4th Drive- following an 8-minute NW drive and missed field goal
1st Play 1st and 10 O20
Form: Standard I, strong side right, split flankers
Def: 5 man front, 4 across on LB line (safeties pinching in), man coverage on flankers. Defense looking run.
On snap, LT or LG (78-Bishop) pulls. O-line gets 3-5 yard push on sweep right, Ross gains 4 as safeties again wait for blocking assignments, then shoots gap. Bishop gets a pancake block. Good play, considering defense was looking for the run wide and attacked the head. If play were run to long side of field, maybe it gets more because sideline causes blocking to bunch up so there is less room to maneuver.
2nd Play: 2nd and 6 O24
Form: naked I (no TEs), 2 receivers left, 1 right
Def: 4 man front (nickel), 2 lbs, 1 safety showing blitz left, cover 2, but deep safeties are only 10 yards off LOS. Looking run or short pass.
Guess what! Another draw play against the run defense. Inside blitz and left side blitz get picked up decently, but against only 5 blockers and HB, Ross has no real chance. O-line gives a lane and gets a 2-3 yard push, Ross gains 3. Another wasted effort. Good blocking, a lane, but more defenders than offensive guys at point of attack. Even Custer knows that is not a good strategy.
3rd Play: 3rd and 3 O27
Form: shotgun, No TE, 2 rec left, 3 right (short side)
Def: 4 man front (1 lining up on rec. inside right), 2 LBs showing inside blitz, 4 DB's showing man coverage on other Recs. 1 deep.
On snap, I LB blitzes, 2nd falls to coverage, All receivers run short hooks or curls, McMullen throws left to covered Childress or Carter, but ball gets batted away.
Pass coverage was good, but stunting lineman held back and waited to jump on pass before getting blocked.
Hard to say anything about the execution on this play, as everything seemed to go right except the stunting DL got a hand on the ball. The tackle was dropping to pocket block and the guy looped and jumped before contact could be made. With all receivers running short routes and the defense lining up in man, then dropping 2 covers in zones, it was congested. Perhaps a clearing route as used earlier in the game???
I didn't like this play selection, but can not give more concrete reasons. Maybe because the defense was playing tight and the play was designed short. Perhaps need a check-off to a deeper throw or a cross over pattern to force defense into altering their coverage.
At least it wasn't a draw play.
A 3-and-out series was NOT needed here. Again, each play was not horrible, maybe some execution problems, but it was like NW knew what was coming. Ealrier in the game,
OSU ran some duck and under receiver stunts out of this formation and opened up some nice slants by confusing the coverage. This time it was straight up and at the heart of the defense.