Trench Warfare | Oklahoma vs. Iowa State (Part 1)
Posted on: November 4, 2014
Here we go.
Going with the inverted wishbone here and counting the QB into the equation for the QB run game there’s a numbers advantage of 1. We’ve got 9 to their 8. This is why Collin Klein, the former K-State QB was so deadly despite being a slow guy. You hear me all the time talking about how the unblocked man made the play…
In this case, The only unblocked man is the free safety. I’d be a rich man if I had a dollar for every time I’ve said running the ball is as much about outnumbering people at the point of attack as it is physicality.
The only unblocked man is #5 the free safety, who can’t make the play. It’s scary to think about what might have been with more of the QB run game early on in the season.
Great protection when we get the ball back. Samaje and Durron are both open. Trevor hit’s Neal for a gain of 12, but the good thing is that he has time to check down and get to Samaje if the corner’s not playing off. Nice protection.
Coming back with the same look as in the first play we scored on, we go back right. Look at Perine’s block on the edge. He’s got the guy off his feet in the air. Trevor’s got a nice lane to get into. Quick get’s a good block on the outside and it’s a first down. Numbers win every time.
I’ve noticed that Trevor seems to decide where he’s going with the ball pre-snap. Look at how open Samaje is, right on the 50. Quick is wide open at the bottom of the shot as well. It’s a completion on this to Neal again, but by next year we need to see Trevor go through some progressions better.
Here’s more picture perfect protection on the TD to K.J. Young. Really nice job by the o line. I’d like to see Darlington stay on his feet here.
Kind of a funky shape here, but look at the numbers we have on the right side of the center. We’re 5 to their 3, and with the back it puts us 6 on 3.
Alex is able to get to the 2nd level with ease, and showed some elusiveness I’ve not seen from him. He puts a nice move on the would be tackler and gets a really nice gain on 2nd and 1. I thought Alex got better with his vision this week.
This play showed the benefit of letting Trevor get in the groove running the ball. See the top blue arrows? The Iowa State defender is unblocked and flying outside. Had Trevor not taken the cutback lane, he may get tackled by that guy. By getting him in the groove, he’s able to see that massive cutback lane and get up in there. Nice play for Trevor and a very heady one at that.
This was a great lead option. Trevor is checking the dive with Ross while Rip is leading up. The end closes on the dive, so Trevor pulled it.
This was just a nice play. Very good job by Flowers to stay in pitch relationship down field, and Trevor is just flowing with the option game. Mind you this is only the 1st quarter, but by letting him get in a rhythm with the run game, he’s able to make plays.
Trevor’s the kind of Qb that to me needs to be moving around to play better. That’s how he’s played his whole life. His accuracy improved a great deal Saturday, due to what I believe letting him be himself. This was a great look with the three wide right, and coming backside to Bell for the Score. The back going out left freezes the corner backside and the safety is peeking too long in the backfield. Nice play design for the score.
50 Comments
My favorite post of the week….thanks JY
Thanks dave!
JY, not sure if you scouted Baylor but from a rushing standpoint, what formations do you feel we should attack for the best results. I’m sure they will come in focused on stopping the run so I’d like to get your thoughts. thanks
They’re going to blitz you and load the box. They want Trevor to make quick decisions and not let us run the ball. If I were OC, I’d run a lot of swings, screens and stuff to the tight end. They’re going to put 8 or 9 in the box, so if you can sneak Bell or Rip out on a pattern, that will hurt em. I’d also run some true triple option with some motion that will tip their hand on what coverages they’re running.
prezactly! Run right at the blitz, in essence, with the option of going over the top of it or to either side of it depending on which way they commit.
there were a couple of times this last week where Trevor actually sold the fake handoff, let’s hope he continues to improve on that as well.
If we ran a hot read, I like Shep but think what it would be like w/DGB. I digress. I remember us pulling off a great middle screen which we almost broke it late against Bama. Wouldn’t mind seeing that again.
There is no blitz, regardless of down and distance or field position, that Phil Bennett does not love. He has always been that way, the love affair began when he was a TAMU LB.
Having a judo background, defeating blitzes isn’t difficult, strength+strength=a win.
Great as usual!
Also since I haven’t seen a Open Post in a few days What happened to Keith Ford? Was it just a matter of we had a big lead so they rested him for another week to prepare for Baylor? Maybe this has been addressed but I hadn’t heard yet! Not that I think we missed him with 500 yds rushing, just curious!
Bob mentioned that he still wasn’t able to cut as hard as he needs to. Hopefully this is the week.
Great JOB JY, and although you’re too modest to say so it illustrates perfectly many of the points you’ve been making over the past couple of months about this offense. I know that Baylor has a much better team then ISU in almost every way but I still look forward to the fact that letting Trevor be the guy we recruited him to be, not to mention being more aggressive on defense, means that we can beat them if we play to our strengths- and don’t fall into being so conservative on both sides of the ball that we beat ourselves. I believe you were one of the ones bold enough to say that you would take an interception, or a dropped ball, over playing with what seems like handcuffs on and having NO chance of winning!
Yeah, thanks Pagan. it’s tough. K and I have said for a while that we have the players to beat anyone in the country. Just let em do what they do well.
And that’s what hurts the most, what could have been. Seen too many going off deep end stating we just don’t have very good players, I couldn’t disagree more. Most of them don’t come to this site, as they want to waller in their misery without interruption or perspective. I really like this team we have, hopefully we’ll see more of this the rest of year.
I agree with you JY. Trevor has always been more in rhythm in the passing game when he’s been free to run. Hopefully our coaching staff has learned that about him by now. We need to commit to allowing TK9 to run and if he gets hurt, that’s football. He isn’t the same guy when he’s forced to hand the ball off and/or be a pocket passer.
JY…let me take issue with you , if only slightly. You said Trevor makes up his mind where to go with the ball, pre-snap. That’s precisely what he should be doing. As a qb your first task is to see the defense and make your assessment of where to look first…..you are however correct that he has problems moving past his initial read if covered.
Everything I’ve seen from Trevor indicates to me that he has elite talent, but he needs to take that next step and work through his progressions. I also agree that he is a much better player when allowed the freedom to be the player he ultimately is….his running game makes his passing much better……just my two cents
Good point.
A thought just occurred to me: I remember vaguely that one test of spatial awareness that was used in fighter pilot selection was ‘static’ and another ‘dynamic’. In essence, the candidate was stationary in the first instance and moving in the second. Surprisingly, there were big differences in performance with some people being mediocre in static and outstanding if allowed to move. As I recall, it has something to do with the way an individual processes information coming in through their optic nerve and for some people the information is easier to keep straight if they, and in a relative sense, the background are moving as well as all the other objects.
Maybe Knight actually does SEE his receivers better when he’s moving.
I had the exact same thought!! My son had to go through the same stuff in flight training for the F-16. So cool how much data they collect.
I can understand, to an extent, wanting to protect your QB and TK seems to have a ‘glass jaw’ so to speak. But the staff should see by now, after the way a healthy Knight running during the stretch run last season, opened up the field for everything else. And while he did not run much ZR in the SB, he moved, rolled out, hit that TD while rolling to his right, and caused breakdowns in coverage. He is not the same standing as on the move. I agree with the poster below, TK ‘sees’ the field, less traffic in front of him when he is moving. Everything opens up. And some option football plays to that. Love this offense when it is implemented fully.
I was quietly yelling at my tv during the 6th frame you have here. Knight threw a fairly easy completion to the receiver for the first down, but the moment I saw Perine uncovered, I wanted him to throw that way. It’s an easier pass AND if the receiver is able to turn in time to block his guy, the running back might score, or at least gain more yards than just the first down.
I was right there with you Wade, freaking out watching it live when it looked like Perine had 40yds of green ahead of him. Then the 1st down calmed me 😉
Thanks JY. While TK needs to improve on progressions, I have noticed him going through them more and not starring down receivers (as much). I’ve noticed this improvement over last few games.
Definitely a lot more pleasant reading these after a strong victory! I recall last year that Gabe Ikard mentioned that Baylor’s slanting messed with the running game…how does OU counter that this week?
In a zone blocking scheme they should be able to adapt to the defensive movement. But perhaps more importantly, you need backs with good vision because anytime you get a lot of movement you invariably get a crease and Baylor plays so much man coverage that this could lead to some big runs.
and the cutbacks should be there. Teams that slant, blitz and overpursue are succeptible to counters, bootlegs and zone cutbacks. If we can run the triple option, it could catch baylor in a bad blitz or slant that would net us some big plays.
Cool. Hope we capitalize on their over-aggressiveness. Thanks!
Thanks JY, she’s a beautiful machine when the clutch is let all the way out.
And the rev limiter turned off.
You sure had a lot of plays to chose from in the first half, JY.
I love the triple option, but as Coach Stoops said pitching the ball over the defender’s head is not to be done again.
I also like the idea of getting Flowers more involved in the game, be it runs or passes.
Would love to see the middle of the field attacked more, too.
Since Rip doesn’t get enough credit, I have to say he is one of the most devastating blockers I have ever seen at FB and will be one of the Seniors that I will miss the most next year.
Man, it was TOO COOL though lol!
I’m curious about next year w/out Rip. Do we move to a 2 RB set with Samaje and Ford/Ross/Mixon. Samaje has shown he can block and run so there could be some fun to be had. Just a thought.
I feel Rip will surprise some folks with his testing at the NFL combine.
Flowers is special also. Feel like he will fill in nicely for Rip
Flowers is special also. Feel like he will fill in nicely for Rip
I would love to see a 2 RB set next year. Makes it harder for opposing defenses when they can’t key on the lone RB, and have to watch more than one guy for the screen pass.
I would love to see a 2 RB set next year. Makes it harder for opposing defenses when they can’t key on the lone RB, and have to watch more than one guy for the screen pass.
There are several FBs on the roster with zero pt that are close to Rip in size…this guy and Jaxon Uhles 6′ 234 out of Norman. We had Rip and Millard in the same backfield until Trey got hurt.
I don’t know how or where they are finding guys like Rip and Palange but that photo of Palange, to me, looks like a tough, blue collar guy that was assembled to be another in a line of great FBs at OU. We missed Trey’s speed and athleticism but the blocking, IMO, was even better once Rip came in full-time last season. He makes his presence felt.
In the case of Rip, he found OU. Another in a long line of walk-ons that became Sooner greats. I know Palange gets some special teams play, and I agree with you he looks like a de-cleater for FB.
There are several FBs on the roster with zero pt that are close to Rip in size…this guy and Jaxon Uhles 6′ 234 out of Norman. We had Rip and Millard in the same backfield until Trey got hurt.
I’m curious about next year w/out Rip. Do we move to a 2 RB set with Samaje and Ford/Ross/Mixon. Samaje has shown he can block and run so there could be some fun to be had. Just a thought.
I feel Rip will surprise some folks with his testing at the NFL combine.
Ditto!
Ditto!
Only because it worked. But for microns can we celebrate it and not ponder what TK was thinking.
Thanks JY. Always love your TW’s.
So in addition to just being flat out-athleted, it would appear that ISUs’ defensive alignment contributed greatly to OUs’ success running. The teams that have had the most success have jammed the box where the ‘Clones played soft. That about right?
TK loves and functions best when he’s on that edge. You can see it in his eyes when something opens up. He’s like a kid in a candy store. His thinking and reactions are so fast. This is how he rolls. He just goes out and plays. Ross is not nearly as good as he will be.
JY, seemed to me that we worked a lot of fundamentals during the bye week. The problem with playing young guys is you’re so desperate to get your gameplan in with the little amount of time you have during the week that you lose work on the little things that make you successful. We got back to doing the little things well this week and it showed.
Excellent observation.
I want JY to breakdown my morning routine. What do we have to do to make that happen?
This is the game plan that should have been available for TCU as well as KST. While both of those teams have better personnel than ISU, OU’s chances to win both games would ahve been better than the plan implemented on game day. While TCU can be attributed to faulty planning, KST is on the back of the players and the foot of Honeymuff.