The Next Level

Wartdawg wrote: This started as a talk about nuts and bolts, so let us get back to that and ask; "What would you do?"

Specifically, what would you do with our line issues.

You can't make chicken salad out of chicken something else, so deal with the line as it is.

When you have a bad O-line, you've got to do some things to hide it

What say you?

I'll respond in general, then in the specific manner you asked for.

In general, if we're going to win this week, Miss State is going to make Fromm win the game for us. Everything is going to be bigger and faster, and what Fromm has to realize is that this is a game of ten yards. If he can come out and start moving the ball downfield on quick slants and screen passes and gain five and ten yards at a punch, it's going to really neutralize the d-line pressure. In general, what our o-line really isn't doing is opening holes. Despite their criticism-worthy performances, they are blocking better than they were last season. I hate to say this, but without opening holes for Chubb, he's going to have muted performances in the SEC schedule. Chubb is a vertical running back, he's not a back that is going to, play-after-play, come up with creative ways to move around big imposing d-lines pushing back our o-line and preventing holes from being opened. All that trickery you saw last week where he ran up to the line, realized all lanes were closed, and bumped his way on a 2nd chance to the outside and ran for 25 yards ain't gonna fly this week. That works real well against Samford, but that dawg don't hunt against an SEC defense. This is a game tailored to Sony Michel and D'Andre Swift. That said, if we want to wear down that d-line, pounding Chubb up the gut is going to have to factor into the game plan somewhat. This is Fromm's time to shine Saturday, and he doesn't have to be spectacular, he has to be effective. There's a huge difference.

Specifically, what would I do if I were an OC with our o-line?

At the risk of repeating WD's points, first, I would have D'Andre Swift receiving quick passes in the flats and watch him break the ankles of the backers and corners trying to tackle him. I would have Fromm in a zone read out of the gun the moment I saw the line was getting too much pressure from their D and not providing him at least marginal time to get clean passes off. I would run quick slants in and out, and I would utilize Issac Nauta. It's about damn time to use our tight ends. If the o-line was showing at least the ability to hold their line but not open holes, I'd run a split back formation and start paying attention to which of my guards were getting better blocking and put the faster back on that side. If Fromm was on his game, I'd let him start airing it a little bit in the 3rd and taking some bigger shots downfield by cautiously running some spread offense plays and get Terry Godwin & Mecole Hardman involved. However, this would be a short leash scenario. Fromm would have to have proven to me he was in the zone. With Fromm's accuracy, I'd have a lot more confidence in him doing this than I would Eason right now. But I would emphasize to Fromm that we don't need glitz and glamor, we need consistent medium gains. And of course, despite the fact that Chubb isn't going to get 150 yards + with piss poor line play against Miss State, I would have the usual plays on 1st down and let Chubb pound it down their faces early and often to start wearing down that line so by the time the 4th rolls around, they've softened up to the point where Chubb can start breaking past the line and doing Chubb stuff. I'd throw the "wilddawg" in the garbage can and take a leak on it. I would do my best to keep Fromm out of 3rd and long scenarios because he really hasn't had enough time under center to be a QB expected to keep us in the game by making up long yardage on 3rd downs, hence, why I would design the plays for a fast paced, mid-yardage offensive game plan.

Good stuff...

The thing is though is that i haven't seen much of what we have discussed in our arsenal.

Screens have been non existant.. there have been a very limited number of slants, we've seen no tosses and stretch blocking schemes to try and create creases by making opposing D lines go horizontal. We've also seen very little out of the TE's and certainly no stick routes deaigned to develop quickly.

So does anyone honestly think we can show up Saturday night and roll out with all that stuff having not seen it at all.. this year or last?

So if not, can we win doing what we've done? Well possibly... the D will have to limit them to 17-20 max. We will have to have a couple of really big plays on ST and maybe even slip in a defensive score.. we will need to do something you can't count on.

I just wish however we would make it easier on ourselves by doing those things teams should do when their O-line is middling.

Wartdawg wrote:
So if not, can we win doing what we've done? Well possibly... the D will have to limit them to 17-20 max. We will have to have a couple of really big plays on ST and maybe even slip in a defensive score.. we will need to do something you can't count on.

I just wish however we would make it easier on ourselves by doing those things teams should do when their O-line is middling.

Couldn't agree with you more WD.

And I think regardless, this is a low low scoring affair if we want to win it. 20-17, 17-14, 13-10, 21-14, somewhere around there.

Here is the entire game, abridged. LSU looked like the Keystone Cops, trying to make tackles. Miss. State doesn't look that fast or great, but LSU looks totally incapable of making a basic tackle. As long as our D does the basic job of tackling, I think we win. If we look as inept as LSU, we lose.

We are far and away from the "next level" on offense, more of the same old same from last year

Passing offense=117 national

Total offense=85 national

See all stats here:

stats.ncaa.org/rankings/ranking_summary

Perhaps, as a group, our TEs could go into CJCs office, introduce themselves, and ask if they could play.