The Football Brainiacs

Texas had a lot of success running the ball. But a lot of their success came with really well executed zone blocking schemes. So we’re going to look at one such a play and try to really understand whether our inability to stop the run on the play was due to a lack of size and physicality or a lack of discipline, execution and/or play calling

1st and 10, 13:40 2nd Quarter

Its 1st and 10 and Malcolm Brown has just checked into the game after a 38 yard run by Gray on a draw (we broke that down in an earlier post). As a side note on Malcolm Brown, he excels at reading zone blocking schemes. He’s had a strong offensive line going back to his days at Cibolo. He’s very physical and has great agility when he one cuts it and gets into the hole.

Texas is in Ace (12 personal with a wide receiver and a TE on each side). McCoy and Brown are in pistol. OU lines up with Wade in a 0 and both DEs in a 4i and two outside backers in 9s. Striker is playing a loose 9. We’ve also got Hayes (the safety) walked down next to Striker. Below you can see the interior gap assignments by the arrows. This was one of the bigger run play Texas had so we’re going to try to address whether there is an issue of talent and physicality or if we’re just missing assignments. Wade playing the nose guard position has both A gaps, Chuka has the B gap and Tapper has the other B gap.

What you’re going to see here is Chuka at that 4i DEnd spot is going to shoot the B gap and the RG is going to wash him down. Wade and Tapper are going to get double teamed and Brown is going to look initially to go play side which is to his left. But as you’ll see below we are actually gap sound there. You’re gonna see Dom scrape across and to get into that gap that Brown is initially looking for. And even though the tackle is going to get on him, in part because Tapper didn’t do a good job of holding the point of attack on this particular play we’ve still got Shannon back there unblocked and ready to make a play.

Now I want to credit Wade, Chuka and PL Lindley here for a minute. First of all, look at the line of scrimmage. How far off the ball was Texas able to knock them? Not very far. In fact Tapper is the only one that really gets blown back at the snap. Wade is going to knock the center back at the snap and when he gets doubled he’s going get his shoulders in a 90 degree angle to split the double team. He isn’t as explosive as a guy like Phillips so he isn’t able to do it quite as quickly but a few frames later he’s going to beat that double team and maintain that play side side A gap.

As far as Chuka and PL go. Chuka is going to get washed down initially but he’ll regain his leverage and shed his blocker and actually try to squeeze the C gap (even though that’s not his assignment). PL is going to hold the point of attack and had Malcolm tried to come play side, a few moments later PL is able to also shed his blocker and would have been in position to make the tackle.

In the image below you’re going to see PL (#40) just as he is about to shed his blocker. I only point that out to show you that even though there is space to run in that play side (Texas’ left) gap PL is going to squeeze it and Shannon was actually scraping across unblocked but in the image below he’s starting to change direction because he sees the cut back. What you’re also seeing is the busted assignment. Notice the huge hole (where I’ve drawn the circle) in the C gap where Brown runs? There’s an arrow pointing off Chuka into that gap because he’s going to shed his blocker a moment later and squeezes that space. Hayes has come outside untouched which, I believe is exactly where is supposed to be. The problem is that Striker took essentially the same path as Hayes at the snap (notice the two red arrows pointing to Hayes’ path and Strikers’ path). Striker was likely responsible for the C gap and should have come across that tight ends face at the snap. Had he done then he forces Brown to bounce it outside where Hayes has the tackle

This is not gap sound defense. You’ve got two guys setting the edge and no one accounting for that back side C gap.  Brown finds the gap easily for 12 yards and a first down.

While this is one of the bigger runs Texas had all game, the primary issue here isn’t being overmatched physically so much as it is simply not executing the defense properly and being sound in our gap assignments. In fact, as I said earlier, in this play Wade (a RS freshman backup) is going to blow Texas’ center back at the snap and force the guard to stay on that double team which is why’ve got a pile at the LOS where Brown wants to run and why we’ve got a backer playing completely unblocked.

Now there is a possibility that Hayes should have been on a loop stunt into that C gap. Whatever the case may be someone missed an assignment and you can see Shannon frustrated by it as gestures in the direction of Hayes and Striker as if to say “what just happened?!”

The Football Brainiacs note to the reader: This play analysis is meant solely as an attempt to bring our readers closer to what’s happening on the field. This is not intended to demean or deprecate any player or the coaches. We all made mistakes and we all made plays just like any one of these fine young men. It’s part of the game and it is part of life and we wish them nothing but the best on the field and off.