8timechamps
10/5/2014, 06:23 PM
I'm going to try to break-down the game over the next couple of days for anyone interested. I'm not going to do it all at once (personally, I would have no problem with it, but other human beings in my household would). Anyway, I'll try to break it down by quarter (on both sides of the ball), but I did spend a lot of time on the opening TCU drive since that kinda kick-started the way the game went in the first half.
Below is what I saw, but in a nutshell the drive was part missed tackles and a larger part great execution/play calling on TCU part. Here's the opening drive notes:
Opening Drive for TCU (key plays)
1st third and long:
TCU is in a four receiver set with two wide outs to the left and two to the right. OU is playing man under cover two. Just before the snap, Boykin sends the slot receiver on the left (Deonte Gray) into motion (at full speed) toward the right. Steven Parker appears to get a late start following his man, and gets caught up in the interior coverage which makes him extremely late to his man. Boykin completes the pass (in the flat, to the receiver that was in motion - Gray). With Parker trying to recover, and the two TCU receivers running routes that clog the middle, Gray makes an easy catch and has plenty of room to run up field. By the time Parker arrives, Gray is well past the first down and Parker takes a bad angle, missing the tackle. TCU picks up 19 yards and a first down.
The very next play (1st and 10 at the TCU 47), OU calls a timeout because they are caught trying to substitute (Phillips and Alexander) onto the field, and TCU is ready to snap the ball. This was caused entirely by TCU picking up the first down. Since we were in a 3rd and long, we had put in a coverage package (taking out Phillips and Alexander, and adding Obo and an extra DB…Parker). Right after the first down, TCU tried to take advantage of our personnel package and forced us to use a TO. I don’t really put the blame on OU (coaches or players) for using a TO so early. There wasn’t much else they could have done, as TCU was prepared to exploit our coverage heavy package. This is the same thing we’ve done to opposing offenses for the past few years. Just a solid call on TCU’s part, and a direct result of OU giving up the previous first down.
First and 10, ball at the OU 37:
This was another key play in TCU’s opening drive. TCU is in their spread formation (4 receivers, twins on both sides), and a single running back. Grissom moves to the line and brings a rush from the left side. At the same time, Alexander blitzes from his LB spot but get’s met at the line of scrimmage…still, Alexander does exactly what he was coached to do and gets his hand up in the passing lane, tipping the pass. The tipped ball flutters into the hands of the TCU receiver resulting in a gain of 21 and another first down.
Boykin makes an great pre-snap read here. On the right side, he has two receivers with Ahmad Thomas coming down from his safety spot to cover the slot guy (since Alexander is blitzing) and Sanchez covering the outside man. Just before the snap, Sanchez backs off of his man giving a 7-10 yard cushion. Nothing unusual about that, since Thomas is spinning down to cover the slot. The route for the outside receiver is to undercut the slot guy and slant inside…while the slot man runs a deep route (not sure if it’s just a fly, can’t see, but it’s deep enough to pull Zack downfield). So, even if the pass isn’t deflected, Boykin will have the outside man open on a slant, and the same result probably occurs. If anything, the ball getting deflected probably gave Thomas a little time to recover and catch up which most likely kept that play from going the distance. Jordan Evans has the middle zone on that play, but where the ball was thrown (or intended to be thrown) there was little chance he could get to that spot and make a play.
This kind of play is exactly why TCU spreads out so far…it makes it very difficult on the DBs (or in this case, a safety and a LB).
It’s hard to be upset about the play calling here, but TCU (whether through luck, or OU giving something away on film) called the best possible play for what OU was doing on this play.
3rd and 6 from the OU 11:
The second third and long of the drive: TCU is in their spread. OU brings pressure via Striker off the left edge. The OU secondary does a decent job of coverage here…the far right receiver runs a come-back route that should have been stopped for *maybe* a 2 yard gain. TCU *should* be facing a field goal. What results is a catch and missed tackles (two). Chuka Ndulue makes the tackle (preventing a TD). Anytime a defensive lineman is making a tackle downfield, it’s usually not a good thing.
TCU picks up the first down (at the OU 4) and scores two plays later (really, they scored on the next play, but they went too fast for a review).
Below is what I saw, but in a nutshell the drive was part missed tackles and a larger part great execution/play calling on TCU part. Here's the opening drive notes:
Opening Drive for TCU (key plays)
1st third and long:
TCU is in a four receiver set with two wide outs to the left and two to the right. OU is playing man under cover two. Just before the snap, Boykin sends the slot receiver on the left (Deonte Gray) into motion (at full speed) toward the right. Steven Parker appears to get a late start following his man, and gets caught up in the interior coverage which makes him extremely late to his man. Boykin completes the pass (in the flat, to the receiver that was in motion - Gray). With Parker trying to recover, and the two TCU receivers running routes that clog the middle, Gray makes an easy catch and has plenty of room to run up field. By the time Parker arrives, Gray is well past the first down and Parker takes a bad angle, missing the tackle. TCU picks up 19 yards and a first down.
The very next play (1st and 10 at the TCU 47), OU calls a timeout because they are caught trying to substitute (Phillips and Alexander) onto the field, and TCU is ready to snap the ball. This was caused entirely by TCU picking up the first down. Since we were in a 3rd and long, we had put in a coverage package (taking out Phillips and Alexander, and adding Obo and an extra DB…Parker). Right after the first down, TCU tried to take advantage of our personnel package and forced us to use a TO. I don’t really put the blame on OU (coaches or players) for using a TO so early. There wasn’t much else they could have done, as TCU was prepared to exploit our coverage heavy package. This is the same thing we’ve done to opposing offenses for the past few years. Just a solid call on TCU’s part, and a direct result of OU giving up the previous first down.
First and 10, ball at the OU 37:
This was another key play in TCU’s opening drive. TCU is in their spread formation (4 receivers, twins on both sides), and a single running back. Grissom moves to the line and brings a rush from the left side. At the same time, Alexander blitzes from his LB spot but get’s met at the line of scrimmage…still, Alexander does exactly what he was coached to do and gets his hand up in the passing lane, tipping the pass. The tipped ball flutters into the hands of the TCU receiver resulting in a gain of 21 and another first down.
Boykin makes an great pre-snap read here. On the right side, he has two receivers with Ahmad Thomas coming down from his safety spot to cover the slot guy (since Alexander is blitzing) and Sanchez covering the outside man. Just before the snap, Sanchez backs off of his man giving a 7-10 yard cushion. Nothing unusual about that, since Thomas is spinning down to cover the slot. The route for the outside receiver is to undercut the slot guy and slant inside…while the slot man runs a deep route (not sure if it’s just a fly, can’t see, but it’s deep enough to pull Zack downfield). So, even if the pass isn’t deflected, Boykin will have the outside man open on a slant, and the same result probably occurs. If anything, the ball getting deflected probably gave Thomas a little time to recover and catch up which most likely kept that play from going the distance. Jordan Evans has the middle zone on that play, but where the ball was thrown (or intended to be thrown) there was little chance he could get to that spot and make a play.
This kind of play is exactly why TCU spreads out so far…it makes it very difficult on the DBs (or in this case, a safety and a LB).
It’s hard to be upset about the play calling here, but TCU (whether through luck, or OU giving something away on film) called the best possible play for what OU was doing on this play.
3rd and 6 from the OU 11:
The second third and long of the drive: TCU is in their spread. OU brings pressure via Striker off the left edge. The OU secondary does a decent job of coverage here…the far right receiver runs a come-back route that should have been stopped for *maybe* a 2 yard gain. TCU *should* be facing a field goal. What results is a catch and missed tackles (two). Chuka Ndulue makes the tackle (preventing a TD). Anytime a defensive lineman is making a tackle downfield, it’s usually not a good thing.
TCU picks up the first down (at the OU 4) and scores two plays later (really, they scored on the next play, but they went too fast for a review).