Okay, lots of theories on the offensive problems and blaming the O-line... here's a look at the first couple of series of how to and how not to co-ordinate an offense.
Northwestern ran a, depending on where you live it's called a, "stop-gap" defense. Sometimes 4-4, sometimes 4-3. The linebackers line up 4 yards off the ball and READ the blocking schemes, then plug the gaps to slow the play down and stop the run.
1st Series
1st Play: 1st and 15 (following false start) on 36
-formation standard I, strong side to left tackle
- defense in 4-4 looking for run.
-- handoff to FB. OL gets a 4-yard push on DL by time Ross gets ball; Schnittker gets beat on block. Hole for FB is on LG. Ross hits hole right away, gains 8 yrds, gets tripped up or has huge space to run. (Tripped up by man who beat Schnittker). OL blocked perfectly.
2nd Play: 2nd and 7 on 44.
-formation: single set back, double TE (inside slot), split outs are wide on left, close on strong side right.
-defense- 5 man front, 3 LB's 3 yards off, tight on strong side CB- looking at run.
--Poor PA, but LB's bite and freeze on Ross. Great pocket. WS safety also caught looking run. McMullen has great time, perfect pass to Jenkins down the middle. TE had run an underneath clear, leaving the deep middle open. Great play.
3rd Play: 1st and 10, N41
-formation: same as previous play.
-defense: 5 man front, but 2 LB's with SS and SCB 6 yards off the ball. Defense now is looking both pass or run, but SS is showing blitz and comes on snap.
More PA, SS freezes- telling me it was a run blitz and tries to retreat. outside TE blocks down, Hamby crosses underneath on single coverage. 5 yard pass. McMullen read blitz, threw to hot receiver underneath. Well blocked and executed.
4th Play: 2nd and 5, N36
-formation: I-Form, strong left, double flankers to weak
defense: 5 man front, 2 LBs. 3 DB's are within 6 yards of ball, 1 Safety back 9 yards. Looking run.
OSU runs draw play. Center and gurads open HUGE hole, get a 2-3 yard push. However, since NW was looking run, LB's read hole, and by time Ross gets ball, there is a safety and an LB to meet him. Still, thanks to OL push, Ross nabs 4 yards. Poor play call. A draw is run when the defense is looking PASS and you sell a pass, then run. This defense was looking run and Ross had no chance. Still, good push netted yards.
5th Play: 3rd and 1 on N32
Formation: balanced I, single flanker wide right
defense: 5 man front, 3 LBs tight 1 safety 4 yards off LOS to wide side of play who blitzes inside. 1 safety deep middle 8 yards back.
SM does 270-degree handoff to Schnittker. Left line gets great push, right side of OL holds LOS. Schnittker has to duck right to take handoff. Huge hole to left, but can't get there because of awkward hand-off design. Maybe the play was designed to go right, but opened left. LB or safety reading play, shoots gap, 1 yard gain.
This is the quoted problem... LONG or slow handoffs giving read defenses time to react, and this was to the upback. If a straight hand-off is used, Schnittker hits the hole and gains 5-10 yards, maybe more. Defense sold-out inside and still, a hole was opened. If
OSU fakes to Schnittker and pitches to Ross- Ross is gone for a TD.
6th Play: 1st and 10 N30
formation- single setback, double TE right, split flankers
defense: 5 man front, 2LB's, 1 SS inside- looking run, WS in a 1-deep coverage. CB's 6 yards off flankers.
McMullen stumbles on draw play. Again,
OSU calls a draw play when the defense is looking run. NOT SMART.
OL gets a 3 yard push on 8 man front, SS blitzes gap after blockers commit, loss of 9 on the fumble. The holes are open in three places, but teams blitz from the blind side of QB- no hope of play going anywhere. You can not fault the OL here. Great push, holes to run through, but play does not respect defense adjustment. Even if SM doesn't stumble, play is dead at hand-off. 6 guys can not block 8 at point of attack. Dumb call.
7th Play: 2nd and 19 N39
Formation: that double TE, inside slot with tight flanker on strong side, wide on weak side
defense: 5 man front, 2 LBs split, cover 2 safeties tight on flankers with CBs. Looking short pass, but respecting deep.
McMullen fakes pitch to Hall on strong side which freezes LB's and CB on strong side (Carter) and to weak side, leaves Jenkins open on slant on weak side. Good call, good execution. Quick release in case of blitz (but LB's were frozen of fake pitch).
8th Play: 3rd and 9 N29
formation: shotgun, 4 wides, 2 on either side
defense: 3 man front. 3 deep (dime coverage), all wideouts are fronted with double up on Jenkins to far left, 1 safety showing blitz from Offense's right.
Quick snap & throw, Carter does a duck and under slant, great pass by SM. Jenkins cleared the area out, Carter comes under coverage. Play was designed to get a few yards, not much more. It got enough. Hopefully, SM had option to read the defense at snap and go long if double team stayed under.
9th Play: 1st and 10 N19
Formation- double TE right, single back, split flankers
defense: 5 man front, 2 LB's, SS in run support, CB's show man, 1 deep. Defense is looking run.
A delayed hand-off (not quite a draw) going off-tackle to strong side. Mangold and Guard pull quickly. Hall gets to line fairly quick, but long hand off tips defense that way, but LB's dove inside. O-line gets a 2-3 yard push on DL. Hall shows patience, follows Mangold's block. When Safety tries to string outside, Mangold blocks him that way, Hall goes inside (as he should). Huge hole, WS makes shoestring tackle. 7 yard gain. A sprinter like Griffin or moose like Clarett hit that hole and are gone, but Hall read it very well, just not fast enough. OL blocked perfectly, Mangold and RG pulled perfectly.
10th Play: 2nd and 3 N12.
formation: balanced I, flanker wide left.
defense: 5 man front, 2lb's, 1 CB inside, safeties stacked in middle, 1 is 7 yards deep, other 12. Man on flanker. defense is looking run, guarding deep pass.
At snap, OL gets a 3 yard surge, defense sells out to middle at snap. Run is to go inside but no room. Ross bounces outside left and scores easy.
Play was designed inside and might have gotten 3 yards and 1st down. However, it was obvious that the defense was looking there. Kudos to OLine for handling defense inside, but there was just no room with the LBs and safeties trying to plug the gaps inside. If
OSU had a philosophy of going outside to start with, this looks like a brilliant play. Instead, Ross had to alter the play on his own when the play, as designed, had no chance to gain more than a couple of yards.
1st drive analysis. This is what some of us have been looking for. A nice mix of pass and run, multiple options from the same formations. The O-line blocked excellently. The only problem on this drive were the two draw plays. Someone needs to explain to Bollman and Tressel that a draw is designed for when the defense is thinking pass and you cross them. The key is the read- if the QB sees the defense is looking run, he has to be allowed to change it. Boillman/Tressel call these plays based on what they think the defense will do ON THE SIDELINES- not what the defense shows at the LOS. This was a great drive, but shows some of the flaws that explode later in the game, as well as other games. I will break down some more drives like this in the post. I try not to use all the football terminology, and may sometimes mistake an LB for a safety.
My goal is to show all those criticizing the O-line and the RBs that it isn't always them. On every play of this drive, the O-line got a great push, but defenses now read and react- they wait for the O-line to commit to their blocks, then flood the gaps.
OSU has to adjust and keep them off balance. In this first drive, NW put 7-8 (in 4-3 or 4-4's) in the box, got burned, then changed their defense to a 5-2 or 5-3 even. They kept their LB's and safeties tight, until
OSU hit a couple of passes, then backed them off a little, leaving room for the RBs.