From the Perch: Wisconsin (Rewind)

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Roman Marciante

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With an upcoming opponent who we faced last year in the Orange Bowl, lets see how our "Orange Bowl Boys" did. The Hurricanes fell to the Badgers 34-24 and netted 377 yards while turning the ball over three times. This is a perfect opportunity for the InSight boards to scout it and out and compare some last season notes. Grab your pen, paper and some x/o dictionaries because we are about to get technical on this edition of FTP.

Let's start here with an RPO. Last year there was a higher % of these plays and I like this post snap variety. Rosier keys the slant window and sees that he has a cb who is breaking off the receiver to play the run. (CB run blitz) By keeping this a post snap read this was an excellent decision to throw. Rosier has to off platform this a tiny bit because of the play fake and widens out his base when he does. Need to try to find a way to be a little more accurate even from this style of RPO throw.



Another RPO from 2x2 but Rosier misses it. The combination y slant z stop is a nice pass option but Rosier needs to see it better. When the #2 db on the boundary plays the slant, the Z stop is WIDE open. Need to notice the #1 db cushion pre-snap and anticipate this. This RPO definitely works with a #1 cb giving so much cushion.



Another RPO. You should recognize this one. It is the first clip I noted. A run/slant RPO. The over-reliance on slants in the boundary and the high propensity of Mark Richt for repeat play calls is leading to this as the game goes on. Gamesmanship. The boundary cornerback is staring at the mesh point. Once he sees Rosier keep, he immediately over plays the slant. Rosier wisely doesn't throw the ball and throws it away.

You have to have counters built within your offense. You will notice as we progress Whisky pinning it's ears back and playing certain tendencies. As a quarterback I see this and go back to the coach and make note of it. You better **** well know I want to double move sluggo this son of a ***** the next time to keep him honest. This cornerback is primed for a double move.



Miami 3x1 and this formation is being heavily countered by the Badgers with press man on the outside. (I would too) Rosier opens up center and looks at the Mike. But the Mike is a spy on him. (The boundary X is running a slant AGAIN the HB runs flat- QB reads the Mike) But the rush end takes the HB instead of the Mike and it confused Rosier seeing the Mike stay middle of the field.

Nice counter by the Badgers and ultimately you see the versatility of the 34 defense. But another thing in terms of schematics. You actually get a nice mismatch on a linebacker on the trips side. But the staff has Langham running a drag that is leaking up field and two things happen. 1. He doesn't create separation because of his route. (Needs to stay flat and drive) 2. He doesn't get separation because he is not the separation type.

You have a wide receiver on a linebacker. That is what you dream about. Staff needs to do a better job calling a route that forces the separation and getting a wide receiver who is a nightmare to cover for a linebacker. This is really tightly covered. Too easy to defend this concept in man coverage.



Miami is in 3x1 again and runs a slight variation to its X slant. But the concept is being combated once again by Whisky in press man on the outside. The X is trying to pick the LB and pop a HB wheel for a big play. He doesn't do a good job. Rosier has a stick concept to the outside and once again I think he gets confused with a linebacker in the middle of the field. The stick has an "option to sit" and he missed it. Also this offensive line is victimized by a simple stunt. (Reoccurring theme in 2018 too)

Going on from last year to now. I have to say on third and short this play call from 3x1 is fooling no one and is so easily combated with man coverage. It is sticks to the trips side and a slant/flat or wheel to the boundary. Conceivably Every. Single. Time. And you wonder why everything is covered.



Third and short Miami in 12 set with a tight end in line. Terrible play design and not really designed to beat man coverage. (Whisky press man outside again) You run a bubble to the field which gets wiped out. You run a tight end stick that is doubled and your only real option is the boundary stop vs press man. You simply cannot make a living off this. We did the exact same thing vs Pitt time and time again and the quarterback threw for 25%.

Yes. Homer is a check down late. But once the decision was made to throw the ball he is not a viable option in my opinion. Fault Rosier for inaccurate throw all you'd like. But this is where his read was designed to go. Staff obviously feels like the receiver should win this one on one.

https://twitter.com/romancane/status/1071457124637700096

Want to highlight a couple of the plays I like. One is this play action leveled concept. This is an example of how Miami can utilize the fact Whisky is so press man happy on the outside to your advantage. Simply run him out of the play. The X drives on the go and Miami will run a HB out underneath and a Slot drag from Berrios over top. When the linebacker sucks up to the HB Berrios is wide open. Miami would benefit from similar concepts from true 3x1.

https://twitter.com/romancane/status/1071461186598785025

Here is Miami in 2x2 set running a slot drag and stop to the boundary side and an 88 to the field side. (Post Post) Much to talk about. First I like the attack methodology here and the fact you see this concept is not mirrored. One side is designed to beat quarters coverage (88) the other side is effective vs man coverage with a drag. (Still think you can mismatch that slot better) The Badgers get caught playing a split zone concept and run man to the boundary and quarters respectively to the field.

That 88 (DINO) might as well be called a "quarters killer" and it is exactly what it does. Jeff Thomas has too much speed over top and he is essentially one on one with inside leverage with the post. One thing I instantly noted was Brax spacing off the line. He is flexed wider outside the hash and typically that is not the case in a Mark Richt offense. That might "tip off" no bubble and something to this effect.

But recently I wrote a thread on how the over usage of mirrored concepts are handcuffing this offense. This is a beautifully orchestrated case on why I like un-mirrored concepts. The field spread is great. You are attacking multiple levels of the field including underneath on the drag. Something that has been glaringly missing the past several weeks. Mirrored concepts are great. They have applicability. But this is much better at attacking more field and good against multiple overages.

https://twitter.com/romancane/status/1071474950643568640

Miami With tight end in line will run a post flat to the boundary. But the opposite side shallow cross is easy pitch and catch. The QB read is 1. cross 2. choice/curl, 3. flat. This is a Mark Richt staple. A 30 year variety. A QB can look essentially in the area of operation if you will and let the routes come into view. Whisky is in press man outside again but when the db get's his back turned he essentially has no shot. The wide receiver drives back into the quarterback after his break thus creating more separation and it's an easy pitch and catch.

https://twitter.com/romancane/status/1071458604325195776

One thing you know about Richt the play caller, if it worked before, he is going to run it again. The very next play he runs a shallow cross to the opposite side of the field. The same guy is open on the opposite side (not by as big a margin mind you) but I am glad Rosier missed it. It is a broken play scramble drill and Cager gets over the top after his X post. Just because a play worked, doesn't make it a good play call. Canes for six.

https://twitter.com/romancane/status/1071459650611093505

In line with the "if it worked before" principle. Miami would run three consecutive wildcat plays in a row. The first worked for a first. Pretty straight up blocking scheme on all three. Here on the second variety Whisky just run blitzed and blew the whole thing up. If variety is the spice of life this offense is a piece of parsley. The over reliance on the same play call and no true counter for those repetitive calls I would say is a great Achilles's heal of this offense.

I simply know that if something worked earlier in the game from a certain formation, there isn't a ton of formations, Richt will get back to it from that formation. It is that simple. (12 fullback dives from the I in a row anyone?) And while there is an effective simplicity about it, it is also foolish to think a play will continually work once defenses adjust to it. Cue the run blitzed Wild Cat play from DeeJay.

https://twitter.com/romancane/status/1071463784491966464

In closing, this should have been the offensive crescendo on a relatively good season. The offense should have been firing on all cylinders but maybe the writing was on the wall. Wisconsin made it difficult for the Canes with some timely and unique coverages to combat Miami's RPO game and boundary play tendencies. The most open receivers got were on a broken play post, a curl and a drag on a play action passes. The rest were pretty contested if you ask me. Rosier finished 11-26.

Miami needs to also get much better vs man coverage this time around vs the Badgers. Simply trying to slant-stop-go it to death is a recipe for disaster. That wouldn't work the following year as well mind you although Richt tried. Miami I will promise you, if you go 3x1 they will press cover you on the outside. Either take advantage of that fact or start to diversify your formation portfolio. Hard to press people in stacks and from bunches. You simply can't press cover someone when they go in motion either.

Wisconsin didn't really need to blitz to beat up this passing attack. The quarterback this time around can do microscopic things to help out like look at db leverage and figure out who to key backer wise better this time around. The fact still remains however, this is such a hard offense to operate under for quarterbacks. Miami doesn't really stress you out with tempo, formations or mismatches. So as a quarterback how am I at a competitive advantage?

Dan Orlovsky the ESPN analyst who called the Georgia Tech game and will call the upcoming Pinstripe Bowl had an interesting way of letting his offensive coordinator know that he wasn't happy with a particular play call. Part tongue and cheek mind you but it involved running the play because he had to, but giving his coach the middle finger when it didn't work. This Orange Bowl game vs. the Badgers? My middle finger would have gotten tired.
 
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And this was a momentum swing from last year's game. And the little things that can kill you if you let them. In my opinion this is the difference between a playoff team and a team that watches such playoff team on TV.

You have a quick pass dialed up for a tunnel screen and your LT whiffs trying to "cut block" a rush end who seemingly knows what is coming. The technique isn't fitting the skill set.



Or, you get aggressive, keep your feet, slap the sh*t out of someone and make them keep their hands down. hahahahaha

 
You know for a guy that “knew” the playbook...Malik looks like he didn’t know the playbook.
 
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You know for a guy that “knew” the playbook...Malik looks like he didn’t know the playbook.

I think Wisconsin did some things to really mess with the quarterback when you consider just in the boundary I noticed,

A CB run blitz
A CB flat out jumping a slant
A CB passing off a slant and having a linebacker waiting perfectly (dropped the int)
Covered the the HB with a rush end
Covered the HB with a Mike
Covered the HB with a Will
Played Malik Spy with the Mike and had the Rush end cover the back.
Doubled the slant high/low (got out of position)
and Press Man over and over

That was just to X boundary HB combo side. Imagine everything going on with the whole field. They didn't blitz much but man did they have a game plan otherwise.
 
I think Wisconsin did some things to really mess with the quarterback when you consider just in the boundary I noticed,

A CB run blitz
A CB flat out jumping a slant
A CB passing off a slant and having a linebacker waiting perfectly (dropped the int)
Covered the the HB with a rush end
Covered the HB with a Mike
Covered the HB with a Will
Played Malik Spy with the Mike and had the Rush end cover the back.
Doubled the slant high/low (got out of position)
and Press Man over and over

That was just to X boundary HB combo side. Imagine everything going on with the whole field. They didn't blitz much but man did they have a game plan otherwise.
Because they knew three things from film study.

1) picking up a blitz is like learning Chinese to the OL

2) Malik is a one read guy

3) We love slants just like you said

Problem is that Richt doesn’t change or adjust for the life of him. He could’ve played sluggos or in & outs but he didn’t.
 
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Because they knew three things from film study.

1) picking up a blitz is like learning Chinese to the OL

2) Malik is a one read guy

3) We love slants just like you said

Problem is that Richt doesn’t change or adjust for the life of him. He could’ve played sluggos or in & outs but he didn’t.

Richt adjust? Does he even know what the word means?
 
Richt adjust? Does he even know what the word means?

I really really need someone to show me where he adjusts this game. I am trying to give credit but it's so hard.

It's a call plays to call plays because they worked in the past offense. It's a thought process where simplicity in plays should have multi applicative success.

If we keep a handful of plays and practice it against everything, it should work. It's reactionary.

Very few formations
No motions
No heavy personnel mismatch prerogatives
No tempo



I
 
I really really need someone to show me where he adjusts this game. I am trying to give credit but it's so hard.

It's a call plays to call plays because they worked in the past offense. It's a thought process where simplicity in plays should have multi applicative success.

If we keep a handful of plays and practice it against everything, it should work. It's reactionary.

Very few formations
No motions
No heavy personnel mismatch prerogatives
No tempo



I
How does someone w the experience that richt has come out like that game after game? He’s gotta know it’s not working. Is he lazy?
 
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We also ran 1 million slants against BC. DIAF Mork Rick.
 
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