked out and forced me to use lower weights with more reps.
            I always knew my assignments, I knew what my strengths were and I would get to the thighs of the DL or LB before they knew what happened. If I couldn’t drive them, I at least turned them so that my body was between where they and the play was. Victory is sweet.
            Also, I and my fellow OL members we never quit and had an ongoing competition to see who could get the most down field blocks before the whistle. We sent many a player flipping into the air after our initial blocks.
            I always value an OLman that is quick, strong and knows his business over a large man that thinks he can just over power everyone. They are fun to defeat because you also hurt them in the brain pan and their psyche.

          • KJ1123 says:

            “you also hurt them in the brain pan and their psyche.”
            I always say…90% of football is played in the space between your ears.

          • EasTex says:

            Yes it is, as are most sports.
            As Yogi once said “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.”

        • OUknowitscomin says:

          So with you on this. If Alverez did that well for a 1st start, I’d like to see his progression. Ty may have good technique, but that only goes so far when on your back. I think Ty is a good center, I just think Alverez has a much higher ceiling.

  • hushnpa says:

    so apparently a big part of the problem in this case is Farniok just not being used to guard assignments, adjustments and such ?

    • Zack says:

      That and it would appear the inexperience at tackle was an issue. JY was saying that brown and St. John both missed calls.

  • Swanny says:

    As always JY, solid reality based commentary that’s much appreciated inside of a fanbase that cries wolf way too quickly.

  • thebigdroot says:

    Love these. Those little nuances that we don’t see watching live, thanks for pointing these out. The progression is starting to show.

  • metzker says:

    Thanks JY As allways great stuff

  • Jason Vos says:

    Question if OU needs a TE that can block when running the ball. Why not use the converted TE/OL dude Sam Grant.

    Same think Baylor is doing with that fat dude McGowen. Saying he is a TE, but in actuality just trying to get another OLineman on the field.

  • Glocal Sooner says:

    Couple of questions from someone who hasn’t played organized football since junior high.

    1) In the top image, there are 4 down linemen of which I would call the 2 inside ones DT’s and the 2 outside ones DE’s and the 2 guys standing up on the end, OLB’s but you called the 2 guys standing up DE’s. Then on the third image, there are 3 down linemen of which I would call the middle one a NT and the 2 outside one’s DE’s and the two guys standing up OLB’s. In this one, you called the outside guy a LB. What’s the difference in noting whether it’s a DE or OLB? Was it the formation or the guy manning the position was literally a DE or OLB?

    2) From an OL perspective, it is easy to look around and see what defenders are doing without getting called for a false start or are you depending on the QB or tackles to tell you if you’re an interior lineman?

    • KJ1123 says:

      2. Once your hand goes into the dirt you cant really move. Most of the time OUr OL is in the two point, gives more leeway when looking around at the front as long as the head doesn’t make any sudden movements. Guards will depend mostly on the center and tackles for the calls once they’re down.

  • SoonerFreak31 says:

    Nice breakdown JY! You really know your stuff!

  • KJ1123 says:

    The combination I would go with…or at least try is….

    LT-Brown
    LG-Nila
    C-Ty
    RG-Samia
    RT-St. John

    Samia is good at tackle, but he’s actually better at guard, one of his strengths is pulling and switch blocks because he has good feet. Would like to see him at 295-300 though. Nila can play both guard positions. I think this combo would click fairly well.

    • Soonerfandave84 says:

      I’d love to Samia on the field in some fashion, guy looks like he enjoys whipping people

    • Matt says:

      did he play against Tulsa at tackle? Has St. John taken a big step?

      • KJ1123 says:

        He played at RT. St. John is playing ok, being a senior and not getting rattled is his biggest thing he has over Samia. Samia is just now starting to get used to playing at this level.

    • Stephen Dale says:

      I’d leave Darlington on the sidelines and leave the better talent, Alvarez, on the field..i don’t know if Samia is better than kasatati but Farniok seems to be a force at OG . He may have found a home there…

  • TypicalSooner says:

    Great stuff JY! Now we just need someone to break down the secondary and what exactly happened on sat…

    • SoonerMGB56 says:

      There was one yesterday. It focused on PJ, but addressed a lot of coverage scheme issues, in general. It was similar to this on the OL, missed alignment adjustments, based on the offensive alignments, and shifts. Some poor technique, etc. Lot’s of correctable errors.

      But I would have a lot less stomach acid if we could develop some youngsters to take over for A Thomas and Byrd.

      But based on PJ, it would probably be worse now, because of the mental errors.

  • SoonerfanTU says:

    I know the oline can be complicated, but I feel like a lot of the errors pointed out above are pretty basic, and shouldn’t be made. At least wait until there are some complicated blitzes, stunts, or something to start making these errors.

  • Matt says:

    is Frison available to play yet?

    • Glocal Sooner says:

      Stoops said no in his presser this week. He said Frison wouldn’t be available to play any time soon. He is back with the team though. It sounded as though he’s “available” but wouldn’t be seeing the field any time soon.

    • KJ1123 says:

      looks like he wont be back this season….afaik

  • Katyboomer says:

    Thanks JY

  • Sooner Ray says:

    Thanks JY, as always you show us exactly how close we are and what could have been.

  • Golfluvr13 says:

    Thanks JY!

  • EasTex says:

    Thanks JY.
    The first play you broke down, I saw that one live, watched again on replay and wondered whose call that was on the left side.

  • Stephen says:

    Not Trench Warfare related (excellent as always, JY) but Dalton Wood has allegedly joined the team…again.

  • soonermusic says:

    thanks, JY.

  • BleedCrimson says:

    Off topic a bit. Womens volleyball at Taco Tech on FSSW. Started at 6pm.

  • Stephen Dale says:

    JY……….excellent breakdown…..wish you had expanded this article by 100% . the speed of the game makes it impossible for me to see ( on game day ) what you have just explained….thank you.