Page One of this thread was absolutely hysterical, after so many months removed from this board. Predictable posters somehow believing that uptempo meant quarterback and wide receiver emphasis, as if they were envisioning professional football with dainty rules and coddled passing games. You'd be foolish not to abuse the forward pass in that environment, if you have an elite guy behind center.
Page Two restored sanity, with an understanding that college football is still far above 50% rushing attempts. In fact, last season only 17 of 128 Division 1 teams threw the ball 54% of the time or higher. That number stood out to me when I entered the data in my Excel spreadsheets this offseason. I had to go back a full decade, to 2006, to find a similar number. Normally 24-28 college teams are at 54% and above. Could be a blip. We'll see. Contrast to the NFL, where 27 of 32 teams last season were at 54% or above. That is the high water mark. It's been trending upward but never reached 26 or 27 until last year. I pointed out early last season that Tim Reynolds and other geniuses seemingly had no clue that passing had not overtaken the college game, similar to the pros. They detected one trend and attached it everywhere. Brilliant.
Kudos to those astute posters on Page Two. Lethal college football in this era can be described as, "Hurry up and run the ball." That's what Baylor did towards 600+ rushing yards in the bowl against North Carolina, and it's the staple of Oregon and Auburn, among others.
And it's indeed not much more than pounding the rock. Basic plays with tempo and tons of window dressing. The tempo and window dressing often mask how simple the plays are. Normal straight ahead handoffs and blocking schemes. Some of the sharper analysts on the major networks finally got around to pointing that out a few years ago. If you look at the condensed area alone it can still pass for the mid '60s, other than somewhat wider splits among the offensive linemen. Only the jet sweep action and other distracting motion on the flanks and among other backs contributes to spacing the field, along with exhaustion/confusion due to tempo.
The key, of course, is to utilize tempo and the benefits of high volume spreadish rushing attempts while not self-condemning toward cupcake frailty. That's Richt's challenge. Oregon managed to blow a 31-0 lead against a backup quarterback last season in the bowl game against TCU. It was comical. When they needed to be physical it wasn't there. The basic formations weren't there, nor the understanding that not every play had to be run within 14 seconds, when that pace worked against you.
The North Dakota State example was excellent. I was frankly shocked to see it here. I was planning to mention that team, since I bet so many of their games. It's an extremely quarterback friendly system, enabling Wentz to miss significant time without noticeable slide. That team smartly varies formations and tempo due to situation and field position, and not stubbornly married to spread style only, a la Oregon, Baylor, Auburn and pathetic others. North Dakota State generally runs the ball 40-50 times per game and passes 20-30. That's partially enabled due to manpower advantage, one the Canes do not currently enjoy. Still, it's an effective blueprint, and accompanied by creative route schemes. Too often in recent seasons we've been stuck at 10 or 12 rushing attempts at halftime, as I've pointed out. You are forfeiting margin for error and win expectancy.
I don't expect wild airborne formations or frenzied pace. That's not Richt's history, nor seemingly his style. Familiar formations, often blue collar. Faster while retaining strong. Or should I say, restoring strong. Last season was the most disgusting in memory, and I've followed the Canes since boyhood in the Ted Hendricks era,
#89 at left defensive end. James Coley somehow brainstormed we needed flatfooted handoffs from the shotgun despite having a quarterback who was less of a running threat than a blue postal box.
It peaked disgraceful at Cincinnati on Thursday night. I attended that game. The opponent was lean but hyper. A couple of stout interior linemen, but not troublesome. Not if we asserted ourselves. Utilize old man football, to borrow Sheldon Richardson's term, and they'll buckle. Like late 4th quarter at North Carolina on a Thursday night in 2013. Instead, it was 60 minutes of sickening finesse. We failed and deserved to fail. Months later the one bowl I savored above all -- for betting purposes and rightful normalcy -- was San Diego State trampling that same Cincinnati team, 42-7. Rocky Long ran smack at the Bearcats 52 times in glorious power sets. Cincinnati was hopeless to stop anything.
My confidence in the Richt hire is he'll understand when to apply that style, to force the opponent to prove it can withstand straight ahead power plays. Saban is wonderful at that. After the surprise loss to Manziel and Texas A&M a few years ago he has rationalized that Sumlin and A&M will make their share of plays on offense, but it won't be enough as long as he wears them out up the gut, and finds a turnover or stop on downs here and there.
First challenge is at Appalachian State. I've been to Boone countless times, albeit not for a football game. That opponent will be similarly lean and hyper. The odds, at least of now, won't be overwhelming in Miami's favor. We might be a 7-13 point favorite, something in that range. Certainly a risk, an unknown, the type of thing the Gators have avoided for a quarter century. I don't know what our tempo will look like but I'm **** sure we won't abuse bubble screens and similarly ridiculous flares toward the sideline while enabling an overmatched roster to soar in confidence and thrive at our wimpy expense.
