OL Moves

[Shooter McGavin]

New drinking game. Every time Mensah gets sacked, throws away or has to hit the check down and the announcers saying Toney was wide open we drink. Because Jones said it like 15 times Saturdays night.

Early in the game, Mensah was about to hit Toney deep for a sure td but SJ got his **** pushed in and the ball was tipped.

 

[RedSquare]

Both were.

We needed it to be Seaton/Samson/ryan/kinsler/mccoy with ben rotating in. This wasn’t the year to bet on inexperience

and SJ would have played anyways. he would have had to sub in because Kinsler couldn't go more than two plays without oxygen and an IV drip. to paraphrase dean wormer: "being fat, lazy, and stupid, is no way to be a great offensive lineman."

 

[Fawk_U Haters]

SJ had a real nice reach block on Mallory’s TD in overtime

I’ll be honest and people don’t want to hear this but SJ might have been our best player on the line this past week. He didn’t stick out and he wasn’t bad at Clemson. Actually had a couple nice plays when where the dline twisted and he caught just enough of his guy and the looper that Mensah got the ball away

SJ is actually playing better week to week and I get that people have the snapshot and want what they want. However this past week SJ wasn’t the problem

Seems like we were having a lot of trouble with our tackles. Especially pancake

 

[RedSquare]

Yeah, and you can still find stinker reps against #5 (who is a good DT) from the FSU game. Small guard struggles to block big, talented DT straight-up, breaking news. The thing is we are doing tons more gap scheme stuff in the run game this year than in prior years Mario and Dawson have been here. SJ does much better when he is on the move. Is he perfect? No. But the reverse to Mali is a good example of SJ's value to the team. I don't think there are many guards nimble enough to pull right to left, and completely stone a free runner 3-4 yards in the backfield. That play doesn't work if SJ doesn't make that block.

some good observations here.

playing guard will help SJ down the road, because there are numerous advantages to cross training positions.

but the reality is, SJ is a pure center, and has significant upside at that position, from a leverage and athleticism perspective.

as a guard, however, he'll probably never be anything better than serviceable. the problem is, it appears no one else on the team is good enough to supplant him at RG right now. which is both unfortunate ... and frightening.

 

[nycane]

No one wants to talk about how he’s supposed to be starting and now we have it deal with SJ. Hopefully he gets better quickly or meriweather improves.

right. I would be more inclined to hope meriweather improves. he's a BIG guy. SJ looks like a chubby little kid next to the others.

 

[RedSquare]

View attachment 377005

in that case, mirabal is about to get (even) shorter

 

[Ghandi]

I think if that’s to be the case it’s either gotta be Merriweather or Cantwell. I just don’t see any other options.

Pickett can do it.

He’s starting to push a bit.

Consistency is the key and that’s not a trait frequently found in young people.

I’ve given up on Meriweather personally. All flash and no consistency for a guy that age is concerning.

 

[San Amaro Dr]

some good observations here.

playing guard will help SJ down the road, because there are numerous advantages to cross training positions.

but the reality is, SJ is a pure center, and has significant upside at that position, from a leverage and athleticism perspective.

as a guard, however, he'll probably never be anything better than serviceable. the problem is, it appears no one else on the team is good enough to supplant him at RG right now. which is both unfortunate ... and frightening.

No. Every player on this roster is afforded the opportunity to develop except SJ. You aren't allowed to acknowledge he has gotten better week over week.

 

[Ghandi]

Come on @Landon Tengwall.

Edit- I’m a ****** who can’t read

 

[Ghandi]

How many straight up whiffs has SJ had this season? And why even bother trying to pull him and run behind him at this point

If he was undersized but played good assignment football that’s one thing. But half the time he is just completely lost

Edit - still an emotional ******

 

[Ghandi]

View attachment 377005

OL isn’t a weakness.

 

[Cribby]

How many straight up whiffs has SJ had this season? And why even bother trying to pull him and run behind him at this point

If he was undersized but played good assignment football that’s one thing. But half the time he is just completely lost

I’ve been saying since Saturday Mallory saved the OL so many times.

 

[AUcane]

I think if that’s to be the case it’s either gotta be Merriweather or Cantwell. I just don’t see any other options.

the only way cantwell sees the field this year is if McCoy moves to RG and Cantwell is at RT. JMO

 

[aelmiami]

SJ had a real nice reach block on Mallory’s TD in overtime

I’ll be honest and people don’t want to hear this but SJ might have been our best player on the line this past week. He didn’t stick out and he wasn’t bad at Clemson. Actually had a couple nice plays when where the dline twisted and he caught just enough of his guy and the looper that Mensah got the ball away

SJ is actually playing better week to week and I get that people have the snapshot and want what they want. However this past week SJ wasn’t the problem

Seems like we were having a lot of trouble with our tackles. Especially pancake

Pancake seems to be struggling against speed rushers. We ran a lot on that side, especially with Mallory, so he’s definitely making his money on the running plays, I mean I’d have to rewatch it but it felt like most of our outside runs went to the left.

IIRC, he got beat badly on the final drive of regulation on that third down play. I don’t know how fixable that is, but it’s a definitely a problem from my very untrained eye.

 

[Ghandi]

Yes, this is a bad rep, but I just went back and charted it and SJ pulled on 11 running plays against FSU. He successfully blocked on 8 of them. Whiffed on two. On one he neither whiffed nor got a block as Fletcher got tackled from behind first. We ran for 86 yards on all 11 plays (7.8 ypc), and 9.75 ypc on the successful SJ pulls. Not saying SJ was the reason for these plays success (or lack thereof), but when he misses a block on a pull it gets clipped and no one ever clips or mentions the plays that the kid does his job on.

1	11:01 2nd Q	Y	7 yards
2	8:58 2nd Q	Y	3 yards
3	12:53 3rd Q	N	3 yards
4	11:41 3rd Q	Y	8 yards
5	11:11 3rd Q	Y	2 yards
6	8:48 3rd Q	Y	25 yards
7	4:03 3rd Q	inc	2 yards
8	10:14 4th Q	Y	30 yards
9	6:18 4th Q	N	3 yards
10	3:28 4th Q	Y	2 yards
11	1:22 4th Q	Y	1 yard

Thank you, sir.

 

[90scane]

Yes, this is a bad rep, but I just went back and charted it and SJ pulled on 11 running plays against FSU. He successfully blocked on 8 of them. Whiffed on two. On one he neither whiffed nor got a block as Fletcher got tackled from behind first. We ran for 86 yards on all 11 plays (7.8 ypc), and 9.75 ypc on the successful SJ pulls. Not saying SJ was the reason for these plays success (or lack thereof), but when he misses a block on a pull it gets clipped and no one ever clips or mentions the plays that the kid does his job on.

1	11:01 2nd Q	Y	7 yards
2	8:58 2nd Q	Y	3 yards
3	12:53 3rd Q	N	3 yards
4	11:41 3rd Q	Y	8 yards
5	11:11 3rd Q	Y	2 yards
6	8:48 3rd Q	Y	25 yards
7	4:03 3rd Q	inc	2 yards
8	10:14 4th Q	Y	30 yards
9	6:18 4th Q	N	3 yards
10	3:28 4th Q	Y	2 yards
11	1:22 4th Q	Y	1 yard

I'm all for SJ pulling. Just stop running power behind him!

Heck, run to the left side ALL night long. Let SJ & Lofton pull. Every once in a while have Lofton leak for a TD. Every once in a while have Mensah pull it if the back side end/LB gets too aggressive chasing the play.

 

[Orig.CaneSawMassacre]

There are so many ******* receipts in this thread that I will sift through at the end of this season. You've been warned.

I don't know if we are gonna win the natty or not. One dumb/weird play and you can get knocked out, be it round 1 or in the Final. What I do know is that the OL play has indeed improved. Granted, the IOL play looked dreadful after the first three games and that includes Buchanon. Therefore, improvement, to some degree, was inevitable. Guess what? The best OL gurus on the planet did their thing and the OL has improved. Is it where it was last January? No....and that's the problem. So many of the (negative) commenters on here are comparing what they're seeing after 6 games in 2026 to the OL that came up 40 yards shy of #6. That OL had 3 guys drafted and I believe 4 of them are in the pros now (Brockermeyer practice squad). Last year's OL should be the goal, but is it fair for it to be the expectation right now? I don't think so. Hope yes, expectation no. Not after 6 games. Not with a true freshman, and two second year guys taking a lot of snaps. Not with Buchanon now out with what I suspect was a torn meniscus (I do NOT know, but timeline and experience point that way).

Instead of hate-watching the OL, subconsciously rooting for SJ to end up on his back like a turtle so that your dumb take on CiS can be right, try watching objectively. Try recognizing his good plays in addition to his fucc ups. You know, be fair? Instead of mentioning Seaton's name for the 428th time this season, ask yourself who else we missed on in the portal? Specifically, which OGs transferred out and are playing at an elite level at an elite P4 school? There's not some limitless supply of 6'6" 330 lb monsters with three years of starting experience at a p4 school out there dying to come to The U at a discount.

This right here! I wish we had gone harder in the portal but we are were we are now.

 

[Hoyacane1620]

 

[Calinative]

Yes, this is a bad rep, but I just went back and charted it and SJ pulled on 11 running plays against FSU. He successfully blocked on 8 of them. Whiffed on two. On one he neither whiffed nor got a block as Fletcher got tackled from behind first. We ran for 86 yards on all 11 plays (7.8 ypc), and 9.75 ypc on the successful SJ pulls. Not saying SJ was the reason for these plays success (or lack thereof), but when he misses a block on a pull it gets clipped and no one ever clips or mentions the plays that the kid does his job on.

1	11:01 2nd Q	Y	7 yards
2	8:58 2nd Q	Y	3 yards
3	12:53 3rd Q	N	3 yards
4	11:41 3rd Q	Y	8 yards
5	11:11 3rd Q	Y	2 yards
6	8:48 3rd Q	Y	25 yards
7	4:03 3rd Q	inc	2 yards
8	10:14 4th Q	Y	30 yards
9	6:18 4th Q	N	3 yards
10	3:28 4th Q	Y	2 yards
11	1:22 4th Q	Y	1 yard

And what about non-pulls lol

yeah we get it he's significantly undersized and his main strength is movement ability.... So seems Dawson is trying to use him to his strength at least.

 

[NCCanefan]

In @BeastMode defense, Congdon was so poorly graded against FAMU because of the garbage time snaps when he was at tackle, where he was really bad.

My biggest criticism of how we handled the OL room from Fall camp on is that we wasted time futzing around with Cantwell at Guard (he was our 3rd guard against Stanford) and wasted time giving Congdon reps at Tackle. I'm willing to give the coaches a pass on SJ at LG. I assume he was much better on Greentree than he showed in games to start the year. With how good Congdon has looked at LG and all the buzz around him early in Fall camp, it's harder to buy that he shouldn't have been the 3rd guard to start the year.

I presume if they had known which mix was going to be the judged the best when camp started they wouldn't have experimented. Not sure why that gets criticism.