Interesting article on OU's redzone/goalline issues last year

[Salt City Sooner]

http://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/2011/8/16/2367191/the-2010-goalline-offense-interesting-trends

[Widescreen]

Based on his analysis, it looks like the main problem is execution and (probably) poor line play and not necessarily play selection. Which is pretty much what the coaches have been saying all along.

[NormanPride]

To a certain extent. Some of that can be fixed with scheme but yes, it all ends up in the players' hands. FWIW, Heupel has completely revamped the running game.

[Illuminati]

I blame Kevin Wilson :D

[BoulderSooner79]

To a certain extent. Some of that can be fixed with scheme but yes, it all ends up in the players' hands. FWIW, Heupel has completely revamped the running game.

Hard to believe a new scheme could be worse in terms of yds/carry average.

[badger]

All of our goalline issues were in College Station. :rcmad:

[Cornfed]

All of our goalline issues were in College Station. :rcmad:

I was so sick watching us flounder down close, we do even slightly better there the game would have been different.

[SoonerRoy]

While the players were more to blame (lack of blocking) than the coaches play calling, KW had a blind spot in that regard. If a play didn't work in certain situation, he would call it again and again. And it would fail over and over!

[Curly Bill]

KW had the classic offensive line coach mentality of we're gonna move those defenders up front and bull our way in. That sometimes works and it sometimes doesn't. KW seemed unwilling to acknowlege that sometimes the other team might be better than you up front, and vary his calls accordingly.

[ictsooner7]

All of our goalline issues were in College Station. :rcmad:

I think it started against Florida. Two times inside the 10 and zero points.

[agoo758]

My bad, thought I was starting a new thred. :O

[JiminyChristmas]

Could be that teams later in the season had more film on the schemes we were running at the goal line and were therefore more prepared to stop us.

[WE ARE dirtburglars]

Could be that teams later in the season had more film on the schemes we were running at the goal line and were therefore more prepared to stop us.

Or the fact that we played weaker competition at the beginning of the season than towards the end.

[NormanPride]

We couldn't pound it in against Utah State, right? There was another team in there that was basically a JUCO that stopped us on the goal line as well. That, to me, speaks of scheme or coaching rather than ability. Our guys are stronger and bigger, so they should be able to move the other team out of the way, unless coaching or scheme is getting in the way.

[SoonerAtKU]

FWIW, Heupel has completely revamped the running game.

How so? I'm up here in Saint Louis and don't hear as much of the ins and outs as I used to.

[BermudaSooner]

This analysis is useless without comparable stats from other teams. What is the overall success rate inside the 10 across the NCAA? What is it among the top 25? I think that needs to be done to say whether we are good, ok, or poor at goalline scoring.

Also, take out the A&M failures, and we were pretty damn good. Maybe A&M was just pretty damn good at stopping us with a short field.

[Pricetag]

Blocking Von Miller might have helped against A&M.

[NormanPride]

How so? I'm up here in Saint Louis and don't hear as much of the ins and outs as I used to.
Nobody has said specifically, but both he and Stoops mentioned it in passing. I would imagine it's either removal of zone blocking (unlikely) or an emphasis on different types of running plays (more likely).

We might see some slightly different formations (FB in traditional spot behind QB more, or offset in weak/strong formation) or in different game plans as well.

[thecrimsoncrusader]

Kevin Wilson was the problem and that problem is now gone. He has a great system, but isn't exactly the one that can best run it. And Oklahoma didn't score the most amount of offensive points in a bowl game in the Bob Stoops era because they were playing UCONN, they did so because Coach Heupel was calling plays. I can't even jinx the team when I say this, Oklahoma's goal line problems are solved and they don't even have to prove it first.

But if I am wrong, here is my preemptive redneck knee-jerk response of...FIRE COACH HOOPLE!!!

[Widescreen]

And Oklahoma didn't score the most amount of offensive points in a bowl game in the Bob Stoops era because they were playing UCONN, they did so because Coach Heupel was calling plays.

And also because we were playing UConn. You also have to remember that 14 of our points came off pick-6's so it's tough to credit Heupel with those.

[SoonerBorn85]

Seems like Wilson was calling plays as if Cooper, Loadholt, and Robinson were still on the line.

[TheresOnlyOne]

I blame Chuck Long!! Bring back Mangino!!! Wanna motivate the lineman?? Show em the sideline video of Mangino tearin that hotdog KR's arse off after his celebration penalty...You guys want us to call Coach Mangino??? Then put it in the endzone!!!! BOOMER!!!!!!!!

[thecrimsoncrusader]

And also because we were playing UConn. You also have to remember that 14 of our points came off pick-6's so it's tough to credit Heupel with those.

I believe I said most **OFFENSIVE** points scored. Take away those 14 points from the two picks and Oklahoma STILL had the most **OFFENSIVE** points scored in the Bob Stoops era.*

Don't forget that 7 of the 34 points scored against Washington St. occurred on a punt return for a touchdown by Antonio Perkins, which means 27 offensive points, which is less than 34 offensive points. So I can credit Coach Heupel with 34 offensive points, which again, is the most **OFFENSIVE** points scored in the Bob Stoops era.

*I guess you could cheat if you want to include the Boise St. game where the Sooners scored 1 more offensive point, but it took A.D.'s touchdown in overtime to get that meager extra point.

The point still stands, Wilson was the problem and Coach Heupel is the solution. It's going to be a fun season.

[BoulderSooner79]

The point still stands, Wilson was the problem and Coach Heupel is the solution. It's going to be a fun season.

So it was written, so shall it be done.

Even given this fact, I'll wait and see how the season plays out.

[Boooom!]

Fire Chuck Long!!

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

KW had the classic offensive line coach mentality of we're gonna move those defenders up front and bull our way in. That sometimes works and it sometimes doesn't. KW seemed unwilling to acknowlege that sometimes the other team might be better than you up front, and vary his calls accordingly.

Take it one step further.

Offense in football is actually 3 different types of games. From your Goal Line to the opponents 20, from their 20 to their 5, from their 5 to their Goal Line.

We are very familiar with offenses (*cough*leach*cough*) that dominated between the 20s and then floundered in the red zone. In this first "game" scheme dominates. This is because the defense is spread out and you only need execution at key places to make the play work. I diagrammed several plays where we missed 2-3 blocks and still got good yardage (as well as it happening to our D). As you get closer to the goal line though, execution becomes much more important than scheme because the defense is so compressed. From the 20 to the 5, instead of needing 2-3 key blocks, you now need 4-5. From the 5 to the goal line, that number jumps to 7-8.

What you saw last year from both our offense and defense was a lack of consistent execution. This manifested itself in the red zone (and secondarily after an opponent score, but that is a topic for another time).

[NormanPride]

^^^ This is why I think Patton is on a very short leash. He is now only coaching guards and centers, while they brought in a new guy to coach tackles, FBs and TEs. This, considering the OL play recently, speaks to a lack of confidence by coach Stoops.

[BoulderSooner79]

I watched a fair number of Stanford games last season and their run game was effective by scheme as much as execution (they did both). They had a lot of pulling, trapping, over-loading, and plain bull-dozing - basically a lot going on in the O-line at the snap of the ball. Of course they were a power running, run-first team in the first place and I'm not saying we should do that. I just think this is a lot that can be done with scheme and still be within the system our guys could learn.

[pphilfran]

Poor Josh....

Sooner or later he will call a 4th down running play inside the 2...and it will get stuffed....

Poor Josh...

[Bourbon St Sooner]

This analysis is useless without comparable stats from other teams. What is the overall success rate inside the 10 across the NCAA? What is it among the top 25? I think that needs to be done to say whether we are good, ok, or poor at goalline scoring.

Also, take out the A&M failures, and we were pretty damn good. Maybe A&M was just pretty damn good at stopping us with a short field.

I seem to remember kicking field goals in the 2nd half against osu where we could have put that one away earlier if we could have finished drives.

[Widescreen]

I seem to remember kicking field goals in the 2nd half against osu where we could have put that one away earlier if we could have finished drives.

Same thing against Nebraska in the B12 CCG. We should've put that game away halfway through the 2nd half but we couldn't score a touchdown with 1st-and-goal from the 2 (after a big Broyles reception).