Surprise! I’m still here and they didn’t fire me after not writing an article for two weeks. No one cares, but my company is downsizing and reorganizing and that has meant new roles for me. Which has meant 60-70 hour work-weeks the past few weeks. Enough of the personal whining and onto some whining about Miami football!
Pace and space. Two big scheme variables that can stress a defense. Two other scheme/play variables are motion and play action. If I ran an offense, I would incorporate all three into my offense as much as any team in the country. Here is how their defense started against our formation:
Motion by the WR in the backfield draws that slot defender closer to the LOS to defend the swing pass. It also draws his eyes onto the QB and the S steps down a step rather than getting depth against the TE he is defending. Without motion, this play isn’t open. Plus, lining Harley up in the backfield messed up the defense.
This one is a fine call by the OC, but really, it was just terrible defense. UVA must’ve watched something on film on this formation and decided to use their nickel to jump this screen. Harley just runs straight down the field and they inverted their safeties and they stepped out a SAM LB to replace him. It was something that any college WR would’ve won on. The SAM isn’t even retreating to get depth yet and Harley is into a sprint.
This is just bad defense. No one covering the slant and if Frierson stays back for the slant, then no one has the C gap and Armstrong can run. Without the defensive call, can’t say who messed up, but someone did. Carter gets ejected for targeting at the end. At some point Carter has to stop lowering his head or the coaches have to stop playing him.
I don’t get paid six figures to be a defensive coach, but even I can see that the defense is outleveraged to the edge on this play and if I’m McCloud I know I have to flow from C down to B gap (meaning outside and be a force player to make runners cut back inside). All 11 defenders are on the screen, so Bolden is no help as a deep safety to the top of the screen. At the snap to a Wildcat QB, without a receiver over there to challenge his pass drop, McCloud stays in the B gap for some unknown reason.
Four Canes defenders fell for the run fake and McCloud tried to take him as well. He needs to be outside of the 30 right now. This is not good, folks. McCloud and Roche just give up the edge far too easily.
Does Baker grasp the fact this blitz never works? Obviously not. Outleveraged to the top of screen when we bring that SS blitz that has no prayer. This goes inside the 10 for an easy pitch and catch.
Really hard to think of in the moment, but Bolden needs to just catch the TE here and carry him out of bounds. Perfectly legal and would’ve been incomplete. Virginia’s entire offense is eye-candy and motion. If you aren’t assignment sound you will get gashed- especially on 3rd down. Miami fell for the eye candy often in this game, but the defense was not really the problem overall.
Next drive, Miami shoots itself in the foot with a true freshman holding. (Not pictured)
Eight defenders in the box and Campbell sets inside originally, then jumps outside and Snowden makes a nice play to beat him back inside. No reason for Campbell to get outside when the play goes outside the whole way. This was never going to work with no push from the OL and especially not with Cam Harris having to bounce it with Snowden there. Woof.
King gets us out of our end zone with a scramble. His legs are really the difference maker between this year’s offense and last year’s offense. (Not pictured)
On 3rd & 1 Wiggins is screaming at Mammarelli, who didn’t know how to line up. He was on the LOS, covering up Mallory, which would make him ineligible to release. Get your head in the game, kid. (Not pictured)
I really would like to see more Air Raid concepts from this offense. Using the pass to spread the defense out and actually help out the offense. When you have receivers spaced apart, the defense also has to be spaced apart and that limits the defenders inside you can send on a blitz. This is a 5-man box from Virginia and they send one of them on a blitz. Sending the RB in motion again causes issues for the defense and makes the LB step down. With them blitzing the other LB and a S coming down has eyes on the RB. This makes the MOF easy money and Mallory catches an easy ball.
Communication issues remain on the OL. Three defenders, four blockers to top of screen. One defender, two blockers to bottom. Clark touches no one. Scaife got put on his backside because he waited too long with the stunter. He really is just there to give a stiff arm with his right arm and then come off and take the inside shoulder of Gaynor. A G operates in a phone booth so often and really has spatial responsibilities and Scaife messes it up. Lashlee really had a poor sequence of plays there, but Miami started on their own 5, so it was still a successful drive.
Love to see run fits! Virginia runs motion into a power concept off-tackle. Jennings beats a block into the B-gap, edge is set by Frierson and it’s a great stop. WR motioned out of Blades side of field and he effectively becomes a safety to that side while Bolden drops down to take motion WR. That’s what it’s supposed to look like.
Next play, it is not what it’s supposed to look like from Jennings. Where is he going on a jet sweep motion? He’s got the B-gap to boundary and needs to stay outside until he knows the WR has the ball and then retrace. RB to left of QB holds edge defender who comes upfield. Jennings runs himself right out of play and the two OL are lead blockers for the QB.
A nice play by McCloud. He’s pretty much sandwiched between both these blockers but shoves the OL into the RB and fights for a tackle at the LOS. If het gets shoved out of there, it’s a convoy down the sideline, honestly.
All-out blitz with six rushers (S + CB + MLB) on 3rd & 8 and Armstrong has a nice pocket and a wide-open receiver for a conversion. Luckily, the QB made a bad throw and they had to punt. Strongly dislike that 3rd down defense. Strongly.
They faked the screen to Knighton and then came back to the slip screen to Pope. Would’ve rather thrown the screen to Knighton with a Mallory block and Nelson lead blocker. This play was not well-designed as there is nothing to hold the slot defender except for eye candy.
Nice throw. Outside the numbers and on-time to Harley. I wrote quite a bit before the season about this being an offense that will live outside the numbers and most of our routes do not attack the MOF at all.
Inside-zone runs require great guard play. Why is this a problem with guard play if the C needs to get to that MLB? Well, Gaynor has to help Scaife for too long on this block with the NT. If Scaife could handle that block with just a stiff-arm from Gaynor, he could release. Clark needs to release and hit the other LB. That leaves Knighton on a S just past the hole if they can execute their blocks. Neither do, the run gets one yard. You want to run inside zone, you need G’s can handle the NT on their own and we don’t have that. It’s why we struggle against Virginia, specifically.
To run outside zone really well, your C has to be able to get what is called a “reach block” on the NT (basically step outside of your stance and get there before the slanting NT and keep him from getting across the LOS). Gaynor can’t do it here. Nelson needs to blow Snowden out and give a cutback lane for the RB. When Gaynor doesn’t get this reach block, the RB has to cut this back to hope for yardage (yellow), but he keeps going outside (red) and loses yards. The OL didn’t get the job done, but this isn’t good from Knighton, either.
I don’t get into the mind games much, but this is completely unacceptable by Bronco Mendenhall and I’d want my coach to have something to say about this to the officials, and after the game. Mendenhall has his hands on Wiggins here and we all just let this stand. Wiggins got an unsportsmanlike penalty, but this should’ve been on their player and Mendenhall should never be touching our players.
Pope makes an incredible catch down the sideline on 3rd & 8 on a deep shot. We ran a streak, a Whip, and skinny posts on the backside. I’m starting to notice that King has started locking onto his first read and not coming off of it much and that could be because the pressure has started impacting him more. (Not pictured)
I’ve been mostly happy with King this year, but one thing I’ve been a bit surprised with is that he isn’t a better ballhandler on the read-option stuff. This isn’t fooling anyone and #11 just keeps coming right at the QB here and knocks the pass down. King and the RB have to perform a dance where King rides with the RB and the ball isn’t just out there for the world to see.
It stinks that we had a protection breakdown and just let the edge defender come unblocked because we had a seam WR with a two-way go on a flat-footed safety in the middle. King gets away, but is sacked on the sideline. Kick gets blocked.
Look at the difference with Virginia and their inside zone run. The C is able to take our 3T on his own and the LG takes our NT on his own, which means the RG can release free and easy to the second level. You want to be a good run defense you can’t allow that easy release like this. That 3T needs to grab or impede his progress just a little bit, or be too much for the C to take on his own. Not even talking about the fact they turn this into an inside zone run with a lead from the H-back. The horizontal motion holds the striker, making this a seven-man box with seven blockers and no one wins their matchup. Run goes for a first down.
Miami is so confused on defense on this play. The white guy at the bottom of the screen is the QB, who they motioned out wide. The guy taking the snap was the WR where Armstrong motioned. The slot comes across with jet motion and that draws Frierson across the formation for reasons I cannot explain. We stunt our 3T and their C gets a free release onto the Mike. Leaving a tractor trailer sized hole right where Frierson vacates. Ivey makes a nice tackle or it was a huge gain. I honestly can’t tell you what the defensive plan with the stunting 3T going so wide is. Virginia’s OL really handled our DL much better than I expected them to be able to do.
NT play has been an issue for quite some time. You cannot be getting handled 1-on-1 by a C like this.
RB presses hole, McCloud steps up and the RB has the speed to beat him to the edge. That should not happen to a Miami defense. (Not pictured)
Virginia’s offense is always going to move the ball against Miami because they use so much eye candy and Miami is predicated on seeing the ball and smashing the ball. Here, the CB jumps up when he sees the end around and I said to myself, “it’s a good thing that wasn’t a play-action fake” when the CB jumps it. Only the end around is to the QB, who has a wide-open receiver on the wheel route here. He just dirts it, thankfully.
This stunt I can see what the defensive intent is. Your DT shoots between the G/T and your edge loops inside. Sam Brooks replaces him outside in the C gap though, so you maintained gap integrity on this play, rather than leaving a gap like the stunt earlier. Tackle for loss.
3rd & long and you blitz McCloud from the boundary and leave the wide side of the field to players all bailing in coverage. You have a couple of defenders covering grass and if you’re going to bail like this you have to be prepared to cover the sticks. This technique the CB is playing is called “sail” by some teams and it’s supposed to allow you to play deep and the back-shoulder at the same time (because you can play inside of the receiver and watch the QB’s eyes at the same time). Not sure why we opened our hips and feared getting beat deep by a QB playing WR, but here we are. Then you have Jennings turning his numbers and trying to run to the seam rather than Frierson, who is standing right there. They're trying to stop any sort of QB run or screen play, but Virginia runs an actual offense to pick up a first down. I’ve tried to stand up for Baker a bunch of times, but he’s using up his nine lives with me. You’re five yards off and bailing on 3rd & 10? Really? Ivey plays his best when he gets hands on WR’s and plays physical. QB stares it down from the snap.
This should’ve been a sack. This is on the players, not on Baker. You have two rushers, one blocker. Jennings and Smith run into each other rather than one going high and one going low. Jennings has to go shoulder towards the C on this play. That’s his gap. Why he is trying to duck inside on this rush is beyond me. Blocker seals him inside, which seals Smith as well and the QB scrambles for nice yards.
Next play, Jennings take a false step in and the QB goes outside and is just faster than Jennings. One of the limitations of what we have is when you take false steps and you aren’t a freak athlete, that leaves a small margin for error. (Not pictured)
Later on that same drive Jennings beats the LG on a blitz and sacks the QB to effectively hold them to a FG attempt, which they missed. Huge play. (Not pictured)
Baker defenses give up long 3rd down conversions. It’s clockwork. This cannot happen. The CB has his eyes in the backfield and sees the QB step up and he forgets about his coverage and steps up. S is held inside by the slot post and this is a TD that was only not a TD because Virginia got a formation penalty. Defenders have got to start doing their jobs. Do your job and your job only. Get enough people doing their job and the results will be there.
For me, every time they line up in a triangle to the field side with the point on the inside receiver I am raising up and throwing the bubble. Especially when Mallory is against the point defender. This is a huge gain for Harley on a nice run-after-catch.
Run the same thing with Mallory as the blocker again. They motion Harley over and when no one goes with him to get on the LOS, he becomes a second blocker on two defenders. If you want to stack defenders and play off with Mallory at point of attack, just throw it out there. That is way better than a run play on 1st down. It’s sort of boring for an offense to do that, but until the defense takes it away, you really should just take the free money. This was a really clever play design by Lashlee.
See what I mean here? You run the same play once again and that is a nice gain and an easy first down. Instead King keeps it and is stuffed. Sometimes coaches just have to show how smart they are instead of running what is there.
Lashlee must’ve said to himself, “if they’re not going to change, just keep taking it.” They play off again, Mallory is the point blocker and Harley picks up a 1st down here.
Chaney comes in and picks up 11 on his first carry. They hurry to the line and Virginia runs the same triangle defensive setup to defend the trips to field side with Mallory as the point blocker. If they threw it again it would’ve worked again. Instead they run the ball and get almost nothing. (Not pictured)
My guess is a big change Virginia employs defensively in the 2nd half is the realization that they can get pressure by rushing three. Next play they flush King with only three rushing and King doesn’t throw it away from some reason and takes a sack. (Not pictured)
Mallory has this if he goes up strong like a basketball player getting a rebound rather than fading away as he jumps. It probably was pass interference, but the softness of the play by Mallory ruined his case.
Announcers lobbying for Bolden to get ejected for targeting clearly don’t understand what targeting is. Bolden hit him in the shoulder with his shoulder. The dudes head whips back because Bolden clobbered him and gravity is not your friend when the other person’s force far outdoes your own. (Not pictured)
Interesting little angle route here. We line up in trips with Malloy at point. We’ve run a few screens out of this and this is a variation of that. We switch Wiggins and Harley at the snap and Harley runs an angle route to the sideline and then back into MOF. Think of that Texas route that Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran so effectively out of the backfield last season. Mallory being a bigger body gets the CB off the route a little more. Wiggins clears out the coverage and it goes for a first down. Neat.
The impact of Brevin being out isn’t just that you lose him, it now means you have a true freshman playing H-back and he loses badly here on this play. If Mammarelli gets this block, Pope doesn’t have to bubble from the start and he scores on this play. Instead, it’s a big loss.
Frierson timed this blitz perfectly and actually loops around the LT on an inside draw and loops back into the same gap the RB goes through and tackles him from behind to prevent this from being picked up. Have to get better on 3rd-and-Long defensively.
King has to make this throw for Miami to be successful. Underneath LB scared him and he throws it high. I don’t have a clue what the OL is supposed to be doing here. Additionally, the officials missed a blatant offsides call and it cost us a possession. The Virginia defender was in-between the G/T at the snap.
I just have no idea what we are trying to do on 3rd-and-long situations. Three defenders running backwards past the 1st down line and Frierson missed a call and didn’t know what to do at the snap. He’s chasing all the way and this receiver just runs uncovered for a huge 1st down.
Miami lets Armstrong pick up over 30 yards on this play. Frierson and Steed are right there.
Our LB’s in a nutshell right here. Steed just has no idea on this play.
Next play was this. That is a truly disastrous three-play stretch for Miami’s defense. Too many times in the 4th quarter we are still seeing miscommunications and plays like the one from Steed above. The only chance Virginia has is if they hit a big play. Miami has the ball and calls a weird rollout play and misses the pass. Then they bail on 3rd-and-long, give up the QB run on 4th and inches, then don’t communicate on the next play. Smith is telling Blades to get out there and Gurvan to back off into Cover-2 shell. Neither do it in time. That’s something the coaching staff needs to fix.
A little more patience and vision on this run from King and he is out the gate on the cutback.
Miami spreads the field on 3rd & 3 and there are receivers open all over (Mallory is wide open here because the LB steps forward after King throws it, but he would’ve been open in that next window or carried the CB with him and Pope even more open). Why this wasn’t the game plan coming in is something that escapes me.
Scaife really had a disastrous game run blocking.
Pace and space. Two big scheme variables that can stress a defense. Two other scheme/play variables are motion and play action. If I ran an offense, I would incorporate all three into my offense as much as any team in the country. Here is how their defense started against our formation:
Motion by the WR in the backfield draws that slot defender closer to the LOS to defend the swing pass. It also draws his eyes onto the QB and the S steps down a step rather than getting depth against the TE he is defending. Without motion, this play isn’t open. Plus, lining Harley up in the backfield messed up the defense.
This one is a fine call by the OC, but really, it was just terrible defense. UVA must’ve watched something on film on this formation and decided to use their nickel to jump this screen. Harley just runs straight down the field and they inverted their safeties and they stepped out a SAM LB to replace him. It was something that any college WR would’ve won on. The SAM isn’t even retreating to get depth yet and Harley is into a sprint.
This is just bad defense. No one covering the slant and if Frierson stays back for the slant, then no one has the C gap and Armstrong can run. Without the defensive call, can’t say who messed up, but someone did. Carter gets ejected for targeting at the end. At some point Carter has to stop lowering his head or the coaches have to stop playing him.
I don’t get paid six figures to be a defensive coach, but even I can see that the defense is outleveraged to the edge on this play and if I’m McCloud I know I have to flow from C down to B gap (meaning outside and be a force player to make runners cut back inside). All 11 defenders are on the screen, so Bolden is no help as a deep safety to the top of the screen. At the snap to a Wildcat QB, without a receiver over there to challenge his pass drop, McCloud stays in the B gap for some unknown reason.
Four Canes defenders fell for the run fake and McCloud tried to take him as well. He needs to be outside of the 30 right now. This is not good, folks. McCloud and Roche just give up the edge far too easily.
Does Baker grasp the fact this blitz never works? Obviously not. Outleveraged to the top of screen when we bring that SS blitz that has no prayer. This goes inside the 10 for an easy pitch and catch.
Really hard to think of in the moment, but Bolden needs to just catch the TE here and carry him out of bounds. Perfectly legal and would’ve been incomplete. Virginia’s entire offense is eye-candy and motion. If you aren’t assignment sound you will get gashed- especially on 3rd down. Miami fell for the eye candy often in this game, but the defense was not really the problem overall.
Next drive, Miami shoots itself in the foot with a true freshman holding. (Not pictured)
Eight defenders in the box and Campbell sets inside originally, then jumps outside and Snowden makes a nice play to beat him back inside. No reason for Campbell to get outside when the play goes outside the whole way. This was never going to work with no push from the OL and especially not with Cam Harris having to bounce it with Snowden there. Woof.
King gets us out of our end zone with a scramble. His legs are really the difference maker between this year’s offense and last year’s offense. (Not pictured)
On 3rd & 1 Wiggins is screaming at Mammarelli, who didn’t know how to line up. He was on the LOS, covering up Mallory, which would make him ineligible to release. Get your head in the game, kid. (Not pictured)
I really would like to see more Air Raid concepts from this offense. Using the pass to spread the defense out and actually help out the offense. When you have receivers spaced apart, the defense also has to be spaced apart and that limits the defenders inside you can send on a blitz. This is a 5-man box from Virginia and they send one of them on a blitz. Sending the RB in motion again causes issues for the defense and makes the LB step down. With them blitzing the other LB and a S coming down has eyes on the RB. This makes the MOF easy money and Mallory catches an easy ball.
Communication issues remain on the OL. Three defenders, four blockers to top of screen. One defender, two blockers to bottom. Clark touches no one. Scaife got put on his backside because he waited too long with the stunter. He really is just there to give a stiff arm with his right arm and then come off and take the inside shoulder of Gaynor. A G operates in a phone booth so often and really has spatial responsibilities and Scaife messes it up. Lashlee really had a poor sequence of plays there, but Miami started on their own 5, so it was still a successful drive.
Love to see run fits! Virginia runs motion into a power concept off-tackle. Jennings beats a block into the B-gap, edge is set by Frierson and it’s a great stop. WR motioned out of Blades side of field and he effectively becomes a safety to that side while Bolden drops down to take motion WR. That’s what it’s supposed to look like.
Next play, it is not what it’s supposed to look like from Jennings. Where is he going on a jet sweep motion? He’s got the B-gap to boundary and needs to stay outside until he knows the WR has the ball and then retrace. RB to left of QB holds edge defender who comes upfield. Jennings runs himself right out of play and the two OL are lead blockers for the QB.
A nice play by McCloud. He’s pretty much sandwiched between both these blockers but shoves the OL into the RB and fights for a tackle at the LOS. If het gets shoved out of there, it’s a convoy down the sideline, honestly.
All-out blitz with six rushers (S + CB + MLB) on 3rd & 8 and Armstrong has a nice pocket and a wide-open receiver for a conversion. Luckily, the QB made a bad throw and they had to punt. Strongly dislike that 3rd down defense. Strongly.
They faked the screen to Knighton and then came back to the slip screen to Pope. Would’ve rather thrown the screen to Knighton with a Mallory block and Nelson lead blocker. This play was not well-designed as there is nothing to hold the slot defender except for eye candy.
Nice throw. Outside the numbers and on-time to Harley. I wrote quite a bit before the season about this being an offense that will live outside the numbers and most of our routes do not attack the MOF at all.
Inside-zone runs require great guard play. Why is this a problem with guard play if the C needs to get to that MLB? Well, Gaynor has to help Scaife for too long on this block with the NT. If Scaife could handle that block with just a stiff-arm from Gaynor, he could release. Clark needs to release and hit the other LB. That leaves Knighton on a S just past the hole if they can execute their blocks. Neither do, the run gets one yard. You want to run inside zone, you need G’s can handle the NT on their own and we don’t have that. It’s why we struggle against Virginia, specifically.
To run outside zone really well, your C has to be able to get what is called a “reach block” on the NT (basically step outside of your stance and get there before the slanting NT and keep him from getting across the LOS). Gaynor can’t do it here. Nelson needs to blow Snowden out and give a cutback lane for the RB. When Gaynor doesn’t get this reach block, the RB has to cut this back to hope for yardage (yellow), but he keeps going outside (red) and loses yards. The OL didn’t get the job done, but this isn’t good from Knighton, either.
I don’t get into the mind games much, but this is completely unacceptable by Bronco Mendenhall and I’d want my coach to have something to say about this to the officials, and after the game. Mendenhall has his hands on Wiggins here and we all just let this stand. Wiggins got an unsportsmanlike penalty, but this should’ve been on their player and Mendenhall should never be touching our players.
Pope makes an incredible catch down the sideline on 3rd & 8 on a deep shot. We ran a streak, a Whip, and skinny posts on the backside. I’m starting to notice that King has started locking onto his first read and not coming off of it much and that could be because the pressure has started impacting him more. (Not pictured)
I’ve been mostly happy with King this year, but one thing I’ve been a bit surprised with is that he isn’t a better ballhandler on the read-option stuff. This isn’t fooling anyone and #11 just keeps coming right at the QB here and knocks the pass down. King and the RB have to perform a dance where King rides with the RB and the ball isn’t just out there for the world to see.
It stinks that we had a protection breakdown and just let the edge defender come unblocked because we had a seam WR with a two-way go on a flat-footed safety in the middle. King gets away, but is sacked on the sideline. Kick gets blocked.
Look at the difference with Virginia and their inside zone run. The C is able to take our 3T on his own and the LG takes our NT on his own, which means the RG can release free and easy to the second level. You want to be a good run defense you can’t allow that easy release like this. That 3T needs to grab or impede his progress just a little bit, or be too much for the C to take on his own. Not even talking about the fact they turn this into an inside zone run with a lead from the H-back. The horizontal motion holds the striker, making this a seven-man box with seven blockers and no one wins their matchup. Run goes for a first down.
Miami is so confused on defense on this play. The white guy at the bottom of the screen is the QB, who they motioned out wide. The guy taking the snap was the WR where Armstrong motioned. The slot comes across with jet motion and that draws Frierson across the formation for reasons I cannot explain. We stunt our 3T and their C gets a free release onto the Mike. Leaving a tractor trailer sized hole right where Frierson vacates. Ivey makes a nice tackle or it was a huge gain. I honestly can’t tell you what the defensive plan with the stunting 3T going so wide is. Virginia’s OL really handled our DL much better than I expected them to be able to do.
NT play has been an issue for quite some time. You cannot be getting handled 1-on-1 by a C like this.
RB presses hole, McCloud steps up and the RB has the speed to beat him to the edge. That should not happen to a Miami defense. (Not pictured)
Virginia’s offense is always going to move the ball against Miami because they use so much eye candy and Miami is predicated on seeing the ball and smashing the ball. Here, the CB jumps up when he sees the end around and I said to myself, “it’s a good thing that wasn’t a play-action fake” when the CB jumps it. Only the end around is to the QB, who has a wide-open receiver on the wheel route here. He just dirts it, thankfully.
This stunt I can see what the defensive intent is. Your DT shoots between the G/T and your edge loops inside. Sam Brooks replaces him outside in the C gap though, so you maintained gap integrity on this play, rather than leaving a gap like the stunt earlier. Tackle for loss.
3rd & long and you blitz McCloud from the boundary and leave the wide side of the field to players all bailing in coverage. You have a couple of defenders covering grass and if you’re going to bail like this you have to be prepared to cover the sticks. This technique the CB is playing is called “sail” by some teams and it’s supposed to allow you to play deep and the back-shoulder at the same time (because you can play inside of the receiver and watch the QB’s eyes at the same time). Not sure why we opened our hips and feared getting beat deep by a QB playing WR, but here we are. Then you have Jennings turning his numbers and trying to run to the seam rather than Frierson, who is standing right there. They're trying to stop any sort of QB run or screen play, but Virginia runs an actual offense to pick up a first down. I’ve tried to stand up for Baker a bunch of times, but he’s using up his nine lives with me. You’re five yards off and bailing on 3rd & 10? Really? Ivey plays his best when he gets hands on WR’s and plays physical. QB stares it down from the snap.
This should’ve been a sack. This is on the players, not on Baker. You have two rushers, one blocker. Jennings and Smith run into each other rather than one going high and one going low. Jennings has to go shoulder towards the C on this play. That’s his gap. Why he is trying to duck inside on this rush is beyond me. Blocker seals him inside, which seals Smith as well and the QB scrambles for nice yards.
Next play, Jennings take a false step in and the QB goes outside and is just faster than Jennings. One of the limitations of what we have is when you take false steps and you aren’t a freak athlete, that leaves a small margin for error. (Not pictured)
Later on that same drive Jennings beats the LG on a blitz and sacks the QB to effectively hold them to a FG attempt, which they missed. Huge play. (Not pictured)
Baker defenses give up long 3rd down conversions. It’s clockwork. This cannot happen. The CB has his eyes in the backfield and sees the QB step up and he forgets about his coverage and steps up. S is held inside by the slot post and this is a TD that was only not a TD because Virginia got a formation penalty. Defenders have got to start doing their jobs. Do your job and your job only. Get enough people doing their job and the results will be there.
For me, every time they line up in a triangle to the field side with the point on the inside receiver I am raising up and throwing the bubble. Especially when Mallory is against the point defender. This is a huge gain for Harley on a nice run-after-catch.
Run the same thing with Mallory as the blocker again. They motion Harley over and when no one goes with him to get on the LOS, he becomes a second blocker on two defenders. If you want to stack defenders and play off with Mallory at point of attack, just throw it out there. That is way better than a run play on 1st down. It’s sort of boring for an offense to do that, but until the defense takes it away, you really should just take the free money. This was a really clever play design by Lashlee.
See what I mean here? You run the same play once again and that is a nice gain and an easy first down. Instead King keeps it and is stuffed. Sometimes coaches just have to show how smart they are instead of running what is there.
Lashlee must’ve said to himself, “if they’re not going to change, just keep taking it.” They play off again, Mallory is the point blocker and Harley picks up a 1st down here.
Chaney comes in and picks up 11 on his first carry. They hurry to the line and Virginia runs the same triangle defensive setup to defend the trips to field side with Mallory as the point blocker. If they threw it again it would’ve worked again. Instead they run the ball and get almost nothing. (Not pictured)
My guess is a big change Virginia employs defensively in the 2nd half is the realization that they can get pressure by rushing three. Next play they flush King with only three rushing and King doesn’t throw it away from some reason and takes a sack. (Not pictured)
Mallory has this if he goes up strong like a basketball player getting a rebound rather than fading away as he jumps. It probably was pass interference, but the softness of the play by Mallory ruined his case.
Announcers lobbying for Bolden to get ejected for targeting clearly don’t understand what targeting is. Bolden hit him in the shoulder with his shoulder. The dudes head whips back because Bolden clobbered him and gravity is not your friend when the other person’s force far outdoes your own. (Not pictured)
Interesting little angle route here. We line up in trips with Malloy at point. We’ve run a few screens out of this and this is a variation of that. We switch Wiggins and Harley at the snap and Harley runs an angle route to the sideline and then back into MOF. Think of that Texas route that Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran so effectively out of the backfield last season. Mallory being a bigger body gets the CB off the route a little more. Wiggins clears out the coverage and it goes for a first down. Neat.
The impact of Brevin being out isn’t just that you lose him, it now means you have a true freshman playing H-back and he loses badly here on this play. If Mammarelli gets this block, Pope doesn’t have to bubble from the start and he scores on this play. Instead, it’s a big loss.
Frierson timed this blitz perfectly and actually loops around the LT on an inside draw and loops back into the same gap the RB goes through and tackles him from behind to prevent this from being picked up. Have to get better on 3rd-and-Long defensively.
King has to make this throw for Miami to be successful. Underneath LB scared him and he throws it high. I don’t have a clue what the OL is supposed to be doing here. Additionally, the officials missed a blatant offsides call and it cost us a possession. The Virginia defender was in-between the G/T at the snap.
I just have no idea what we are trying to do on 3rd-and-long situations. Three defenders running backwards past the 1st down line and Frierson missed a call and didn’t know what to do at the snap. He’s chasing all the way and this receiver just runs uncovered for a huge 1st down.
Miami lets Armstrong pick up over 30 yards on this play. Frierson and Steed are right there.
Our LB’s in a nutshell right here. Steed just has no idea on this play.
Next play was this. That is a truly disastrous three-play stretch for Miami’s defense. Too many times in the 4th quarter we are still seeing miscommunications and plays like the one from Steed above. The only chance Virginia has is if they hit a big play. Miami has the ball and calls a weird rollout play and misses the pass. Then they bail on 3rd-and-long, give up the QB run on 4th and inches, then don’t communicate on the next play. Smith is telling Blades to get out there and Gurvan to back off into Cover-2 shell. Neither do it in time. That’s something the coaching staff needs to fix.
A little more patience and vision on this run from King and he is out the gate on the cutback.
Miami spreads the field on 3rd & 3 and there are receivers open all over (Mallory is wide open here because the LB steps forward after King throws it, but he would’ve been open in that next window or carried the CB with him and Pope even more open). Why this wasn’t the game plan coming in is something that escapes me.
Scaife really had a disastrous game run blocking.
