There are a ton of things wrong with the offense. All season when it clicked it looked mostly accidental, not guaranteed or even likely to happen again on the next possession. I've never seen an unbeaten team this deep in the season with such a random offense.
That was a blue collar team that mostly shoved us around in the trenches. Contrast to 2002, our last truly elite team. We went to Florida as 2 point underdog and dictated the line of scrimmage throughout, racking up 306 yards rushing on 46 carries. Later in that season we traveled to Tennessee and methodically dismantled another SEC team as 9 point favorite, rushing 38 times for 177 yards along with 245 yards passing. The crowd was forced into silence throughout.
All season I've remembered those games, and the vast gap between then and now, when we've tried to get away with comically low rushing attempt numbers, especially in the first half. I mostly kept quiet and hoped we'd continue to semi-fluke one game after another. I still maintain that hope. But yesterday was hardly a shock. You aren't legitimate if you aren't hitting anybody on offense. The RPO is mostly tickle. We hit a couple of cute weaving inside counter runs with Homer against Notre Dame. Wonderful. We fooled them. Everybody alongside me in the stands went nuts. I did not go nuts. That is not foundational. It is finesse. You can't get away with finesse against true blueblood opponents. Notre Dame was not ranked in preseason. They were even more of an upstart than we are. The forward path included road blocks like Clemson and possibly Alabama. Newsflash: They were ranked in preseason. Top of the world. Consequently they will have superior manpower to our own, no matter how much we'd like to deny. Florida State was the other top ranked preseason team we met. Obviously they lost the quarterback and were in disarray yet still controlled the line of scrimmage and run of play.
IMO, the RPO should be partial, not an absolute. It makes me sick when the offensive line is caving in from all directions yet we still haven't executed the meaningless fake handoff. I was so envious of Pittsburgh toward the end of that game, lining up under center and ruthlessly barreling forward. We can't end games like that. We require a defense to be worn out and the finesse weave plays to find a crease, mostly by accident.
This quarterback is admirable but not Canes caliber. That's a huge portion of everything. I don't want to set that aside. The lob pass into double coverage on 4th down against Georgia Tech was absolutely ridiculous. Their safety made the lazy play of the season, otherwise the ball is effortlessly batted away and we're fighting reality from that point instead of now.
Two things to close:
* We nearly sacrificed a pick six on a 3rd down screen pass yesterday. Those are not good calls. We got away with one recently but the further you advance the more they'll be bludgeoned with a laugh
* Our tendency is to use the swing pass once and it if works we go back to it again and again, without rest. Georgia Tech was unaware. Now opponents are very much aware. Virginia snuffed it out and very nearly had a pick six there.
We need to take advantage of our tendency and fake the subsequent swing pass, with the blocking receiver instead taking off down the sideline. I've seen Alabama do that for key touchdowns several times.
