Lance Roffers
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It feels like it was just a year ago I was sitting here pouring over film and data of offensive coordinator candidates for Miami and new coach, Manny Diaz. Now, after a disastrous 6-7 season that included a shutout loss to Louisiana Tech in the bowl game, I am back to take another swing at it. Reading through the review of Enos is a bit cringe worthy, as I had a happy ending of my evaluation. There are some learning's of that review, namely making the mistake of believing that Dan Enos was going to be a different person after taking a year at the Alabama program and compromising my wanting pace-and-space above all else.
Additionally, when we hired Enos, I was not actually happy. I was there when he was at Missouri State in 1996 and he was known as the smartest guy in the room and generally despised. He left after one season. I texted the other guys on CIS staff this information. Not much changed for Enos after that time, it seems. Lesson learned there.
Here is a list of the things I am most wanting to see from our next OC:
This is the type of offense that Lashlee runs, rather than utilizing a true “air-raid” spread that ignores the TE or makes him essentially a big slot. I need to see more of the power-run game outside of his time at Auburn. Did Sonny Dykes mandate more Air-Raid principles and a reduction of the ground game? He had better run numbers at UConn, so perhaps that is the case.
Lashlee never asked his QB to do this in any of the film I watched of his offenses, and he definitely utilizes the college rules to his team's advantage. He does it a little differently by using a tendency breaker from his Z receiver, who comes back towards the LOS and catches it behind the LOS while the OL releases and gets to their blocks. It's a cool concept and one I wasn't really familiar with previously.
Using the Central Limit Theorem you are able to take a sample mean and get a good approximation of what the average time for the entire population is. SMU got the ball out in 2.32 seconds on average, while Miami took 2.66 seconds on average. This might not sound like a big deal, but the accepted timeframe to get a pass out of the QB’s hands is 2.50 seconds, which means Miami was making things harder on their OL on average, while SMU was making things significantly easier on theirs.
To take this even further, SMU got the ball out of the QB’s hands in an average of 2.33 seconds (virtually identical to passes anywhere else on the field). Miami got passes out in an average of 3.55 seconds, which is absurdly high and helps to explain some of their issues in the red zone. Even taking out any outliers (passes with 2 standard deviations above the mean), Miami still averaged an outrageous 3.10 seconds to get the ball out.
This shows up in their sack numbers, as they allowed a sack every 29.5 passes, while Miami allowed one every 8.5 passes (wow).
Shane Buechele led the nation in deep passing during the regular season with 1,368 yards, despite throwing a deep pass on only 19.0% of his pass attempts (86 pass attempts).
Game Film
I’ll focus a lot on the Memphis game and the bowl game for SMU because it was a big game and a game with time to prepare. Stills will come from the games I reviewed (and be my own) and then gifs will come from various Twitter plays I’ve found and want to talk through (not my gifs).
Trips left verticals, TE was in-line and then motioned out. Brought safety over and identified coverage with a zero-blitz (no safety in middle). Bringing 6 with 6 blockers means the first read has to be quick (Go route is first read on this play). This is putting your TE in a position to succeed and shows what you can do with Brevin.
You can see some of the clever concepts that Lashlee runs that are a lot of fun for me to review. He generally saves more creative concepts for 3rd down, which shows how SMU completed such a high percentage of their 3rd downs on the season. This is trips (3 WR) right, mesh (two crossers create a mesh point that can pick or confuse defenders), with a smash concept (essentially corner route with an underneath route to hold flat defender) from your outside WR (Z) and big slot (H). Two defenders take 83, which means the Z just has a safety. Easy read for the QB and a big play downfield. I’m a biased observer, like most humans, and I have to admit that two of my very favorite plays are Mesh and Smash concepts and he combined them both into one play here. The QB reads two reads at once on this play (Corner and Out). Defender drifts to take the corner, he hits the out. Stays down for the out, he takes the corner. Good OC’s make easy reads on the first read for the QB.
I saw this defense and said they’ve got a double on the slot and two-deep S’s. Proche is way out there on the boundary outside of the numbers. Lashlee gets exactly what he wants on this play, as he motions the slot over to the short side of the field. This drops the LB down to the edge, the S rotates out to single-high, opposite S drops down to take the motion WR. With the off-coverage on Proche and the S and LB vacating that spot the slant is virtually unstoppable here because of RPO action holding the edge.
This role is perfect for a Daz Worsham, who showed in high school to be excellent on slants and with the ball in space. That amount of green grass turns into big plays in college football (this goes for an easy 1st down).
You see the limitation with Buechele’s arm here. Often times, if the QB has a weak arm, the OC will tell the QB to simply ignore the hitch route on this concept because it’s too far of a throw and can be jumped if the ball is floated. You see that here as QB reads the seam 1st when otherwise hitch is 1st read here (and open). When you think of the perfect QB to run this offense, it include a QB who can make this throw in their toolbox.
This play is called “Levels” because it forces the defense to defend all three levels (short, medium, deep). Most of the time it has a shallow cross as the 1st read, but because of the sprint for the QB, it cuts the field in half to that side. 1st read here is the TE leaking across (14), then corner, then the dig. You might ask why the Go route isn’t one of the reads, and that’s because it’s a pre-snap read. If the defense isn’t what you’re looking for, that route becomes a clear out and not part of your progression. The QB misses the dig on this one twice. He’s open here, which is the first window, then he’s open again as the QB gets to that second hash mark because that LB flows with the QB outside and opens that window (circled). Xavier Restrepo or another slot WR would eat in this route.
This looks kind of familiar.
Uses space to make things easy for his outside WR (Z). Play off-coverage like this and it’s an automatic slant for a 1st down. The big thing you see that Lashlee does is he keeps it simple for his QB, with just a few reads. He helps his OL because all of these plays are designed to get the ball out quick. The space helps the OL as well because it limits where defenses can send blitzers from.
Off-coverage again and you get the immediate slant after that same motion rolls the S out and drops the edge down to open the window.
Next play on 2nd and 1 and they take a deep shot, which is a great time to take a chance deep. They get the completion after review. It is mostly what you’d consider common sense, but Lashlee has a nice feel for simply doing the next smart thing. You want to give the slant with off-man, take it. You want to try and play cover-2 with an off safety on the slot? Take smash all day. 2nd and short with single-high S? Take a deep shot. One of my biggest complaints with Enos was simple stuff that is available was being ignored because I can only assume he wanted to show how smart he could be? (Not pictured)
Wouldn’t you know it, on the next play, on 1st and goal from the 2, they try a double reverse pass from Proche that is almost intercepted. Burn that play. Next play is same formation and they run it in for the TD. (Not pictured)
Lashlee gets fooled here. It’s cover-2 and SMU lines up with Ace Trips Right and an inline TE. Check with me into run left due to leverage. After the check, Memphis checks their defense to drop that edge defender down onto the line and he’s unaccounted for an gets a TFL on Read-Option.
For some reason the SMU QB wants to throw a back-shoulder fade to a TE when he has a check-down on a LB in space on 3rd and 5.
Miami is going to need to recruit WR’s who can operate in space to make this offense fully hum. Here, SMU is under C with two TE’s. One in-line, one offset in tight. Give this much space and they just throw the bubble. Makes a man miss and goes for 1st down. Miami does not have a receiver as good as James Proche.
Here is a play-caller seeing the defense compensating for an area they’ve been getting beat. That slant to bottom of screen has been a killer. They’re still playing off, but now they bring that OLB into the slant zone. Then they shade their deep safety to the side of Proche. Second safety has been moved down to take away that slant to the top of the screen. Lashlee sees them pressing and no S deep to that side and calls a stop-and-go and it is wide open down to the 9-yard line. Great job of a play-caller running a play until the defense adjusts, then countering off of it for a big play.
3rd and goal and they run Smash to both sides. Memphis covers it this time and the QB has to take the Whip route, which is short of the goal line. Lashlee LOVES Smash in the red zone. I’d like to see him throw the trips slant-stop pick play in the red zone for a variation of Smash at times as well, but haven’t seen that yet.
On a pace for 500 yards, but only 15 yards rushing on 10 rushes in the first half.
At this point, Memphis has opened up a 30-17 lead. Same sprint right layers concept that they ran earlier in the game, only this time they suck up to the TE and leave the medium route open and the QB hits it. That is another TE that he throws to, so double-TE is not at all unusual for this offense. #83 is essentially a big WR in the mold of Will Mallory. The #14 is more of the all-around TE who can block and catch like Brevin Jordan. They’ll adjust the roles to make Brevin more of a focal point, but the offense certainly accentuates the TE more than I was originally told. This offense is really simple for the QB to read and execute. A clear mashup of the Auburn, UConn, Air Raid offenses.
I really like that Lashlee is not a dink-and-dunk guy. He absolutely identifies when the defense is giving opportunities to go deep. Here, they’re up in press on the boundary against Proche. They’ve stacked on the TE with the edge and then S over the seam. This holds that S inside and opens up 1-on-1 against their best WR on the outside. They throw the Go and get a pass interference in the end zone.
Next play in red zone and they go 2 x 2 and I said to myself, “It’s Smash, isn’t it?” It was. Lashlee loves Smash in the red zone. (Not pictured)
Next red zone play is a motion from the other side and the H runs the wheel while the Z switches with him and runs a post. The pass is overthrown because of PI not called. Lashlee absolutely wants to attack that corner area of the end zone in the red zone, which is a good choice as that area is difficult to cover well.
A nice little counter to the love of Smash or Switch Wheel in the red zone is to stack the WR’s and then throw a screen to the front WR coming back towards the LOS. I listed part of my criteria is to take advantage of the college rules for allowing downfield blocking on passes behind LOS and Lashlee saves it for a big moment here on 3rd and 10. It should’ve been a TD, but 72 didn’t block a soul.
Direct snap to RB after a check with me to get numbers near the goal line. TD. Lashlee will save plays and bring them out in big spots and rely on his staple plays for most of the rest of the game. Got a FB into the game in short yardage. Chaney would be great for this play with his comfort of running the ball in tight formations and making one cut with power.
7 plays, 75 yards, right down the field after Memphis returned the opening 2nd half kickoff to get some separation, on the road, night game with national audience. Impressive drive and play calling as his defense is not doing him any favors and allows Memphis to control the ball and score again.
Jet motion, fake the bubble to him, TE counter takes a handoff with a TE lead to the other side. Not real in love with slow-developing runs to your TE, but at least they showed a wrinkle to keep the defense honest.
Here’s a look at what the QB reads. He’s simply reading the outside defender whose leg you can see here. If that defender stays outside (there is a bubble screen over there), he gives the ball to the RB. If that defender dives inside to this hole, he pulls and throws the bubble.
You play single-high, this offense is going to attack you vertically. S is on the top hash here. Seam routes to both sides holds the S over there so Buechele throws it up for his WR at the bottom of the screen. SMU gained four pass interference calls on deep passes in this game (five in total) that don’t show up in their stats.
It’s not just Miami who has problems with OL not understanding their assignments. 78 has the outside for 57 and the inside for the TE (ball is supposed to come out quickly). Instead the RT doesn’t touch him and the TE can’t block a DE, who gets the sack.
Memphis busted off another long TD run and put the game mostly out of reach at this point. Lashlee threw out a couple of cool trick plays late in this game. One was a double-reverse flea-flicker that the QB threw a dime to the TE deep for a TD. The other on a two-point conversion was a throwback screen on a T-eligible play (Not pictured).
Additionally, when we hired Enos, I was not actually happy. I was there when he was at Missouri State in 1996 and he was known as the smartest guy in the room and generally despised. He left after one season. I texted the other guys on CIS staff this information. Not much changed for Enos after that time, it seems. Lesson learned there.
Here is a list of the things I am most wanting to see from our next OC:
- Put players in position to succeed
- Run an offense that utilizes Pace-and-Space
- Have your offense get to LOS and then “Check with me”
- Spread that incorporates power running game, rather than Mike Leach style air-raid only
This is the type of offense that Lashlee runs, rather than utilizing a true “air-raid” spread that ignores the TE or makes him essentially a big slot. I need to see more of the power-run game outside of his time at Auburn. Did Sonny Dykes mandate more Air-Raid principles and a reduction of the ground game? He had better run numbers at UConn, so perhaps that is the case.
- Zone blocking scheme- specifically outside zone running
- Experience calling plays- preferably at the Power-5 level
- Utilize college rules to your advantage
Lashlee never asked his QB to do this in any of the film I watched of his offenses, and he definitely utilizes the college rules to his team's advantage. He does it a little differently by using a tendency breaker from his Z receiver, who comes back towards the LOS and catches it behind the LOS while the OL releases and gets to their blocks. It's a cool concept and one I wasn't really familiar with previously.
- Protect your OL
Using the Central Limit Theorem you are able to take a sample mean and get a good approximation of what the average time for the entire population is. SMU got the ball out in 2.32 seconds on average, while Miami took 2.66 seconds on average. This might not sound like a big deal, but the accepted timeframe to get a pass out of the QB’s hands is 2.50 seconds, which means Miami was making things harder on their OL on average, while SMU was making things significantly easier on theirs.
To take this even further, SMU got the ball out of the QB’s hands in an average of 2.33 seconds (virtually identical to passes anywhere else on the field). Miami got passes out in an average of 3.55 seconds, which is absurdly high and helps to explain some of their issues in the red zone. Even taking out any outliers (passes with 2 standard deviations above the mean), Miami still averaged an outrageous 3.10 seconds to get the ball out.
This shows up in their sack numbers, as they allowed a sack every 29.5 passes, while Miami allowed one every 8.5 passes (wow).
- Create explosive plays
Shane Buechele led the nation in deep passing during the regular season with 1,368 yards, despite throwing a deep pass on only 19.0% of his pass attempts (86 pass attempts).
Game Film
I’ll focus a lot on the Memphis game and the bowl game for SMU because it was a big game and a game with time to prepare. Stills will come from the games I reviewed (and be my own) and then gifs will come from various Twitter plays I’ve found and want to talk through (not my gifs).
Trips left verticals, TE was in-line and then motioned out. Brought safety over and identified coverage with a zero-blitz (no safety in middle). Bringing 6 with 6 blockers means the first read has to be quick (Go route is first read on this play). This is putting your TE in a position to succeed and shows what you can do with Brevin.
You can see some of the clever concepts that Lashlee runs that are a lot of fun for me to review. He generally saves more creative concepts for 3rd down, which shows how SMU completed such a high percentage of their 3rd downs on the season. This is trips (3 WR) right, mesh (two crossers create a mesh point that can pick or confuse defenders), with a smash concept (essentially corner route with an underneath route to hold flat defender) from your outside WR (Z) and big slot (H). Two defenders take 83, which means the Z just has a safety. Easy read for the QB and a big play downfield. I’m a biased observer, like most humans, and I have to admit that two of my very favorite plays are Mesh and Smash concepts and he combined them both into one play here. The QB reads two reads at once on this play (Corner and Out). Defender drifts to take the corner, he hits the out. Stays down for the out, he takes the corner. Good OC’s make easy reads on the first read for the QB.
I saw this defense and said they’ve got a double on the slot and two-deep S’s. Proche is way out there on the boundary outside of the numbers. Lashlee gets exactly what he wants on this play, as he motions the slot over to the short side of the field. This drops the LB down to the edge, the S rotates out to single-high, opposite S drops down to take the motion WR. With the off-coverage on Proche and the S and LB vacating that spot the slant is virtually unstoppable here because of RPO action holding the edge.
This role is perfect for a Daz Worsham, who showed in high school to be excellent on slants and with the ball in space. That amount of green grass turns into big plays in college football (this goes for an easy 1st down).
You see the limitation with Buechele’s arm here. Often times, if the QB has a weak arm, the OC will tell the QB to simply ignore the hitch route on this concept because it’s too far of a throw and can be jumped if the ball is floated. You see that here as QB reads the seam 1st when otherwise hitch is 1st read here (and open). When you think of the perfect QB to run this offense, it include a QB who can make this throw in their toolbox.
This play is called “Levels” because it forces the defense to defend all three levels (short, medium, deep). Most of the time it has a shallow cross as the 1st read, but because of the sprint for the QB, it cuts the field in half to that side. 1st read here is the TE leaking across (14), then corner, then the dig. You might ask why the Go route isn’t one of the reads, and that’s because it’s a pre-snap read. If the defense isn’t what you’re looking for, that route becomes a clear out and not part of your progression. The QB misses the dig on this one twice. He’s open here, which is the first window, then he’s open again as the QB gets to that second hash mark because that LB flows with the QB outside and opens that window (circled). Xavier Restrepo or another slot WR would eat in this route.
This looks kind of familiar.
Uses space to make things easy for his outside WR (Z). Play off-coverage like this and it’s an automatic slant for a 1st down. The big thing you see that Lashlee does is he keeps it simple for his QB, with just a few reads. He helps his OL because all of these plays are designed to get the ball out quick. The space helps the OL as well because it limits where defenses can send blitzers from.
Off-coverage again and you get the immediate slant after that same motion rolls the S out and drops the edge down to open the window.
Next play on 2nd and 1 and they take a deep shot, which is a great time to take a chance deep. They get the completion after review. It is mostly what you’d consider common sense, but Lashlee has a nice feel for simply doing the next smart thing. You want to give the slant with off-man, take it. You want to try and play cover-2 with an off safety on the slot? Take smash all day. 2nd and short with single-high S? Take a deep shot. One of my biggest complaints with Enos was simple stuff that is available was being ignored because I can only assume he wanted to show how smart he could be? (Not pictured)
Wouldn’t you know it, on the next play, on 1st and goal from the 2, they try a double reverse pass from Proche that is almost intercepted. Burn that play. Next play is same formation and they run it in for the TD. (Not pictured)
Lashlee gets fooled here. It’s cover-2 and SMU lines up with Ace Trips Right and an inline TE. Check with me into run left due to leverage. After the check, Memphis checks their defense to drop that edge defender down onto the line and he’s unaccounted for an gets a TFL on Read-Option.
For some reason the SMU QB wants to throw a back-shoulder fade to a TE when he has a check-down on a LB in space on 3rd and 5.
Miami is going to need to recruit WR’s who can operate in space to make this offense fully hum. Here, SMU is under C with two TE’s. One in-line, one offset in tight. Give this much space and they just throw the bubble. Makes a man miss and goes for 1st down. Miami does not have a receiver as good as James Proche.
Here is a play-caller seeing the defense compensating for an area they’ve been getting beat. That slant to bottom of screen has been a killer. They’re still playing off, but now they bring that OLB into the slant zone. Then they shade their deep safety to the side of Proche. Second safety has been moved down to take away that slant to the top of the screen. Lashlee sees them pressing and no S deep to that side and calls a stop-and-go and it is wide open down to the 9-yard line. Great job of a play-caller running a play until the defense adjusts, then countering off of it for a big play.
3rd and goal and they run Smash to both sides. Memphis covers it this time and the QB has to take the Whip route, which is short of the goal line. Lashlee LOVES Smash in the red zone. I’d like to see him throw the trips slant-stop pick play in the red zone for a variation of Smash at times as well, but haven’t seen that yet.
On a pace for 500 yards, but only 15 yards rushing on 10 rushes in the first half.
At this point, Memphis has opened up a 30-17 lead. Same sprint right layers concept that they ran earlier in the game, only this time they suck up to the TE and leave the medium route open and the QB hits it. That is another TE that he throws to, so double-TE is not at all unusual for this offense. #83 is essentially a big WR in the mold of Will Mallory. The #14 is more of the all-around TE who can block and catch like Brevin Jordan. They’ll adjust the roles to make Brevin more of a focal point, but the offense certainly accentuates the TE more than I was originally told. This offense is really simple for the QB to read and execute. A clear mashup of the Auburn, UConn, Air Raid offenses.
I really like that Lashlee is not a dink-and-dunk guy. He absolutely identifies when the defense is giving opportunities to go deep. Here, they’re up in press on the boundary against Proche. They’ve stacked on the TE with the edge and then S over the seam. This holds that S inside and opens up 1-on-1 against their best WR on the outside. They throw the Go and get a pass interference in the end zone.
Next play in red zone and they go 2 x 2 and I said to myself, “It’s Smash, isn’t it?” It was. Lashlee loves Smash in the red zone. (Not pictured)
Next red zone play is a motion from the other side and the H runs the wheel while the Z switches with him and runs a post. The pass is overthrown because of PI not called. Lashlee absolutely wants to attack that corner area of the end zone in the red zone, which is a good choice as that area is difficult to cover well.
A nice little counter to the love of Smash or Switch Wheel in the red zone is to stack the WR’s and then throw a screen to the front WR coming back towards the LOS. I listed part of my criteria is to take advantage of the college rules for allowing downfield blocking on passes behind LOS and Lashlee saves it for a big moment here on 3rd and 10. It should’ve been a TD, but 72 didn’t block a soul.
Direct snap to RB after a check with me to get numbers near the goal line. TD. Lashlee will save plays and bring them out in big spots and rely on his staple plays for most of the rest of the game. Got a FB into the game in short yardage. Chaney would be great for this play with his comfort of running the ball in tight formations and making one cut with power.
7 plays, 75 yards, right down the field after Memphis returned the opening 2nd half kickoff to get some separation, on the road, night game with national audience. Impressive drive and play calling as his defense is not doing him any favors and allows Memphis to control the ball and score again.
Jet motion, fake the bubble to him, TE counter takes a handoff with a TE lead to the other side. Not real in love with slow-developing runs to your TE, but at least they showed a wrinkle to keep the defense honest.
Here’s a look at what the QB reads. He’s simply reading the outside defender whose leg you can see here. If that defender stays outside (there is a bubble screen over there), he gives the ball to the RB. If that defender dives inside to this hole, he pulls and throws the bubble.
You play single-high, this offense is going to attack you vertically. S is on the top hash here. Seam routes to both sides holds the S over there so Buechele throws it up for his WR at the bottom of the screen. SMU gained four pass interference calls on deep passes in this game (five in total) that don’t show up in their stats.
It’s not just Miami who has problems with OL not understanding their assignments. 78 has the outside for 57 and the inside for the TE (ball is supposed to come out quickly). Instead the RT doesn’t touch him and the TE can’t block a DE, who gets the sack.
Memphis busted off another long TD run and put the game mostly out of reach at this point. Lashlee threw out a couple of cool trick plays late in this game. One was a double-reverse flea-flicker that the QB threw a dime to the TE deep for a TD. The other on a two-point conversion was a throwback screen on a T-eligible play (Not pictured).
