Series:
Welcome back to the final version of Upon Further Review in this 2019 season. I’m sure you are much like me in being disappointed with how the season went, so today we will look back at the La. Tech bowl game and discuss some of the issues I’ve seen on film this season.
Second down and you see part of my problem with the offense; they play in a phone booth far too often. For a team that struggles to move people in the run game, and struggles to separate, putting players this close together plays into the defense’s hands. 10 players right next to each other and then one WR split sort of wide. You didn’t see Miami this bunched up in 1983.
Miami playing a team like La. Tech should be able to run all over this setup. Five in the box, double on Mallory up the seam. Instead they throw the slant right into a defense set to defend that specific play (a big Miami tendency).
From the first game to the last, the CB blitz befuddled Enos’ offense. Run the nickel off a blitz and we hand the ball right into it for basically no gain. Osborn points it out, the OLB just shades for the tendency off that play and takes the slant. Easy to see LTU is just playing every tendency and our game plan was not changed from what they showed all year.
3rd down and you’ve got perfect protection, an OLB covering a WR, the WR is open and the QB throws the ball well behind him. You can see Harley already stopping for the ball here while the LB tries to catch up. Getting a LB on your 4.5 WR on 3rd down is a coaches dream and Miami flubs it.
Punt coverage can’t have the outside gunner ducking inside of the returner and giving up the sideline. That’s how big returns happen. It’s not on Murphy, it’s on Couch.
Defense does what it normally does, has a missed tackle by Knowles to allow a big play, but then stiffens up and forces a punt. On the punt, Osborn lets it hit the ground in front of him when he has to go get that ball. It rolls several yards in favor of LTU and I’m sure the coaches were not happy there. (Not pictured)
This review isn’t going to be especially defense focused, we know they’re pretty good, so it will not be especially positive either, since I’ll be talking mostly about the offense. Here is my question with this designed play, how do you have a five-man box essentially, with six blockers, and you have no one blocking the ILB?
After the snap, they drop the nickel defender into the box because no one is threatening him, so Mallory takes him. He loses his block, which prevents the RB from having a cutback lane and then you have an unblocked LB just standing in the hole. The play goes nowhere, and you essentially have a WR they don’t have to cover because the bubble fake comes down to the side where there are two defenders and no blockers. Run goes nowhere.
Might as well be running the wishbone offense. All 11 players are right there. It works because they don’t cover the FB who releases, but this isn’t my kind of offense.
Part of my issue with our offense is just seeing this same stuff all season long. Here you have Gaynor leading the play, which has potential to work and you see what he sees. He knows Harris is behind him because he feels his hand, so who do you block here? The guy standing in front of you, right? Perhaps the LB scraping downhill? Nope. He chooses to run and try to block the guy that Osborn is blocking here and the guy standing in front of him and the backside LB just tackle Harris.
Another consistent theme all season to me is the inability to take advantage of the things the defense is giving you. Miami spreads them out a little bit on 3rd down and there are three receivers with two defenders- one of which is 11 yards off the LOS on a 3rd and 5. This looks like an easy opportunity to get the ball in space to Osburn with blockers to me. It’s double slants, which the edge defender jumps because it’s our tendency and Jarren pulls it down to scramble.
Nothing wrong with the play call here. If Campbell gets his block this could be a big play on the QB draw (74 on the emblem against the LB in open field). He doesn’t, so it isn’t, but it’s there.
Gotta make this throw. Miami had a 10-play drive go for all of 39 yards.
Here is the downside to Brooks. He is a ball of athleticism, but he needs to get more physical at the point to be a great LB. Here he is standing on the LOS with that OL pulling at him. Where you saw the La. Tech LB screaming downhill and using his quickness to beat Campbell’s block, Brooks tries to sidesaddle this one and the RB cuts off of it for a big run. Be aggressive and I can live with your mistakes.
You heard about players, especially seniors, not really wanting to be here in this game and there is no doubt in my mind that Romeo Finley was one of those players. Here he is simply walking to the LOS instead of screaming to set this edge and hopefully push the blocker into the RB. Then he just tosses Finley to the ground and runs for nine yards. This was probably the worst game I saw from Finley in his career as a striker.
Next play, Brooks takes on that pulling OL and thumps him in his chest so hard the OL falls down. Brooks comes off the block and makes the tackle. It was still a nice gain, but I like seeing the physicality from Brooks after getting burned earlier. Next play, Brooks uses his speed to get past a puller and gets into the hole and stuffs the run right there. Player after that they don’t block Brooks and he’s so fast he gets to the QB at the RB exchange and Nnoruka gets a TFL. I believe if the pup doesn’t bite, he probably isn’t biting when he’s an upperclassman. Brooks is biting. (Not pictured)
Does anyone believe those long play fakes are fooling anyone at all? The outside LB (closest to Mallory) is responsible for the backside support if this was a run. Instead, he is darting through the hole between Zion and Campbell, where Jarren turns directly into him with the ball and gets sacked. A player who is supposed to be taken care of by the fake gets a sack because we have such a tendency and are so poor at carrying out this play.
You’ve seen this all year long. LTU shows pressure, backs out and sends five. We have five blockers. Scaife has to decide who to take on this play. He takes the inside guy, so the outside guy is free. The inside guy is actually a stunter and Scaife never touches him so he helps on Clark’s man. The inside guy also comes free on his stunt between C/RG. Jarren has to run for his life. So frustrating to see all year long. I believe Butch Barry should be replaced as well. If I played this offense I would be stunting all game long and set a new NCAA sack record.
We got Mallory on a DE if we had picked up the blitz for a big gain, if not TD. Campbell had a hands to the face penalty to negate it anyway.
Big play here, as they scored on this drive. How does Knowles not see this is a QB draw already? If he sticks his foot in the ground and goes right now he can stop this play. He just stands there instead and the QB picks it up.
Harvey playing nervous here. He’s tip-toeing into this tackle against 33. All he has to do is attack like he’s done since he was a youth. The RB (33) gets out of this for a 20-yard gain.
Gotta make this throw and catch. Make no mistake, Jarren was awful in this game.
This is one of many examples I have with Jarren to show why I question his football instincts. This is a play you simply need to get there to the 1st down and not try and juke people. He clearly has this 1st down if he just angles towards the sideline and runs hard. Instead, he’s stopped short.
Here’s another example of just a lack of football understanding.
Miami uses a timeout in the 2nd half on the first possession by their defense in a one score game. This is one of those things you almost know will hurt you every time. (Not pictured)
As you all know, the pain only continues from here. The second half adjustments were to do the exact same things and then change QB’s for the third time (Jarren to Tate, Tate to Jarren, Jarren to N’Kosi). It was a bunch of awful on film, so I’ll get to my observations.
Overall
Second down and you see part of my problem with the offense; they play in a phone booth far too often. For a team that struggles to move people in the run game, and struggles to separate, putting players this close together plays into the defense’s hands. 10 players right next to each other and then one WR split sort of wide. You didn’t see Miami this bunched up in 1983.
Miami playing a team like La. Tech should be able to run all over this setup. Five in the box, double on Mallory up the seam. Instead they throw the slant right into a defense set to defend that specific play (a big Miami tendency).
From the first game to the last, the CB blitz befuddled Enos’ offense. Run the nickel off a blitz and we hand the ball right into it for basically no gain. Osborn points it out, the OLB just shades for the tendency off that play and takes the slant. Easy to see LTU is just playing every tendency and our game plan was not changed from what they showed all year.
3rd down and you’ve got perfect protection, an OLB covering a WR, the WR is open and the QB throws the ball well behind him. You can see Harley already stopping for the ball here while the LB tries to catch up. Getting a LB on your 4.5 WR on 3rd down is a coaches dream and Miami flubs it.
Punt coverage can’t have the outside gunner ducking inside of the returner and giving up the sideline. That’s how big returns happen. It’s not on Murphy, it’s on Couch.
Defense does what it normally does, has a missed tackle by Knowles to allow a big play, but then stiffens up and forces a punt. On the punt, Osborn lets it hit the ground in front of him when he has to go get that ball. It rolls several yards in favor of LTU and I’m sure the coaches were not happy there. (Not pictured)
This review isn’t going to be especially defense focused, we know they’re pretty good, so it will not be especially positive either, since I’ll be talking mostly about the offense. Here is my question with this designed play, how do you have a five-man box essentially, with six blockers, and you have no one blocking the ILB?
After the snap, they drop the nickel defender into the box because no one is threatening him, so Mallory takes him. He loses his block, which prevents the RB from having a cutback lane and then you have an unblocked LB just standing in the hole. The play goes nowhere, and you essentially have a WR they don’t have to cover because the bubble fake comes down to the side where there are two defenders and no blockers. Run goes nowhere.
Might as well be running the wishbone offense. All 11 players are right there. It works because they don’t cover the FB who releases, but this isn’t my kind of offense.
Part of my issue with our offense is just seeing this same stuff all season long. Here you have Gaynor leading the play, which has potential to work and you see what he sees. He knows Harris is behind him because he feels his hand, so who do you block here? The guy standing in front of you, right? Perhaps the LB scraping downhill? Nope. He chooses to run and try to block the guy that Osborn is blocking here and the guy standing in front of him and the backside LB just tackle Harris.
Another consistent theme all season to me is the inability to take advantage of the things the defense is giving you. Miami spreads them out a little bit on 3rd down and there are three receivers with two defenders- one of which is 11 yards off the LOS on a 3rd and 5. This looks like an easy opportunity to get the ball in space to Osburn with blockers to me. It’s double slants, which the edge defender jumps because it’s our tendency and Jarren pulls it down to scramble.
Nothing wrong with the play call here. If Campbell gets his block this could be a big play on the QB draw (74 on the emblem against the LB in open field). He doesn’t, so it isn’t, but it’s there.
Gotta make this throw. Miami had a 10-play drive go for all of 39 yards.
Here is the downside to Brooks. He is a ball of athleticism, but he needs to get more physical at the point to be a great LB. Here he is standing on the LOS with that OL pulling at him. Where you saw the La. Tech LB screaming downhill and using his quickness to beat Campbell’s block, Brooks tries to sidesaddle this one and the RB cuts off of it for a big run. Be aggressive and I can live with your mistakes.
You heard about players, especially seniors, not really wanting to be here in this game and there is no doubt in my mind that Romeo Finley was one of those players. Here he is simply walking to the LOS instead of screaming to set this edge and hopefully push the blocker into the RB. Then he just tosses Finley to the ground and runs for nine yards. This was probably the worst game I saw from Finley in his career as a striker.
Next play, Brooks takes on that pulling OL and thumps him in his chest so hard the OL falls down. Brooks comes off the block and makes the tackle. It was still a nice gain, but I like seeing the physicality from Brooks after getting burned earlier. Next play, Brooks uses his speed to get past a puller and gets into the hole and stuffs the run right there. Player after that they don’t block Brooks and he’s so fast he gets to the QB at the RB exchange and Nnoruka gets a TFL. I believe if the pup doesn’t bite, he probably isn’t biting when he’s an upperclassman. Brooks is biting. (Not pictured)
Does anyone believe those long play fakes are fooling anyone at all? The outside LB (closest to Mallory) is responsible for the backside support if this was a run. Instead, he is darting through the hole between Zion and Campbell, where Jarren turns directly into him with the ball and gets sacked. A player who is supposed to be taken care of by the fake gets a sack because we have such a tendency and are so poor at carrying out this play.
You’ve seen this all year long. LTU shows pressure, backs out and sends five. We have five blockers. Scaife has to decide who to take on this play. He takes the inside guy, so the outside guy is free. The inside guy is actually a stunter and Scaife never touches him so he helps on Clark’s man. The inside guy also comes free on his stunt between C/RG. Jarren has to run for his life. So frustrating to see all year long. I believe Butch Barry should be replaced as well. If I played this offense I would be stunting all game long and set a new NCAA sack record.
We got Mallory on a DE if we had picked up the blitz for a big gain, if not TD. Campbell had a hands to the face penalty to negate it anyway.
Big play here, as they scored on this drive. How does Knowles not see this is a QB draw already? If he sticks his foot in the ground and goes right now he can stop this play. He just stands there instead and the QB picks it up.
Harvey playing nervous here. He’s tip-toeing into this tackle against 33. All he has to do is attack like he’s done since he was a youth. The RB (33) gets out of this for a 20-yard gain.
Gotta make this throw and catch. Make no mistake, Jarren was awful in this game.
This is one of many examples I have with Jarren to show why I question his football instincts. This is a play you simply need to get there to the 1st down and not try and juke people. He clearly has this 1st down if he just angles towards the sideline and runs hard. Instead, he’s stopped short.
Here’s another example of just a lack of football understanding.
Miami uses a timeout in the 2nd half on the first possession by their defense in a one score game. This is one of those things you almost know will hurt you every time. (Not pictured)
As you all know, the pain only continues from here. The second half adjustments were to do the exact same things and then change QB’s for the third time (Jarren to Tate, Tate to Jarren, Jarren to N’Kosi). It was a bunch of awful on film, so I’ll get to my observations.
Overall
- Miami is absolutely lacking for playmakers on this offense currently. I charted the plays on offense and Miami gained exactly zero yards after contact from anyone outside of Jarren (who broke a few tackles on his scrambles). Harris went down on first contact, every single time. Mallory went down. Osborn went down. Pope went down. There has to be some emphasis on getting guys who will make something on their own in this offense. I like Cam’Ron Harris, but that is an appalling stat against a G5 defense.
- The lack of speed and anyone scaring LTU from our offense was glaring. Miami used to be a team full of track stars, but now is honestly a fairly slow team on offense (and defense for that matter). I sent a few screenshots from my phone of the entire 11-man defense in your screen, in a game where one score tied the game for almost the entirety, and LTU just dared a Miami program built on speed to do something about it and they couldn’t.
- Our QB’s each have a redeeming quality about them, but also warts so glaring as to be easy to defend. Jarren is absolutely reliant on the middle of the field. When a team can jump slants and take away that stick route to the TE, he panics in the pocket. N’Kosi is reliant on the outside hash game with stops and comebacks. He can dice up a defense that plays off-man coverage, but when a team can play zone and read his eyes, he throws picks like the one you saw in this game. Tate has some wheels and some moxie, but he is so deficient at reading the field the defense can simply spy him and dare him to read a coverage and deliver an accurate ball. If you could somehow morph the three of them together you might have a single good player, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see any, or all three, of them move on after this season, honestly.
- Mallory’s inability to catch the ball was a big story for this offense all season. He has the physical tools to be a good player, but he needs to be asked to be a receiving TE only, and he needs to get familiar with the JUGS machine and improve those hands.
- Butch Barry has to be let go. The same issues with stunts and free rushers were present in this game that were present in game one. His recruiting brought in a couple of nice prospects, but whiffed on most of the big targets.
- Enos, coming off three weeks to game plan, decided that using Polendey and Irvin in 12-personnel multiple times was the best way for us to win this game. He’s fired now, so I can save the vitriol I had planned for this article, but safe to say Dan Enos committed something of career suicide this year. Many of you have read that my year with the Missouri State program happened to be the year that Enos was there as OC. He was hated then for being the smartest guy in the room and left after only one season. Not much has changed since 1996 it appears.
- Cam Harris must be nursing an injury because he looked like he was running in mud in this game. When you couple that with the fact that he couldn’t block a blitz to save his life and he tripped over his own feet on a screen that would’ve picked up big yards, he has to clean up the finer parts of the position to see the field next year. Getting both RB commits in for spring is huge, because both might be needed if Dallas leaves.
- For me, this game is just another indictment on the lack of head coaching skills for Manny Diaz. He appeared to be in over his head from the very beginning of the season. The decision to start two freshman tackles against Florida’s pass rush, when it was clear that Scaife was our best T was one of the worst decisions of the year. From there, the team was flat against any non-rival and lost games to Georgia Tech, FIU, Duke, North Carolina, Virginia Tech with huge talent advantages. The role of a CEO is to set the course for the vision, put people in roles that maximize their success, allow the individuals put in leadership positions to run their groups, and maintain a consistency within the business. Obviously, making a profit and keeping shareholders happy is number one. Coach Diaz fired the entire offensive staff and then made decisions that made things worse and had to fire essentially his VP after one year. Coach Diaz couldn’t get a team excited on his own leadership at any point in this season. The preparation was decidedly poor at every turn. Coach Diaz has been another year to prove himself by this administration and I will root for him, but in my reviews of both data and film, the job that he did this year was so poor that I would strongly consider making a change of both the HC himself, and the man who made the decision to put him in that position (Blake James). My hope is that Coach Diaz gets the next OC hire right, goes to pace-and-space and gets the program back to respectability, but I have my doubts.
- Thank you for reading my articles this year. Thank you for the kind words I have received. Thank you for the criticism I have received, it makes me strive to be better. Thank you for sticking with me to the end of this deeply disappointing season.
Chit, do you think LA Tech was going to be fooled by those play-action's calls.
