Cal vs. Texas (Sept. 19, 2015) Film Review

[Ryan Bridges]

I was surprised to find that only two of those deep completions were on post-wheel combinations, though we did complete one other wheel route. 
 

 

 
Cal is in Cover 4-type coverages both times, but I'm not sure which exactly. I think in the first play the corner should have been over the top of the wheel (more like splitting the difference, really) instead of following Warrick out of his deep quarter, whereas in the second the nickel was supposed to run with the wheel, but those are just my guesses. 
 
The short answer is Cal's defenders didn't understand how to handle switch releases and ended up turning the slot receiver loose.
 
One other thing: Look at Heard's eyes (or where he's looking, rather). I'm impressed that he wasn't just staring down the route the whole way.

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Here's D'Onta Foreman's touchdown run.

Nothing fancy, it's just Inside Zone Read. There's no end zone view so I'm not sure exactly what happened, but the nose couldn't get off Doyle's block and Vahe just mauled the linebacker. 

 

[Ryan Bridges]

First play of the game for the Texas offense. I love this play call. 

Texas comes out in an empty set, squeezes three receivers to the boundary side and then splits Daje and Gray out — way out — to the field. Cal has to find a way to play the quick out by the slot. If they want to play a safety deep (which they do), and if they want to keep the linebacker near the box so he can keep Heard from running (which they do), the corner has to take the quick out by No. 2. 

But when he jumps Daje's route, the safety now has a ton of ground to cover to play No. 1 (Gray) vertical. This play is an example of the difference between being out-executed and being out-schemed. There was literally no way Cal could stop this play with this coverage unless their safety ran about a 4.1 40. 

 

[Mike Roach]

Too many posts to like, but I love this feature.

 

[Ryan Bridges]

This is technically a different concept than the Switch Vertical we looked at a few posts ago, but in practice it's the same — the No. 1 receiver goes vertical and inside, the No. 2 receiver (lined up in the backfield here) releases vertically down the sideline. The addition of jet motion really complicates things for the defense.

Texas ends up with four (actually five because of the shallow cross coming from the far side) receivers on one half of the field. Cal has their corner come up as the force player to take away the jet sweep, but he seems lost after there's no handoff. If this is what I think it is, the corner should have run with Gray.

We've talked a little about the effect Heard has on defenses. Here's an example of what Daje does to them. 

 

[North Texas Golfer]

Too many posts to like, but I love this feature.

I am thoroughly enjoying this feature. Good stuff.

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Hey, guess what. It's the play-action 3 Verticals concept, except this time Heard hits the inside receiver. (I put question marks at the end of the outside routes because I'm not 100% sure that's what they ran since I can't see it, but that'd be my guess.)

The chip block by Gray leaves much to be desired, but the H-backs have done a great job blocking this in every game so far. I can't remember if I ended up posting it but Alex De La Torre locked up a like 290-pound Notre Dame defensive end for about 3.5 seconds on I believe the deep completion to John Burt in that game. Anyway, this throw is right on the money. Nice route by Daje as well.

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Here's another big completion, this time on play-action X Cross. 

There are several things I like about this play. First is the effect the play-action has on the defense. Notice that Heard has almost completed his drop before either of the linebackers starts dropping into coverage. It also freezes the boundary safety (I put a yellow box around him and the near linebacker so you can see where they end up). 

Second, look at what the bubble route by Daje does to the nickel. It keeps him from dropping underneath the crossing route. 

Finally, Cal respects the threat of Burt going deep enough to bracket him with the corner and field safety. That's probably who Heard is reading — if the safety stays put, he'd be in position to cut off the crossing route, but then Burt would be running a post with the corner outside of him; if he runs with Burt (which he does), then what's in this gif happens.

And I just want to say, this and the last play are just brilliant freaking throws. What's in these last two posts is exactly what Heard wasn't supposed to be able to do. He's so calm in the pocket, he's actually making a read, and the throw is fantastic. 

 

[North Texas Golfer]

Here's another big completion, this time on play-action X Cross. 

There are several things I like about this play. First is the effect the play-action has on the defense. Notice that Heard has almost completed his drop before either of the linebackers starts dropping into coverage. It also freezes the boundary safety (I put a yellow box around him and the near linebacker so you can see where they end up). 

Second, look at what the bubble route by Daje does to the nickel. It keeps him from dropping underneath the crossing route. 

Finally, Cal respects the threat of Burt going deep enough to bracket him with the corner and field safety. That's probably who Heard is reading — if the safety stays put, he'd be in position to cut off the crossing route, but then Burt would be running a post with the corner outside of him; if he runs with Burt (which he does), then what's in this gif happens.

And I just want to say, this and the last play are just brilliant freaking throws. What's in these last two posts is exactly what Heard wasn't supposed to be able to do. He's so calm in the pocket, he's actually making a read, and the throw is fantastic. 

Pass protection was really good on this play.

 

[Ryan Bridges]

No Xs and Os comment here, but look at this OPI Cal got away with on 3rd & 8 when Texas was trying to make its comeback.

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Heard still isn't perfect. We went over his touchdown run earlier where he should have handed off. He should have handed off on this one as well.

This play's actually pretty similar to the one Goff threw a TD with over Antwuan Davis. There's a run play attached to Double Slants, but for Texas the run play is Lead Zone. Texas has the advantage in the box and no advantage outside. This throw really could have been picked off if the nickel had jumped sooner. Then Armanti Foreman dropped it. I guess that's karma. 

 

[Ryan Bridges]

The same defensive issues keep popping up. 

This is why the corner should force an inside release in Cover 2. When he lets the receiver release outside and run straight up the sideline, he forces the safety to cover a much wider area. 

 

[Shannon Kelley]

Texas' first touchdown came on the same play (different formation) that got called back for an illegal forward pass. This should never have been a touchdown. In fact, it probably should have been a handoff.

I think Cal knew this was coming and shifted their linebackers over to the side of the back (that's the only direction Texas could run zone read to). Also notice how there are two 1-techniques (lined up on the outside shoulder of the center), which screws up the zone combo blocks. 

The player Texas is reading is a safety, who slow-plays it. For me, this should be a give. (1) The read man is square with the line and has Heard out-leveraged, so Heard shouldn't be able to get the edge. (2) You need two yards, and the unblocked read defender is 190 pounds and is standing on the goal line. I'd rather force him to keep Gray from gaining six feet than test his ability to run — what he was recruited to do.

Anyway, this play is DOA. Except Texas has Jerrod Heard. 

Because I was bored, here's an idea for countering this defensive front.

Run weakside Power Read and/or see if that safety will let Daje sneak in behind him. I bet when Heard and Gray start moving his direction with eyes on him, he forgets all about #4. 

Absolutely correct! RPO's as you know are the thing..The APEX player is the read, based on your attack. Great job! Power read/run pass option, is hell on wheels to defend, particularly this close to the goalie..No time to react!

 

[Shannon Kelley]

The same defensive issues keep popping up. 

This is why the corner should force an inside release in Cover 2. When he lets the receiver release outside and run straight up the sideline, he forces the safety to cover a much wider area. 

As you know, MOR's work! This is why coach's lose their minds when you have a receiver release inside when running verts against squat corners with 2 high. And, you are bullseye on this. The corner HAS to force the receiver inside, or this is what happens. Great job!

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Texas ran several of these two-deep four-under blitzes. Cal made a nice adjustment here that was made better by the play of the cornerback. 

This bubble screen is going to pick up a few yards, but it didn't need to be a first down. Kris Boyd is late recognizing it, and considering that the ballcarrier was outside of the blocker before the blocker had even made contact with Boyd, I'm not sure Boyd couldn't have made this tackle if he had attacked the ball instead of the blocker. 

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Now this looks like a case of Texas getting out-schemed.

It's another two-deep four-under blitz. If you want to rush five defenders and keep two over the top, you can only handle four receivers, because math. Now, there's probably a "peel" technique built in, which means if the back released outside to either direction the edge rusher to that side would peel off and cover him. But what do you do when he sneaks up the middle?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The defensive linemen have to recognize screen and retrace their steps. You didn't blow through the line because you're suddenly so amazing — they let you through for a reason.

 

[Ryan Bridges]

OK, look. We're bad at Cover 2. That's all there is to it. 

The corner (Antwuan Davis here) can't cover both routes. Make them throw the shorter one — best case you get a good break on the ball and jar it loose, worst case they get 10 yards and the first down. But if you let them throw the corner, it's 20+ yards like it was here. It didn't help that Davis slipped. This was the hit that got Haines ejected, by the way. 

 

[Ryan Bridges]

I'm not sure if Heard saw the linebacker, but it's a good thing he didn't throw this ball ... except he fumbled it.

Cal has the Inside Zone outnumbered, so I think Heard is thinking he'll take the easy yards afforded by the very soft coverage on Daje. I put a red box around the linebacker — look where he is in the cable cam view when Heard pumps the ball the second time. 

I wish they'd have these backs actually run a route after they don't get the handoff. It wouldn't have mattered here because of the pressure. I'm very entertained watching the feet of the linemen. The least active ones are always Doyle and Flowers. 

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Absolutely correct! RPO's as you know are the thing..The APEX player is the read, based on your attack. Great job! Power read/run pass option, is hell on wheels to defend, particularly this close to the goalie..No time to react!

I appreciate it, Shannon. I've got plenty of gaps in my knowledge, and I started doing this whole exercise a few years ago for my own education. So I hope you and others will continue to weigh in.

 

[Ryan Bridges]

I had to make more guesses than usual on this play because what it looks like we did doesn't make sense to me, and there was no replay to work with.

This is an RPO but for all intents and purposes it's Inside Zone away from the trips side. Now here's what doesn't make sense to me, and bear with me because I'm going to oversimplify. By alignment, the defensive ends have the C gaps, the defensive tackle (the one on the bottom) has the B gap on the defense's right, and the nose has the A gap on the defense's left. That means Malik would have the B gap to the defense's left, which is about three gaps from where he's lined up. In other words, he's in a poor position to defend the gap where the ball goes.

So what I think Texas is doing, and what I drew up, is slanting the defensive tackles away from the back (and to the direction of the run). Then the nose is responsible for B gap to the defense's left (where the ball went), Malik is responsible for the A gap where the nose was originally aligned, and the tackle took the opposite A gap. That also would take some pressure off the other linebacker, Jinkens, who would now have the B gap to the defense's right instead of the A gap. That's good because he's also trying to cover the No. 3 receiver (not exactly but that's how it plays out).

So then the problem starts when the nose, Paul Boyette, gets double-teamed and can't get across the right guard. That means Malik has to get there, but like I said, that's pretty far away from him. Then Boyette falls down when both linemen simultaneously release him — that's not deliberate — and he can't get back up in time to make the tackle.

The right guard can easily escort Malik out of the play because of the angle Malik has to take to the gap. Then the defensive end at the top nearly makes a great play but he can't grab an ankle.

Finally, Bonney takes a bad angle and leaves a ton of space for the back to bounce it outside. Vaccaro is trusting Bonney to funnel the ball to him but Bonney doesn't do that. 

So that's my best guess as to what went wrong: almost everything.