Really good Puck interview with Kyle Thornton...
- Thread starter M-I-Coug
- Start date
Thornton has put in his dues, deserves the love, but I have to agree with former UW coach Chris Peterson that it was a scoring play but for edge rusher, #85 Degraw-Tryall. Their OT couldn't block/seal him, got pushed back, forcing the last second desperation pitch that Thornton cleaned up.
Huskies are complaining that it was a "bad call" by Fisch, but if you are the Husky coach, and the match up is your 310# RT vs a 230# freshmen edge rusher (in to pressure the passer) on an option run, it is the call you make all day, every day.
One of the greatest plays in Cougar history, that will be lost to history, because most people don't know what they are watching!
Huskies are complaining that it was a "bad call" by Fisch, but if you are the Husky coach, and the match up is your 310# RT vs a 230# freshmen edge rusher (in to pressure the passer) on an option run, it is the call you make all day, every day.
One of the greatest plays in Cougar history, that will be lost to history, because most people don't know what they are watching!
I just watched the play about 10x on slo-mo, and here's my assessment:
Basically the entire UW offense - not just the OL - failed completely. There were 2 exceptions:
- Denzel Boston, the X receiver farthest from the play, made a really good and completely meaningless block
- Their LG closed off the backside pursuit pretty well, and sustained it long enough to make sure that Gusta wasn't a factor.
Our D lined up with two defenders outside the tackle, plus an LB pursuing inside out. The RT and TE blocked both outside guys and left the pursuit untouched. Basically, they ran an option and then blocked the guy they were supposed to be optioning on.
The TE's block on Al-Uqdah was minimally effective - he was engaged and couldn't really attack. The RT at least kept Moku in a position where he couldn't make a play ahead of the goal line. Problem was that they didn't blow either of them out of the path of the ball - Rogers/Coleman still had to get around them, and Al-Uqdah was getting pushed toward the sideline, so the blocker was actually closing the path. And more importantly, nobody ever touched Thornton. The result was that no path to the endzone emerged, and Thornton had a perfect pursuit lane.
If Rogers had pitched sooner, Coleman might have been able to get past Thornton and around Al-Uqdah and beat him to the flag. Probably not, but maybe.
If I was drawing up that play, the tight end blocks down on Thornton. Doesn't have to be much, just slow him down a step or two. The RT should drive Moku out the back of the endzone. I leave Al-Uqdah untouched and make him choose between covering Coleman or Rogers (I'd rather block Al-Uqdah, since he's the better tackler and he's bigger...but our alignment made him a tougher block). They'd still need their interior OL to do a better job than they did, but the way they blocked it made it impossible.
I also think Coleman was running too close to Rogers, and he needed to be more outside and less behind.
Oh, and also - holding on the RG, who clearly had a grip on Edson's shoulder pads and was trying to twist him to the ground. Holding on the RT, who had his right hand lifting up Moku's left shoulder, and his left hand pulling Moku's right arm. And holding on the TE, with his hand up under Al-Uqdah's chin, which then turned into illegal hands to the face, followed by another hold when as the TE fell to the ground, he pulled Al-Uqdah down by the back of his jersey. In other words, even with the entire right side of the line cheating, they couldn't manage to make their blocks.
Even if you take away the poor execution, running an option to the short side with a QB who can't run is a bad call.
There is your analysis, and then there is Chris Peterson's analysis as explained to Brock Huard on his podcast. Chris Peterson was paid millions to coach football, and was so detailed oriented he burnt himself out. He put the failure on the play of the RT and his inability to seal our edge rusher, a 230# freshman. Sorry, I'm going to take the analysis of the seasoned pro, over your (and the Husky armchair fan crowd) "completed top to bottom disaster." play call view. That said, Huard basically agreed with you. He favored a dive play with Coleman.
However, no option play looks good when your tackle is 3 yards in the back field, having failed to control the player who responsibility it is to "contain" the option.
Ok, I found what he said. The only one he mentioned specifically though was the guard who got knocked back. But he also said they blocked it wrong, they needed to leave one of the guys on the end unblocked…which is exactly what I said. That’s what makes it an option play - you force the defender to make a choice, and then you decide where the ball goes.
Never even saw him mention the tackle…but either him or the TE blocked the wrong person entirely, and the other (along with the center and RG) didn’t make good blocks. With all that going wrong, the only chance the play had was the back out sprinting the D to the corner, but by running it to the short side they didn’t have room for that.
By name and design, the option play is supposed to give the offense multiple options. Running short side limits those. So while bad execution was what ultimately killed it, the playcall itself was high risk. They had to be perfect to pull it off, and they messed up all 3 of their key blocks. It was doomed by the time the ball got into Rogers’ hands.
Monkeypox is scary stuff, but that new bird flu feels like the thing that might cross over
