Chris at Smartfootball got hold of the clip we uploaded for the TCU game review, and looked at the variation of the zone read that TCU ran against us last weekend here. Thankfully it saves me a couple hours of writing.
...Against TCU, however, in an otherwise solid defensive effort the Tigers allowed TCU’s quarterback Andy Dalton to rush 19 times for 86 yards, many of them on key conversions. After the game, Clemson defensive coordinator Kevin Steele appeared flummoxed — or at least very caught off guard — by one spread-option variant in particular that TCU used....
...I’m going to disagree with the description of the play as a variant of the zone-read, though all of these plays fall within the same spread option family. Indeed, this is a play I’ve seen Florida and Urban Meyer use before, though the pulling guard is a nice wrinkle. I call it an “inverted veer.”
In the typical veer play from a spread set, the line blocks down and double-teams the defensive linemen on up to the linebackers. They leave the defensive end unblocked (except when they run midline veer, in which case it is a defensive tackle) and read that man. If he steps down for the runningback, the QB just gives the ball and steps around him. It is just the old first-read of the triple option adapted for spread sets.
But TCU ran a variant, one I’ve seen other teams use. They just “inverted” the runningback and quarterback: The runningback runs a sweep or outside zone action laterally. If the defensive end takes him, then the quarterback shoots up inside the defensive end. If the defensive end sits for the QB, the runner should be able to hit the corner. Remember, the defensive end is often the hardest guy to block, and especially so when you want to “reach” him to seal the corner.
In that way I disagree with the characterization of the play as a fake-zone read where the QB then runs back to the other way. You can see the runner is taking a wide angle. That said, I don’t know what TCU’s read was, but this is a play I’ve seen at least for a few years. And again, Meyer uses it at Florida with his fast runners heading outside and Tebow, the better inside runner, going inside.
Finally, the one wrinkle TCU has is the pulling guard. I think that was just designed to get better blocking at the point of attack, though TCU had them so crossed up he didn’t even end up blocking anyone. This scheme has a lot of similarities with how teams block the shovel play.
I suppose the reason Steele and Clemson had so much trouble with this hinges on what his linebacker’s reads were. I take it they were reading the quarterback and thinking backside with the zone read. If they read the pulling guard, for example, there wouldn’t be an issue with where the play was going. (This is one reason the veer blocking works so well, because the line steps one way and the play hits the other. The pulling guard can give this away.) It is just like on the famous counter trey play: if the linebackers read the pullers there are no issues with stopping it (though they may be weak to some other play), but if they read the fullback blocking away they can get crossed up.
I would point out that TCU ran a traditional zone read much more than this play, about 12 times total by my count, while this play was obvious to me only 3 times. DaQuan Bowers made the correct moves on the traditional zone read, taking the RB and putting the emphasis on the LB's to scrape around and make the play. However Maye was blocked out or in bad position to make a tackle several times by the Guard to the playside, as well as Conner/Cooper or whomever was playing Money (2nd LB in Nickel) on the particular play. Notice in this play in the clip, both LBs are coming in, so we were caught totally out of position.
We looked at eight plays ... if we win three of them we win the game. Those are critical.
While true, Bowdenesque. He was later asked about it:
We've heard a lot of the one play away menality over the years. It's probably tough for you to know how close you are. How close are you? Swinney: How long was he here? Coach Bowden was here for 10 years. I've been here four games as a head coach. Three years from now if we are having the same problems get somebody else in here. Fair question. I hate to bring up Alabama but that's my alma mater. He (Saban) went 6-6 in his first year. That's a fair question based off of what you are seeing and you can think what you want and speculate all you want to. But this a different football team. There's a lot of ball left.
At least he will own up to things. Bowden would say something like "well we've got new facilities but they got 85 players too."
We really ran the ball well in the fourth quarter. This year in the fourth quarter we have 30+ carries for more than 200 yards. That's over five yards per carry.
Then where were those plays in the 3rd quarter with a lead on the scoreboard?
On Maryland:
Looking at their offense, they are very very balanced in what they do. They are multiple in what they do with their groupings which creates some serious game planning during the week. You have to have your coverages match that. They want to be able to run the ball but they will take homerun shots. They are tough, they are physical- they have always have been.
This kid Smith- is leading the league in all-purpose yardage, not C.J. Spiller. Their quarterback is a good player- a little better runner than what we'd like him to be. I'm sure they will test us as we prepare to handle their quarterback.
Defensively they are young. They have a new coordinator that is completely different scheme on that side of the ball. Night and day from what they have been. They are a four-man front but they seem to go more to an odd front with a lot of blitz packages. They are getting better. They did a good job against Rutgers- but there were a lot of turnovers in that game. Their defense held them really really good. It's a team that I see is really improving on that side of the ball. Impressive safeties and really really big guys inside.
An odd front basically means that they have a DT lined up over the center as a Nose Guard, as in a 3-4. It can be extended to mean that they run an over/undershift, so that one of the OLBs is playing on the LOS (so it looks like a 5-2), usually done in tandem with having a tilted/shade DT on the center. They used to play an even front stack: both DTs lined up across from the Guards, with the LBs directly behind the down linemen (called stacking). It makes offensive assignments change on the front in blocking schemes.
On the WR play:
"I don't think we've had four receivers get 40 or 50 snaps a game at all. We got four or five guys- that's what we are working with right now. That's all we've got. They have to step up and play better. It's not about potential- it's about performance and production. Starting on the practice field. We certainly need guys to emerge there...Marquan has shown some flashes. Jacoby is solid. Ashe is steady and plays with the most effort. He's the most consistent as far as doing his job right. He had one drop Saturday but has been consistent in everything else. Clear needs to get going. Xavier is just getting back. Jaron Brown is the guy I think that can emerge for us given the opportunity based on practice.
Ashe might run some routes well, but he cant catch a football Dabo. Xavier should be producing by now as a Jr. and Brown and Jones need to get open and then get the ball.
On Parker:
Can you assess your play at quarterback? Swinney: Did a lot of good things Saturday. It wasn't ideal conditions. Y'all probably were somewhere dry (laughing). Here's a guy in a pouring down rain storm making big throws. He missed some plays. But same thing- he's a young player in a huge role that will continue to get better. Anybody that thinks he's going to be perfect hasn't played the game. He's not going to be perfect but he gives us a great chance to win. Took care of the ball- no turnovers. The biggest thing Saturday was there were plays there that weren't made that he needs to make.
All good points, its good that Parker didnt turn the ball over on his bad throws against a skilled D, but a couple of them could've been picked. If he keeps throwing behind WRs, that wont continue though.
-Since Deptula made mention of Korn possibly transferring to App. State, TardNet has been in a hissyfit. LW writes about Korn addressing these things after the TCU game here.
What I'm wondering is why anyone didnt expect this? Its painfully obvious that we have 3 highly-touted QBs, and all are winners in HS, and all will want the ball, and that one would eventually transfer. DUH people, did you not expect it?
I have said several times: at least one of these guys will not be here next year, and it would be either Korn or Parker.
If Korn has the job, we could keep Parker because of baseball until he gets drafted. Boyd would probably stick it out til he's a soph, and then if Parker stuck around, Boyd would transfer.
If Parker locks down this job by the end of the year, then its his next year, plain and simple. When I say "lock down" I mean simply continue to improve, he doesnt have to have 5 300yd/3TD games to lock it down. Korn will transfer. It doesnt matter how Boyd plays in Spring or August, he won't unseat Parker if KP improves for the rest of this year because even if TB shows out in practice, its still just practice.
Remember who else has shown out and been raved about in practice the last few years? McClain and Rendrick Taylor (several times). Boyd would take the #2 spot behind a guy who produces, and hope that Parker leaves early and that he'd get his chance. He might even try to use this year as a Medical, and take another RS so he has an extra year to play.
So wake up and think folks. The only way Korn sticks around is if Parker destroys people in baseball and becomes a high draft pick, so the best case for us is if Korn sticks with Clemson until the end of May. He can graduate from CU in May. I can understand why Korn is upset. He went 30-something-3 at Byrnes. He believes that Dabo "guaranteed" he would play. Dabo said this after naming Parker as starter:
"In my opinion, if you have a backup that deserves to play he should get the opportunity to play. Now he's got to perform. You don't just play a guy to play a guy. He's got to want it in practice, and when he plays he's got to be productive. And if he's not, then he ain't going to play. He can't be harmful for the team. You don't just play a guy to play a guy. He's got to deserve to play, and that comes from practice. That comes from what you do in game situations. ... I think Willy right now, based on what he's done in practice, deserves the opportunity to play some. And he'll get that. But he's got to be productive to continue to warrant the opportunity to play."
But from Korn's comments after being named backup, it appears that Dabo did tell him that he would play every game. Perhaps he heard what he wanted to hear? Indeed, I thought from what I read at the time that Korn would play 1-2 series a game. So is Korn right to be pissed? Well, I would say no because Dabo is right in his quote above...you have to produce, and Korn knows he hasnt produced....but then Korn has been quite unlucky, and its not all his fault for what has happened when he goes in.
Dabo said this today in the presser:
What do you think about Korn saying he was promised PT?
"I hadnt seen that. My intention is to play Willy in every game, but sometimes plans change. At GT we were down 24-0. The last game was in a rainstorm. Again, it wasnt the right time to get him in there. But it is my intention to play him. When he gets his chances he's got to be productive. My intention is to get him in there saturday (against MD).
Then he was asked if the statement by Korn was semantics or open to interpretation:
"I would say that's probably a matter of semantics and interpretation. There's no guarantees for anything. The only guarantee is what you do on the practice field and how you perform with you opportunities, and that's it. There's no guarantees."
-Dwayne Allen has been a hot topic since the game ended because of his comments to reporters. Allen stared by saying that Dabo reminds them that the ones that produce get the ball the most, and that he knows that he has to make plays to get the ball more.
But its his comments about the use of the TEs that rile people up. I doubt most of the ones who are so riled actually read the LW article, but he did say he wanted the offense to utilize the TE more, like UGA or SC.
He said that he did not slip on his pump route at the end of the game, and that Kyle sailed it and he just couldnt adjust. That much I could see, since he does do a stutterstep on the route, but it looked to me like he had to catch his balance.
What he has to be commenting on is how we utilize the TE, because we don't throw to the TE less than Georgia if you look at statistics. Clemson uses them to attack the flats, whereas SC uses Saunders to attack the seam in Cover 2. I wish Napier would do that as well, as I said in my latest Raycom blog on the things Clemson must do to improve.
But honestly, this is at least three times, by my count, he has complained about balls not coming to him. Shut up and play kid.
-Dalton Freeman is getting snaps at Guard now, and expect Wilson Norris to also get much more PT at Guard, while Hairston believes himself to be 75-80%.
"Clemson entered the 1985 season with high hopes, but the year ended up being a major rebuilding campaign that would fuel the 1986-1990 seasons. The Tigers had lost 3 games in a row to Georgia,Georgia Tech and Kentucky back in late September the Tigers had lost a heartbreaker in Chapel Hill the week before the Maryland game to slip to 5-4 on the year. After winning 37 games in the previous 4 seasons, the Tigers were stuck at mediocrity and the frustration was building.
Maryland, under head coach Bobby Ross, was in the midst of some of its most successful seasons. The 1985 Terrapin team would go on to finish 9-3 on the season and post a #18 national ranking. But on this day, the paths of these two programs were about to collide in an ugly affair for both sides.
The first hiccup to this game was the start time. CBS pushed this ACC match up back to 4:00 start time, which forced Clemson University to scramble around looking for more adequate lighting. While Clemson’s Death Valley had lighting suitable for night games, it was not enough for television. The late start time, this late in the football season, would mean most of the 2nd half would be played with the sun set. This did not make Danny Ford, or the Clemson faithful, happy. In this day and age a night game is accepted as common practice in Clemson, but in 1985 it was despised.
Up until late in the 4th quarter, the game was well played and exciting. Earlier in the 4th quarter, Bobby Ross had come onto the field to argue some questionable calls (presumably holding on Clemson) that the officials were not seeing. This got under Coach Ford’s skin, especially since he was at home and expected to be in control of everything…including the officials.
With the score knotted at 31 late in the 4th quarter, Clemson was flagged for a late hit that kept the Maryland drive alive. Furious with the call, Ford did just as Bobby Ross had done earlier in the game and walked onto Frank Howard Field to voice his displeasure with the call. To the dismay of millions of viewers watching nation wide, the head official had not turned off his microphone. What the 80,000 fans in Death Valley, along with the millions watching on television, got was an earful of classic Danny Ford. He verbally berated the official using plenty of words that would not be allowed on even some cable channels, much less a major network. When he was done, the nation was stunned and Clemson had an embarrassing situation on their hands. Little did anyone know at the time, but it was about to get worse.
After a Maryland field goal with less than 10 seconds basically sealed the win, the Terrapins lined up to kick off to the Tigers. The squib kick was eventually hauled in by the Tigers and run out of bounds on the Clemson side of the field directly in front of the student section. What started as a few pushes between the players turned into a near brawl as the Clemson bench converged on the scene. Maryland players ran across the field and also joined in the action, which took over 10 minutes to clear. And all of it was caught by television cameras (one perched on the sideline with a clear view to all the nasty action).
Clemson was obviously embarrassed considering the image problems of the NCAA probation earlier in the decade. The ACC, predictably, was also un-amused. In addition to several high level meetings, Coach Ford and Coach Ross were reprimanded by the league and forced to sit in the press box the following year in Baltimore.
It remains, to this day, one of the true black eyes on the Danny Ford on the field play by his teams. While many hail it as a man standing up for his team, that argument would have held up had the team not overreacted on the sideline. The frustration of losing the game coupled with the frustration of an average season had resulted in a moment most Clemson fans would like to forget"
So here we are at the first turn of the race, and we have seen that problems that we predicted in the preseason have developed into what we thought.
Everyone knew we would have issues at WR. Everyone knew we'd start a new QB, and that he would have teething problems, and a week before the season started, when Parker was announced starter, I predicted he would have some games where he looked like a freshman. Everyone also suspected the OL would be average at best; not one person told me that they believed it would be a strength this year. Many of us, including myself, did not expect Napier would turn this offense into a 50ppg juggernaut.
And what do we have after 4 games? A QB who looked like a freshman in 2 games, WRs that have not stepped up, an offense that cannot execute at times, and an OL that has been average.
I fail to see why any realistic Clemson fan would be surprised given what has happened around here the last few years....oops, 20 years.
But given that, there are things, that if improved soon, would really bring Clemson fans "All In."
1. WRs must catch the football. Its quite simple. There have been several key drops by all of our receivers this season that have killed drives. TCU's WRs caught passes that were high or wide, yet Clemson's cannot. Terrance Ashe cannot catch any throw on a slant or post route, that much is clear. Palmer has had drops, Allen has had drops, Dye, Jones, etc. etc.
2. WRs must learn to get open and run better routes. Making a cut on a hitch-n-go or a square-in is not rocket science. We do not run crisp, clean routes. Against man coverage the route continues at full-speed, against zone the WR stops in open grass, and our guys cannot grasp this. When in man coverage, we are not physical enough to force our way open. I'd rather see an offensive PI call and the ball be brought back than no one even try to get open by chucking a Cornerback.
3. Parker must improve his accuracy, and his mechanics. With our WR's drops, its clearly a two-fold problem. Parker throws high to the sidelines quite a bit, as well as wide. Many times he throws behind his receiver. He must improve his touch on short-to-intermediate throws. In addition, he has a tendency in pressure situations to throw across his body and does not set his feet to throw.
4. The offensive gameplan must create opportunities for the TE and WRs. On what was our best offensive drive of the season against TCU, Clemson used the TE to chip the DE and then run out into the flats on flare/wheel routes. Mike Palmer, D. Allen, and R. Taylor all caught short passes on the first drive.
However, where a TE is most handy is in taking on LB's in coverage over the middle. They are bigger and can muscle the 'backers out of their way in their route, and then take the hit from both safeties that will come their way. Clemson does not attack the middle of the field with the TE. Every team on the schedule will play Cover 2 defense at times, and the weak spot in a true Cover 2 is the middle of the field, at about 15 yards depth. How many of Palmer's catches have been in this area? We saw it work to Allen vs. GT and it nearly worked against TCU this week, so more plays MUST attack the seam.
Nearly every defensive scheme has a 'no-cover zone' from 1-5 yards off the line of scrimmage. If your TE can make a play, then attacking the flats with them like we do makes sense, but Allen and Palmer are neither fast nor elusive enough to do this, so I see no reason to expect big gains by continuously attacking the area when the middle of the field is open.
Additionally, plays must be designed to get our younger WRs involved. Nearly every play I see involves Parker locking onto Jacoby Ford and never looking off. That tells me that a) plays are designed with Ford as the primary progression, and b) that Parker has little confidence in their abilities. How can you expect Brown, Jones or Clear to step up, when so few plays are designed to go to them? (Ashe does have designed plays, but he drops them or doesnt get separation.)
We have 3 WRs at 6'4" or better, who can play. Just throw a fade or corner route and let them go get it. Who on our schedule has tall enough CBs to cover them? Tell Parker to look their way first and wait for the play to develop before immediately going to Jacoby.
A better way to use CJ and Jacoby would be to stretch the field vertically. ENOUGH of the short crossing routes and flanker screens. BOTH can outrun anyone the defense uses to cover. If the OL can protect for a 7-step drop play, then run one/both of them on a post/fly route to pull those safeties deep. Even if they end up double-covered, the TE will be sitting open in the seam underneath. With CJ as arguably the more elusive one, run Jacoby deep and use CJ on the screens or underneath routes, and have Ellington in the backfield.
5. The blocking must continue to improve. There is nothing I enjoy more about offensive football than well-executed blocking. I give credit to our line for stepping up against TCU's pass rush. Parker was not sacked once and even Lambert played ok. But in the redzone, scoring TDs is about TOUGHNESS up front and controlling the LOS. We still do not do that. On 3rd or 4th and short, we do not handle teams that stack up the box. They get penetration and blow up the play. All of our linemen are at fault. The OL play has improved overall this season, with certain exceptions by one player or two during a particular game, but if the interior line (which is supposed to be a strength) cannot blow people off the ball, you don't get first downs in short-yardage situations.
A secondary complaint is the WR blocking. If you want to run perimeter options and sweeps, not only do OLmen need to get around the corner, but WRs have to block people. Ours do not, and seem to take plays off when it comes to blocking. With 3 big receivers, we should be able to execute a crack block, and we still haven't learned how.
6. The playcalling must change, specifically the run/pass calls. In addition to attacking seams instead of the flat, we call some plays without reason or thought. On the first drive this week, we mixed up formations considerably, yet afterwards we fell into a pattern of I-formation and 1-back zone running and shotgun-passing. We threw 37 times in the rain this week, and 12 times in the 3rd quarter with a lead. Although I've discussed in the blog that only a handful of plays in the game were bonehead calls, we cannot throw the ball that much with a lead in a rainstorm.
The reason Clemson cannot convert on 3rd down is because we leave ourselves 3rd & 5+ because of poor calls on 1st and 2nd down. I did not see in this game, despite CJ's 100+ yards, any situation in the 2nd half where we ran on 1st and 2nd down. We led the whole 3rd quarter, and it only takes 3 plays of 3.3x to get a 1st down.
If a defense gives up the run, you always take it with a lead.
In the redzone, we run too many perimeter rushing plays, given that our WRs can't block. If we have success inside, then RUN AT THEM and establish that control of the LOS. Perimeter flanker screens should also go by the wayside.
7. LB play must improve. I realize this may surprise some people, but against GT our Backers got blocked out of plays quite easily. The Midline play that Nesbitt burned us on so many times has the Offensive Guards proceeding to the 2nd level and barely blocking the DTs. Maye got himself blocked out many times by poor technique. Conner failed to take the Wingback on the long GT touchdown. Scotty Cooper hasn't ever been mentioned. Alexander has but only because he seems to blitz so often.
Every team has had success with QB keepers and zone reads like this, because their Guards proceed to the 2nd level and block them out. If the DT can get to the play, great, and you can't tell him to "slow down" except in specific defensive adjustments, but we're getting beat by QBs because the LBs are no where to be seen.
If a few of these are fixed this season, Clemson could go a long way. If not, better get used to the idea of 7-5 again.
-Clemson should not be wearing the orange pants for this game, not yet. Not until we beat somebody.
-The first drive is scripted, and I really liked the playcalling variety in terms of plays and formations. It was well-executed for the most part with throws to Taylor, Allen, and Palmer. A low throw to Marquan was dropped in the flat. Parker took a zone read himself off tackle and made the correct decision to take it, but if Jacoby had decided to block, the play would've gained a first down. A screen to Ellington with Jacoby open in the endzone, then another throw to Ford on the next play where Parker never looked to the other side cost us the 6. Had the ball been caught it would've been a first however. FG 3-0. Still, I think this was the best drive of the whole season.
-TCU got out of a hole due to a facemask by Jenkins when we had them stopped. TCU actually ran their zone read variation on this drive and got good yardage, so we had ample time to adjust to this play. On 3rd & 12, Bowers was playing a DT position and got a hand on the football, then it sailed over everyone's head and #34 just happened to be sitting behind the safeties. Maxwell just missed it. The RB shouldn't be back there, but once the ball is tipped the safeties started to come in. Its a fluke play, and TCU got a lucky break. On the TD play, Clay ran in motion off the left side then ran a simple crossing route and made a good catch on a good throw between 3 Clemson defenders. 7-3.
-TCU forces a 3 & out. A screen falls incomplete because Parker was blitzed up the gut, a HB power play to Spiller nets about 2 yards, then a QB option pitch on 3rd & 8 to Spiller gets a couple. I don't like the option call here, and not with Jacoby (not) blocking on that side of the field. Punt of 48.
-Dalton hits his receivers on 3-step drop slants very quick and he's quite accurate. They get one 1st before the end of the quarter then hit another slant to start the 2nd. A Flanker screen gets big yardage because our guys were out of position and overpursued. Maye was right behind the WR and did not read the play, then the DB's got blocked out. We held Turner on a 3rd&2, then the DL collapsed their front and Conner came right around the corner and pulled the RB down from behind on 4th & 1. Turnover on downs.
-Clemson gets a roughing-the-passer call, and a good catch by Palmer got another 1st. A deep vertical route to Spiller 2 plays later that fell incomplete was not PI as I originally thought, but the matchup with Spiller on a LB was exploited later. The throw to Spiller was not to the inside as it should've been; he had to turn around and look to his opposite shoulder and that was the difference in the pass being caught. We get the ball to their 42 and no further. Punt.
-Clemson commited a PI (Chambers) on a 3rd&2 incompletion, which was really an AWFUL call. Chambers was playing the ball and was right with the receiver. A few high throws by Dalton and we force a punt.
-Jaron Brown drops a pass that was behind him on 2nd down PA. Jamie Harper finishes up just short of the first down on a 3rd down Toss Sweep, then on 4th and 1 QB Sneak we got zero push by Cloy/McClain/Austin. Playcalls themselves were good on this drive, we just didnt get it done up front.
-I see what Clemson is doing on the zone read here, Bowers is taking the RB as he should, but then no one behind him is making the tackles on the QB. They are there waiting but Dalton runs right around them, and here its Hall and McDaniel that overpursue themselves out of the play. The defense recognizes the same flanker screen that beat them earlier and we force a 19 yard punt. I am noticing good downfield blocking by their WRs and RBs, unlike us.
-We get the ball with 1:58 in the 2nd Q. Clemson goes back to the hurry-up. Spiller goes out of bounds on a reception, then they dont stop the clock. For the next 20 seconds our offense looks dazed and confused, and aren't getting set, and we take a snap infraction penalty. We run Spiller on a Fly route right down the hash, matched up on the LB as before, and net 60 yards down to the 3. Why don't we line Ford up as a HB in the shotgun set and do it with him? The first TD is called back and Spiller takes it in on lead play behind Austin/Lambert. We moved them off the ball. 10-7.
-TCU hits a few passes underneath but the half runs out. Halftime If we had just played in the 2nd half on offense the way we did in the first, I think we'd win this game. Only the option pitch to Spiller on 3rd & 8 is a playcall I don't think made sense.
-We force a 3 & out.
-Parker overthrows Allen on a corner route. Allen had trouble getting off the blocks and didnt get into his route til later than he should. A quick pass to Palmer was tipped and almost interecepted, Parker threw behind him again. On 3rd down we have to throw, and Parker throws it away on a rollout to the left side, with pressure coming to him, since Lambert decided not to touch the DE at all for some reason. I don't like the 2nd down call, run the football and try to give yourself a 3rd and shorter-than-10. A designed rollout left and your LT doesnt block his End at all....punted to their 25.
-TCU comes out and gets 18 on a keeper by Dalton, 18 again with a quick pass to Young that we barely missed tipping, then 10 more with a zone read give to the RB. Malliciah Goodman gets a sack outrunning their LT. Conner and Chambers stretch out a keeper to force 3rd & 16. We allow them to get into FG position with a great catch on another high throw by their WR Kerley. Why can't Clemson WRs make catches like that? Thankfully they missed the 42 yd FG.
-Rain really starts on this drive. Playcalling is mostly pass (R-P-P-R-Inc-Inc-punt), but Parker had Ford open on the sideline and missed him on 3rd down and we have to punt. We don't seem as in-sync and I wonder why we don't run no-huddle when it worked well earlier. 16 total yards on these two drives.
-Cumbie misses Dalton on another long keeper, overpursuit. On a 3rd & 5 Dalton makes a great throw to Bart Johnson for the first with McDaniel on his back. Again, why don't Clemson WRs make such a play? Palmer could, but Brown/Clear/Ashe? Johnson again pulls in a pass over the middle because we didnt matchup quick enough, Sensabaugh seemed to slip and someone should've picked him up. TCU is still forced to punt by good pass coverage and a key holding call, but managed to run off about 6 minutes from the clock.
-First handoff to CJ gets 3. Parker overthrows a touch pass a little to Spiller in the flat, which he should've caught. On 3rd & 7 at our 20 we call an inside Draw that gets nothing and punt. It makes no sense to run on 3rd down and 7, but at your 20 you can be conservative. I would not have run the football though. End of 3rd Qtr. 35 yard punt give it to them just shy of midfield.
-Wesley runs off-tackle and 4 orange jerseys dont make a play. McDaniel makes a shitty effort on a tackle and he rolls 3 yards before falling down. TCU switches backs on every play. Another couple of run plays also net first downs and then Antoine Hicks beats Maxwell for the TD. He fought for the ball, and had Maxwell taken one step away from him it would be incomplete. I'm not sure it would've been complete by the NFL rule (control and then make a football move), but it never touched the ground and he pins it against Byron and his own waist. TCU 14-10. Maxwell was right where he was supposed to be, it was just another fluke play. 9/10 times that goes incomplete.
-Cloy lets a DT come right up the middle on the first play of the next drive and Parker throws it away incomplete. CJ cuts inside on an OT play behind Rendrick for a 1st, then again on a zone play 34 yards into their territory. CJ takes it up the middle again, don't like the play call there. I'd have thrown and given CJ a breather, there. Harper takes the next one up the middle, and falls down at first touch. The next play we sent CJ back in, and went to an empty set on 3rd and 4. TCU obviously reads pass, and sends a blitz, and Parker's pass to Palmer falls just out of his reach. Another call I don't like. Jackson missed the FG.
Parker is just barely off in his throws, either theyre high or wide. He's also throwing off his back foot too much, most of it because of pressure. He has to set and throw and take the hit. Inside lanes for him to scramble through are not open.
-TCU has changed their zone read a little, using the backside guard as a lead blocker. We still force the punt and get the ball at our 25.
-CJ loses 5 on the first carry, then we try to get half of it back with a screen to Ford. Parker hits CJ in the flat on a crossing route for the 1st down. Parker throws wide again to Ford, who fell down on the play. We're going for a big play and I dont mind the call. CJ is again stopped for no gain on the next play, another 3rd&10. Cloy sends a snap over Parker's head and he throws deep to Ford, and we got a big break with the PI call. Parker hits Brown on a big play called back for an illegal formation, and then hits Jacoby wide open over the middle and we get a horse-collar on top of it. Parker threw off his back foot on this play as well. If they had not blitzed this would probably have been covered and picked off.
TCU crowds the box and Spiller is stopped on a sweep for nothing. I don't agree with that call. RUN AT THEM. Then the play to Allen that worked against GT, and Allen kinda slipped on his cut and was slow getting going again, and Parker sailed it. Parker made a poor decision and threw the ball up, when he had someone in the back of the endzone open a split-second earlier, and it fell incomplete.
Clemson calls a TO, 4th &13 from the 16. Parker sails another one over the middle into coverage. I don't like the call, two receivers are running to the same spot. I would've preferred a fade or corner route here to each side, with them in Cover 2.
Of worthy debate is the decision to go for the TD instead of kicking a FG. At 2 min left, there is no guarantee we'd get this ball back even with 3 timeouts. We had driven 60 yards or so, and had the momentum, so I'd have gone for the 6.
-The D managed to stop them on the next drive and we got it back at our 43 with 1:03 left.
-A skinny post to Ashe falls incomplete, hit his hands. A 9 yard completion to Ashe followed, then ANOTHER FUCKING BOTCHED SNAP costs us about 20 seconds on 3rd down, and then Parker has to throw it up on 4th down.
Thoughts... The OL did their job, they handled Hughes and Parker didnt get sacked, which is better than I expected to happen.
WRs cant run routes or catch the balls that hit their hands, but Parker doesnt always put them where theyre easily caught. I wish Ashe would deliver like the coaches said he could, because I think I've seen him drop 3 slants/posts that were on the money this year.
8 of 12 plays were passes while we had the lead in the 2nd half, 6 fell incomplete. We threw the ball 37 times in the rain. I've pointed out the calls I thought were stupid, only 3 or 4. Parker throws behind his receivers far too often, takes longer to make decisions and has to rush throws.
Clemson doesnt convert on 3rd down because we don't set it up on 1st and 2nd down. Not once am I noticing we ran on 1st and 2nd down in the 2nd half. We had the lead didnt we?
Anyway, on to Maryland, and there better be some fucking revenge for last year.
Harper's play this season has been disappointing. Clearly, there was a huge drop off when Spiller came out with Harper spelling him. Would we not be better rotating Spiller and Ellington until Harper learns to run without tip-toe'ing into the hole? Harper was supposed to be the big, powerful back who also had some speed to go with the power. We have seen none of this so far. After wasting a redshirt last year by fumbling in the Bammer game, Harper has not lived up to the hype coming out of high school. Ellington has been more effective so far. With Harper half ass running, I would much rather roll the dice with a smaller running back even in short yardage scenarios.
The Chinese fire drill at the end of the football game was ridiculous and unacceptable. Even without a timeout, Clemson should have been able to get a first down (it was 3rd and 1 with about 30 sec to go) to stop the clock and reset the offense. Instead, the Tigers waste a bunch of time, botch a fucking snap, then waste another ton of time. It is 3rd and freaking 1 at the end of the game people. Line up, run the qb sneak, get the first down, regroup. Clemson wasted at least 2 more shots at the endzone by screwing around late
It is pretty evident that there are some major issues with Clemson finishing off drives, and I don't think that there are any answers yet. Good football teams get 7 almost every time they move the ball into the redzone. That being said, I thought the way Swinney handled the game late was less than impressive. IMO, Swinney should not have called the first timeout to "think about" what to do. I would have kicked the damn field goal, reduced the TCU lead to 2 and played defense. Let's face it, there is no real reason to think that Clemson can score with the ball inside the 20...kick, play defense, use timeouts, and try to win with a late field goal--side note, had Jackson nailed the medium ranged field goal earlier, there would be no decision to be made.
Clemson has a big problem with its redzone offense...2 TD's in 12 or 13 tries is unacceptable and will lose you football games. This has to be fixed. PERIOD.
The line appeared to play pretty well today. Credit is given when it is due. Hopefully Walker at the RT spot will be a solution once Hairston is healthy again. I will attribute this improvement to Pearman's influence, as Fat Brad hasn't really done much with the line since he has been here and he doesn't coach the tackles anymore.
I think the honeymoon for the Dabo/Napier playcalling duo is about to come to a close. I am also confused by the jumbling of formations and disconnect with the flow in playcalling. Clemson runs consistently in the "I" for a few plays, then inexplicably moves to a 5-wide set. While some coaches (Ralph F. in his GT offensive coordinator comes immediately to mind) use multiple formations to run a few core plays to exploit matchup issues, I do not think this is the case. Often, it seems as though the coaches are hell-bent on running a few plays and will insert them just to run them. This continuity and the offensive flow will be something to pay attention to over the next few weeks.
Clemson has to incorporate more than Spiller and Ford into the offense. It is pathetic that we do not have a wide receiver who can fun a half decent route, nor one who can go up and get the football. Besides Ford or Spiller, it does not appear as though Parker is extremely confident with other receivers. CU will need other threats to keep defenses honest and allow Parker more targets down field.
Kyle Parker appears less and less comfortable. He looks like he is throwing off of his back foot a good bit and has to deliver the football before he (or the receiver) is ready. On item that I would like to see more out of KP is making positive yardage with his feet. There have been several occurrences in which Parker has moved out of the pocket with open space in front of him. Parker often tries to do a little much (see interception against GT, where he under threw across his body a wide-open Ford instead of tucking the ball, getting the 3rd down conversion, and moving the offense down the field). Once again, KP is a freshman and will only get better with experience. I expect him to improve greatly between TCU and the end of the season.
The defense overall played well enough to win. There was the fluke pass during the 1st quarter (these things are almost a stroke of luck, and they happen...not too much to bitch about other than just bad luck). Clemson had a good bit of trouble with the qb inside. This is a basic play run by a lot of teams with agile quarterback play. Georgia Tech killed us with a similar play. Defensively, we have a few issues with coverages, but are in a pretty good situation entering into the heart of conference play.
Special teams were pretty bland (compared to previous weeks) with the Tigers missing a very routine 35 (or so) yard field goal in the fourth qtr (this is big because Clemson's red zone offense isn't worth a shit, and we need all the points we can get--it also would have made it a 2 pt game, allowing the Tigers to kick a game-winning field goal later). I really cannot complain too much about the kicking game, other than say that these kicks must be chip-shots. Overall this season, I have been impressed with R. Jackson.
The trip to College Park this weekend is (hopefully) just what Clemson will need to get back on track. UMd lost to MTSU earlier in the season, and should be a relative speed-bump for the Tigers. Let's hope Clemson doesn't waste opportunities like the '08 UMd game and plays all four quarters.
-I do hope all the idiots on TardNet Mange Board will shutup about TCU not being able to recruit better than us, and therefore how badly we would defeat them. What you saw was a well-coached team and coaching makes a difference, and they just outplayed us in the 2nd half of this game. We did not play well enough on offense to win.
I'm sure several idiots will say "well they didnt impress me", but if you can't see how well they play coverage and pressure the QB after this game then you need to watch more football. Their offense found a way to move the ball on us. It doesnt make any difference whether they impress, they won.
I'm aware that the first TD was setup by a fluke play, and no I don't believe they'd have driven down to score, but it happened and shouldnt have mattered if we had taken care of business. If Jackson had hit his FG, we'd have kicked the ball at the 2min mark and won 16-14, so the blame is on ourselves and not 'chance'. You cannot put the loss on Jackson either, because the offense's job is to get 6, and they didnt get the job done.
I don't give Dabo a pass for losses, but the team didnt quit and I didn't see us get outcoached, except in the Napier vs. Patterson arena. Still, he's 6-5 now and this team doesnt make clutch plays. If I put blame on him directly for this game, its for his WRs not being taught how to get open.
-I won't say they whipped us, but they handled our defensive front well in this game. We didnt dominate, they didnt dominate. We did not get enough pressure on blitzes and our guys were just a hairs-breadth off on pass coverage, but some plays could've been made in the secondary and were not.
Defensively, I think we really lost the game only because we couldn't stop a simple zone read play. I did not expect Dalton to run as well as he did, though I knew he could scramble. This really was the only frustration I had in watching us play defense and we'll look at the defensive breakdowns this week on the blog. The play is designed basically like GT's FB option but from shotgun, the QB reads the DE to the playside, and if he collapses in, he takes it himself, otherwise he hands it off to the back. A LB should be there to back him up, and I didn't see Maye, Conner, or Cooper/Alexander anywhere near it. Looked like they got deked out by the Line motion.
Our Ends were out of position on many of these plays due to overpursuit. Dalton finished with 86 yards rushing.
-Offensively, I am proud of Landon Walker for his handling of Hughes. If we're going to be harsh on them for not doing enough at RT any other time, then we have to praise them for doing it right. Hughes was about as well-handled as he could've been with Hairston out, even when flipped to the left side on Lambert (who did get beat by Hughes several times). We ran at him, and chipped him with the TE's several times to keep him in check.
But, Parker was still rushed several times and had to throw sooner than planned. He did not make good decisions with the football, particularly in the 2nd half. He was just off on several touch throws and looked inexperienced again. I was not paying close attention to their secondary movements, but it appeared to be the same coverage scheme (still cover 25/man) in both halves of the game so I'm not sure why we did not attack the post more with Spiller or Jacoby, the seam in the Cover 2 is right down the middle. The play that worked against GT with D. Allen was called and Parker missed it. It would've won the game.
-I thought playcalling in several situations was average-to-poor, and I dont like how it took us so long to call run plays in the 3rd Quarter. There seems to have been no adjustment until the 4th. We don't execute on 3rd downs because we don't set ourselves up on 1st down, and when we do it seems Parker forgets that he only has to hit the underneath man to get the 1st. Several times I saw CJ open in the flat and he wasn't even looked at.
-Our WR's, other than Jacoby, still don't get open. Ashe dropped a critical pass that hit his hands again. Clemson must find a way to get other WRs involved in the passing game. If they are on the field and never get the ball, then the coach has to find a way to make sure they do get the ball. If they aren't open, teach them how. If they can't catch balls that hit their hands, don't put them in. If they can't run routes worth a flip, teach them how.
-Harper still doesnt run with authority. Ellington got no touches, I think I'd have had him in there instead of Harper. CJ had to come in when Harper couldn't do well enough to spell him, making him more tired.
-CJ Spiller finally got enough carries at RB, and though he deserves a week off from the obvious pain he's in, I hope it continues next week. I can take Ellington not getting touches if they are going to CJ, CJ can break a game open on one play.
-GOD DAMN snaps cant be FUCKED up by game 4. FIX IT.
-Good use of the TEs in the game, chipping Hughes and catching key passes in the flat and intermediate areas, but I know they would've been open over the middle.
-The referees were harsh in this game, alot of those calls were no-calls in my opinion, even though the majority went against TCU. One of the PI calls early in the game was awful. However, #70 for TCU held many times and it wasnt called.
Both of us watching a Clemson game, courtesy our long lost cousin in Bammer
Offense-A spread/pro-style, not all that disimilar from our own in some respects. Its quite balanced and RB J. Turner is quite good, as are the freshmen behind him through 2 games. QB Andy Dalton threw for 2500 yards last year and yet TCU is primarily a running team, so he's the type that doesnt lose a game for you. Dalton is a very consistent game manager who doesnt turn the ball over much or take big risks, which I would expect from a defensive-minded coach. Dalton is capable of scrambling, but in the several games I saw, he's mostly a statue in the pocket. TCU tends to use alot of 3/4 wide sets in shotgun with a TE and RB, and then also quite a bit of power-running formations to get good matchups. Its what I call an offense that spreads you out just to run on you. TCU also brought back their leading receiver. Their OL is tough and well-coached, but they have never faced a DL as talented as ours. Not even Oklahoma was as talented up front last year.
I do not expect TCU to cause tremendous problems for us, they do not have the same skill talent on offense.....assuming we didnt forget how to tackle.
Defense-Patterson does what Danny Ford once did: he gets speedy athletes and puts them all on defense, then coaches them up to play. Future NFL 1/2nd Rd pick Jerry Hughes (4.5 sacks already) came in as a RB.
We've written the article on the 4-2-5 TCU runs, but this defense loses 7 starters off last year's team, and thats the only reason I think Clemson can have an edge on them. If this was 2008, I'd predict loss, because no way our OL could handle the pressure. The unit has had at least one sack in 26 consecutive games. Their secondary is good at CB, but weaker at safety. They lose 3 of 4 DL starters, only Hughes returned, so we should "in theory" be able to do something with the other side of the line.
But TCU plays pressure, and have been susceptible to big plays. OU beat them on long plays last season, not sustained drives. Virginia had some success with their new spread in the running game, due to the very large splits on their OL. Generally Cover 2 teams dont zone blitz as much (recall Tampa 2 is actually Cover 3) because with two playing deep and one underneath zone being vacated by a blitzer, it creates an extra seam or a mismatch with a DL on a receiver over the middle. However with 5 DBs, and split coverage, TCU has fared better with it.
As of right now, Hairston is still leaning to "no-go" but its a gametime decision. IF we cannot have him in, then Plan B must be to run directly at Hughes and wear him out, as well as keep the TE in to block. If I were Napier, I would try to take advantage of overpursuit by running HB screens to Spiller, but since he didnt do it against Morgan, who the hell knows.
In a recent spot for Raycom, I listed a few items that I felt both myself and Dr. B would be watching for over the course of this season. I will share them here and throw in commentary as we go along. These core issues are problems that we think may plague the Tigers over the course of the year along with some items that looked pretty good. The initial concept was based on the MTSU and (mainly) CU's performance against GT. I suspect the problems on this list will be dynamic and initial concerns/praises of critically will need to be adjusted...this is just a starting point. I will point out ongoing comments with different color texts.
First and foremost, this team appears to be quite a bit tougher, both physically and mentally. Physical toughness was evident last Thursday in the second half. Georgia Tech’s defensive front looked fatigued at the end of the game. Clemson was able to successfully run the football, and run the ball between the tackles. This fact in and of itself is a monumental accomplishment from the year prior. Along the same lines, I am really excited about the development of R. Taylor and his ability to contribute to this offense thus far (if you need further proof of Taylor’s physical play, watch the long wheel route Spiller scored on last week…RT laid the blitzing linebacker out). The same toughness is seen on defense. The Clemson defensive front has played outstanding the first few weeks, neutralizing the Yellow Jackets potent flex offense for most of the football game. McDaniel has been a crucial force in the secondary. His play has been phenomenal. This defense could be one of the better Clemson defenses that we have seen in years. There is no doubt that this team is tougher than last season. The team seems to hit a little harder and believe that things are going to go their way. The defense in particular has played tremendous so far and really took it to BC all day. I particularly am impressed with the Sapp/Bowers/Alexander (with Bowers at DT) in obvious passing formations. Each of these guys can get after some one's tail. Sapp played particularly well last Saturday and looked really quick on the BC film.
While physical toughness is more easily assessed, this team has shown signs of increased mental toughness. Once again, with really only the GT game to assess, Clemson fought back from some difficult circumstances. After digging a huge hole early on, the Tigers clawed their way back, overcame more adversities out of their control (officiating) and had a very good chance to win the football game. This shows a lot of heart and character. This will to win and never give up attitude is something we haven’t seen in quite a while. The overall positive attitude throughout the game and into the post game presser showed a team and group of coaches that seemed to believe it had what it took to win. This team believes in itself. Having the right "can-do" attitude and accepting responsibility seems to be something that continues to resonate from the top down. Again, it is easy to be positive when things go your way, especially when you are playing a severely inferior opponent like CU did with BC. I think that we will see the Tigers face more adversity (specifically when Clemson has the football) against TCU. This game should give a pretty good measurement of how this offense will play against a good defense and how Kyle Parker will adjust to leading this team for four quarters. This is the week that we will see how good or bad this offense really is.
Second, this is a very exciting football team. Clemson has two players (Spiller and Ford) who have the ability to make a huge play anytime either touches the football. The Tigers have made quite a few big plays so far this year. Such explosiveness keeps this team within striking distance under any circumstances. Spiller opened the scoring for the Tigers with a 77 yard punt return, and also contributed 77 yards on 17 carries until being held out of the game--the announcers continuously reminded us it was a "coach's decision,"--let's hope he can stay healthy. You have to wonder how much longer this season the opposition will kick the ball to Spiller.
Third is Kyle Parker’s maturity as a Freshman. We all knew he had an arm, but I really did not expect to see the poise I have seen thus far out of this young man. His decision making has been pretty good and throws positive (for the most part). It appeared that after he settled down last week (basically after the first period), Parker was ready to be this team’s leader. Kyle Parker seems to have taken a step back this week. Parker had quite a few throws and quite a few poor decisions (as seen with the 2 INT's and a mere 100 yards passing the ball). Parker will have to make better decisions from here on out. He will also need to move the defense with his head (look off safeties) and not rely on J. Ford all night (which I guess involves someone else on the team stepping up--could be Clear or Jones). Regardless, while this offense needs to feed the ball to Spiller then Ford, CU has to to be able to count on other team members to step up and make big plays.
This team still has not won a good one yet, and there are many reasons for this. To open, the coaching staff takes full responsibility for the botched quick kick last week. This play has its place, but after a timeout while the defense is in a “safe return” is no time to try something like this. Instead of getting all cute and trying to get your place kicker to nail the coffin-corner, why not simply take a delay of game and run your regular punt unit out? This team is prepared to punt the ball and make necessary tackles. Arguably, this coaching decision and poor on-field execution cost Clemson the football game. Clemson still has not won a big one yet. However, the Tigers did come out and do what was necessary to dispose of a BC team that historically has given Clemson fits. A win over TCU this week would be a step in the right direction, and bring the attitude and ability portions together.
The improved offensive line is still not at a championship level. This is evident by the RT position becoming revolving door for the big guys. This unit is also not very deep. I am not sure how far this team could go if the injury bug rears its head at some point this year. After the BC game, I still think we are in poor position as a group up front. I will not elaborate too much on this topic because Dr. B has taken an in-depth look at this group repeatedly. The only item I will add is that Hairston was injured last week and his status for this week is questionable. With Jerry Hughes coming to town, Clemson will absolutely have to utilize extra help to slow the All-American DE down. This help can come through formations (TE or wing to Hughes' side) or keeping a back in on passing situations. If not, Walker and/or Lambert will get beat handily up and down the field.
Sloppy technique has really caused the most complaints from me this year. Missed tackles and dropped passes have littered the early year. There were a few drives GT had that were particularly troubling. In such instances, the Tigers did not wrap up the ball carrier, resulting in extra (unnecessary) yards for the opposition. I am all for creating turnovers, but the first man in must wrap up…the cavalry can follow the initial tackler and try to strip the football. The Ashe drop for an interception against GT and the numerous drops in the season opener (J Ford included) cause worry amongst the receivers. This is a group still has a long way to go, and I will be eager to see if Brandon Clear, Jaron Brown, or Terrance Ashe will be able to step in and be a credible target for Kyle Parker. Clemson dropped a few balls against BC, but the root problem appeared to be Parker's inexperience. Let's hope this gets better. That being said, Clemson must develop a dependable receiver other than Ford. Clemson also needs a receiver that can go up and grab a jump ball (similar to Rod G.). M. Jones appears to be the closest thing that the Tigers have at this point. I will say nothing negative about the defensive effort last week. The film on this entire group looked excellent.
The inexperience at the head coaching position is always a concern. Until Swinney wins a few big games, you have to wonder how he will respond to big games and high pressure decisions. While I think this staff is composed of many veterans who can help Swinney through tough situations, you just never know until it is time to perform (the reverse pass against GT last year and the quick kick against GT this year were not necessary). Swinney and Napier are a fairly young duo, with neither having too much experience at his current job. Swinney was able to manage the game this past week against a poor BC team. Despite kicking six (6) field goals, Clemson did not do anything that jeopardized giving the game away (probably because BC would have to score on ST or Defense to even get close). This week should give the young coach and offensive staff more of a challenge. Oh yeah, we HAVE to score TD's at some point to win tough football games.
Based on the first two games, there are a few things that I will be watching over the duration of the year. How will the Tigers get over a tough loss? When adversity strikes again this season (whether in the form of injury, poor officiating, etc…), how will this team come back? Football, like life, deals a tough hand some times. I will be interested to see how hard the Tigers fight back when things get tough. If this team is as resilient as it was against GT, there should be nothing to worry about.
How physical will this football team be up front at the end of the season, and will the Tigers have 5 offensive linemen that come out each week and bring the war to the opponent? One of Swinney’s major goals over the off-season was to bring a more physical brand of football to Pickens County. So far, this team hits a lot harder and is much more intense than previous years. It will be interesting to see if they can maintain this attitude and style of play for four quarters every week for the next two months. It will also be interesting to see how well Lambert and Landon Walker respond to what looks like a season-long competition for the RT spot. It looks like we will get to see Lambert and Walker on the field together a lot more that anyone wanted. It is crucial that neither of these guys get embarrassed at any point this year. It is imperative that these guy improve week to week. C Lambert, in particular, has all the physical tools to be a really good lineman...let's hope we are singing a different tune about his play by year's end. Overall, the line continues to need more push. I want to see a member of the opposing team's d-line on his ass every offensive play of every game.
Is Kyle Parker really this far ahead of the curve? One thing that is evident about Kyle Parker since his arrival on campus is his maturity and ability to perform immediately. KP has been a force on the CU baseball team for two seasons, including a Freshman campaign during what should have been his senior year of high school. Parker has made excellent decisions so far. After the first quarter against GT, he settled down and really played fantastic. I will be looking to see how the season wears on him and how he comes back from adversity over the next ten games. Freshman QB’s that contribute this much this early are rare, and I think everyone is excited to see how KP evolves with some experience under his belt. KP was clearly not as sharp against BC as in earlier contests. He is, though, a freshman and experience is critical in college football. His completion percentage is low and he has thrown some poor INT's this year. It will be interesting to see him against this TCU defense this week. Hopefully the confidence has not been shaken and we will see a poised QB deliver the ball to the appropriate spots. I will be curious to see KP's selection of receiving targets as the season rolls on as well as his advancement in looking off safeties.
Coaching decisions are things that will be constantly analyzed and criticized over the course of a season. Swinney and company’s ability to adequately prepare for and manage a game will become evident as the year progresses. In game adjustments will show the staff’s comfort with personnel and schemes. I think these guys did a good job throughout the GT game of making constant adjustments, with Clemson improving in all areas as the contest progressed. Further proof was the neutralization of #91 in the second half (move Hairston to RT and provide support with a TE/back constantly chipping). Mid-game adjustments are new to Clemson football, and so far they have gained most everyone’s praise. Swinney and the Tigers won a sloppy offensive game last Saturday. All year we have heard of this killer mentality and a commitment to becoming more physical. Swinney had better get the offense in gear, as squandered opportunities in the Red Zone will come to haunt this team at some point this year if we can't score from short-range. After the game was in CU's control against BC, Swinney was content to run the ball and the clock out and move forward. As noted earlier, I have no tolerance for dumbass risks and "cute" plays that end up screwing your team over. In fact, I would prefer that we not even need to throw the ball and simply run the iso all day long.
The final aspect is the kicking game. Richard Jackson has one heck of a leg and has been pretty accurate so far. The ability to get three any time you are inside your opponent’s 35 yard line really helps win games and gives everyone more confidence. Other aspects of CU’s special teams play (other than the botched quick kick) have looked really good. Kick and punt coverage has been good and everyone knows that either CJ or Jacoby can go the distance as a return man. With Clemson’s defense poised to have a great year (note, there is not much on defense that I am wondering about), can Clemson eliminate poor special teams decisions and avoid giving up the big plays that have haunted the Tigers in previous years? Last week, special teams was the deciding factor against the Tigers. Let’s see how the rest of the ‘09 campaign plays out. Other than poor decisions by the coaches, the special teams for Clemson this season have been pretty special. Richard Jackson has shown accuracy to go with his cannon leg. CJ did it again last week against BC. Let's keep up the good work with this portion of the game!
When I went hunting for information about Gary Patterson's 4-2-5 scheme at TCU, I found almost nothing. Very little information is out there about it, but I did manage to find a partial download of their Cover 2 playbook scheme as well as Patterson's published article at a Nike Clinic about his defensive philosophy, along with help from Coach Huey's forums. Here I'll digest the important pieces to give a preview of what we will see against TCU next saturday.
A 4-2-5 and a 4-4 scheme (Virginia Tech) are not terribly different in general. You will need quick SS types to play LB in a 4-4, or matchup on TEs and the like in a 5 DB secondary. What is different about what Patterson does is in how he teaches it. When I read these articles, I was surprised at what they do in installation. Most coordinators will tell you that your coverage works with your front 7's alignment, i.e., one can dictate the other. You dont do crazy things with your LBs in a normal 4-3 because they could be totally out of position to get into their zones or man-coverage on a pass play.
But Patterson teaches them totally separately and believes the coverage is totally independent of the front aligntment.
Our fronts and coverages have nothing to do with each other. The front is called by the use of a wristband. We break down our first 6 or 7 opponents and put the fronts on the player's wristbands. We dont have to teach anything new to our players during the season. The team's may change, but the fronts do not. We do teach during the season, but we dont have to re-teach our fronts.
Patterson's then does one other thing other coordinators dont: he divides his secondary coverages into two calls called by the safeties to each side. In effect, his FS calls the coverage for one side, and the Weak Safety for the opposite side, dividing the offense down the middle. Most teams check off their coverage and make calls based on formations, but Patterson does not do this. In his words:
“We divide our packages into attack groups. The 4 DL & 2 LB’s are one segment of our defense. We align the front 6 and they go one direction. The coverage behind them is what we call a double-quarterback system. We play with 3 safeties on the field. We have a strong, weak and free safety. The free and weak safeties are going to control both halves of the field. They are the quarterbacks and they will make all the calls…
…In our coverage scheme we are going to divide the formation at the center every snap. We play with 5 defensive backs in the secondary…
…[If the passing strength is to the defensive left] the FS calls ‘read’ left. The FS is going to talk to the LCB, SS, and the read side LB. The weak safety aligns on the other side and talks to the right corner and right LB…
…Starting in spring practice, the 1st Mon. we teach Cover 2 (Robber). On Tues. we teach our Blue coverage (quarters)….On Wed. we teach squats-&-halves coverage (Cover 5). After that we are done teaching our zone coverages…
…We don’t worry about formations any more. When you divide the formation down the middle, to each side there are only 3 formations the offense can give the secondary. The offense can give you a pro set, which is a tight end and wideout; a twin set, which is 2 wideouts; or some kind of trips set that the defense will have to defend. That is all they can give you.
In 3 days we teach our kids to line up in all 3 coverages against those formations…when we start talking about our game play, we never talk about lining up. All we talk about is what the opponent is going to be doing and how we are going to adjust to it.
Unless the offense lines up in a 3-back wishbone or a no-back set, there are only 3 ways the offense can be aligned and still be sound. Unless we want the coverage to overplay something to one side, we don’t worry about formations….
The Defensive Front Basically, they normally align their DT’s in a 3-tech to the strong side, and either a Shade or 1-tech weakside. This is similar to what Clemson put against Georgia Tech. The advantage of playing your Nose Guard shaded off the Center's shoulder is that when he charges inwards, he can control both A-gaps. Their DE’s align in a 6-tech (head-up on TE) if there is a TE and in a loose 5-tech if no TE (just outside the OTs shoulder). Essentially their front will align either to the boundary/field (short/wide side) or a slight change based on whether a TE is on the OL. They do not flip-flop their DE's based on the formation or hash, only their DTs.
In blitzing, a small number of relatively simple calls can be combined into 157 distinct calls. But with the way he has simplified it, a DT only has to memorize 6 words to accomplish a variety of maneuvers and stunts.
…(When we blitz) the secondary doesn’t care what is going on with the front and LB’s. All they know is there is going to be a blitz and both LB’s are going to rush. That tells them they have to cover everybody if there is a pass…
…If there is a double smoke (an outside S blitz from both) being run, the FS knows the SS and WS are blitzing off the edge. He has to talk to the 2 LB’s to get them into coverage…
As far as blitzes go, its not the usual zone blitz with Cover 3 behind it that most teams, including Clemson, tend to run because of the split coverage to each side. TCU is not a heavy zone-blitzing team. They will blitz with Cover 2 Robber behind it, but for the most part are playing straight Man with a blitz. An offense cannot run base man protection schemes against them, because of their use of the twist and slide games (stunts essentially).
Coverages For the majority of the time, TCU is a Cover 2, Cover 5, or Man defense, but with Cover 3 in zone-blitz situations. What they tend to do against 2-back sets is slide a safety down into the box, so it looks like a 4-3, and play Cover 2 Robber to the side of the passing strength.
…In the secondary we have 3 basic zone coverages. We split the difference in those 3 coverages and it gives us 9 total coverages…We can also play cover 25. That means we are playing Cover 2 (Robber) to the FS side and Cover 5 to the weak safety side. The 1st digit in the number is the FS side and the 2nd digit is the weak side…
The problem with a 4-2-5 has usually been inadequacy against the rush. Against a Strong offset-I formation, for example, TCU will shift their LBs over to the strongside (called a slide) and slide the WS down into the box at the last second. With 3 DBs playing on the strongside, the Robber coverage call is unaffected. Despite the lack of another LB, TCU still manages to have one of the best rush defenses in the country because of these presnap shifts.
What is Cover 2 Robber? To the 2 WR side, for example, the SS and CB will matchup across the LOS with the FS playing deep-half. The FS watches the backfield for play-action, and once he reads pass his eyes immediately go to the #2 (slotman). If #2 runs vertical, SS stays with him. If #2 runs an out, the SS waits for #1 and is watching for a curl or post route by watching the guy's hips. He'll be underneath the route most likely to "rob" it.
If the hips sink, he's going to break and stop (like a curl). Then the SS jumps the route. Otherwise he goes with him on the post.
If #1 runs an in/out route, the CB calls "in" or "out" and the SS must get under the route to "rob" them. The CB is not responsible for them. On posts, the FS is meant to get under
On the weak side, there will only be the WS and CB on the #1 receiver, and the combination will play what is called "squat and half" coverage or "bracket" coverage. This means the CB will come up to try to squat or sit on routes (bumping the WR at the LOS) with the WS playing deep coverage. Bracket coverage looks a little like a Cover-2 zone, except that the first defender never peels off the receiver to defend the flat. Both defenders maintain high-low coverage throughout the receiver's route. Note that by "weak" I am talking about passing strength, not the Split-end side. The weak side would be a TE and Flanker, which are not as good at receiving as two true WRs to the strong side.
Cover Blue: Cover Blue is a cover 2 "Read", where the FS and WS both have halves, and the corners are in a read (called Blue technique) which means they will follow the #1 receiver vertical unless #2 releases outside before 8 yards deep. In this case the FS and WS will cover the #1 receiver. In a sense this is also Cover 4 (quarters).
Together with a cover 2 robber scheme to the other side, recall the coverage is called by the S to each side, it would be difficult for the QB to read.
The difference between robber and blue is who has flat, curl and wheel responsibilities. Cover 2 Robber: CB has #1 deep and post. SS has #2 flat, curl. Generally on a wheel route, they run the FS down and leave the SS underneath. FS has #2 vertical. If #2 runs an out, rob #1. Blue is 2 read but safety run support (SKY). CB plays outside #1 but on top of route if #2 blocks. If #2 to flat, CB stops feet and WS gets over top of #1.
Cover 5: A true Cover 2 look with CBs in Cloud (they have run support). The Free and Weak safeties are playing 2 deep zone with 5 men playing zone underneath. In other playbooks I've read, Cover 5 is a Cover 2 Man-under scheme, but not in TCU's. Also, TCU runs a matchup zone coverage like Clemson does now (not like V. Koenning, who ran a spot drop, like BC does) so it might as well be man/man. They almost never play the whole field in Cover 5, only one side.
Since the Defense raped BC's front, I'll spend more time looking at the offensive playcalls and the OL play than usual. I'd rather not go almost play-by-play, but since the playcalling bugged me so much I'm going to for this one.
-First play starts out well with a corner route to Ford on the boundary, then a huge cutback lane on the next play gives Spiller another first down. Good block by Austin to spring him free. 3rd play is a WR screen and Clear fails to make a block, loss of 3. I don't agree with the play call, the defense could be punched in the mouth, I would run it again or look deep. 4th is a coverage sack when Parker had time and opportunity to make a throw, but McClain just let the guy release. On the INT, BC zone blitzed two men up the A gap right into Parker's face, and he threw off his back foot into the LB's hands. Ball shouldve been deeper, but this throw was forced by their pressure. Clemson didnt have people inside to block 2 extra guys, but this could've been handled better, the gap between Cloy and McClain opened right up. McClain blocked his man, but the DE backed off into coverage.
-Defense forces quick 3 & out, Spiller returns the punt 73 yards for the only CU TD of the game.
-Defense would have another 3 & out but for the PI call. Steele calls blitzes from the SS and then the Nickelback Gilchrist on the next play from the slot, and the pressure forces the QB to make a bad decision and throw. The pass was tipped by the WR with Conner on him, and Hall picks it off at midfield.
-Clemson comes out in I, BC shows blitz so we audible out into shotgun, then Parker stares down Ford the entire time. The ball was underthrown again, and a little behind him on what looked like an out route and the LB underneath Ford picks it off. The audible is fine, and the call is good, but the execution got us.
-D 3 & out.
-Next Clemson drive starts inside the 10 due to a holding call on the punt return. CJ gets the first by himself on two plays, then we get outnumbered up front on the next. Another WR screen to Jacoby was set up well, but their LB got off Cloy's block and made the play. Clemson was conservative in playcalling and should've been so inside our own 20.
-D 3&out, and Bowers/Sapp weren't even in on the series. Goodman and Branch both made good tackles. Ford returns the punt to their 45, and another block in the back pushes us back to our 30.
-Harper in at RB, a designed zone read play goes nowhere because no hole opens to the right side and he doesnt cut it back. Harper needs to turn upfield and run it, we should run wide with Ellington and Spiller, not Harper. Parker overthrows Jones on the next play. BC blitzes 5 on the next play, the line picked it up, and he scrambled for the 1st, but our WRs were bunched together on their routes, you cant get guys open when their routes are both little hitches side-by-side. Harper stopped in the backfield by a man shooting up the middle on a play where McClain goes with the FB right and Cloy gets sandwiched and falls down. The next play looks like a called QB Draw for no gain, there was no blitzer to force him to run it himself. Dumb call, throw the ball. Punt. End of 1st.
-D 3 & out. Spiller gets us excellent field position again on the return at the BC 42.
-Clemson runs some zone plays to the left and gets some good yardage into the redzone. Then we try a Wildcat formation play and Spiller gets nowhere, I dont like the call, stick with what we can run and dont run around the perimeter inside the red zone, run right at them. Ellington takes a zone read (they listened to me!) and gets to the corner but not enough for the first. On 3rd down they blitz off the corner, we dont pick it up well, and Parker has to throw it away. FG 10-0.
-BC loses yardage on their first play, then the QB pulls out from under center and Thompson gets the ball back for us at the 8.
-First play is a handoff right side to Spiller to the 5 hole, but Walker did make his block as did McClain. A LB jumped into the hole and CJ bounced it out and they strung it out for lost yardage. Diehl looked to have taken the right man, and Ashe was blocking his man, but Ashe released him and he was the one that strung it out. The next is a shotgun PA screen to Ford stopped for a loss, again don't like the call, go for the endzone. Third down play is a 2-back "almost-pistol"-formation option play, Korn looks to pitch and his man is covered, then he makes the only decision left and holds it, and is tackled behind the line. Do not like this call either, we should've taken one shot into the endzone, and not tried to run perimeter plays in the red zone, when we did have success running inside earlier. Where is the killer instinct? MAN UP AND RUN RIGHT AT THEM. FG 13-0. We should be up 17 right now.
-D 3 & out.
-Incomplete PA pass to Marquan at the first down sticks was thrown into coverage, when Spiller looked open underneath. Parker did not look off Jones. Hitch to Palmer gets the 1st down, then an end around to Ford gets close to another. Spiller would've gotten more than the next first down on a power play had McClain gotten anything on his block. On another inside zone play, the OL blocks well but again McClain is getting beat by his man, Spiller still gets the 1st. BC shoots the gaps on the next inside play and strings CJ out as we enter the redzone again. Harper takes another inside zone left, but cant break the tackle. Parker rolls right on a designed play and both WRs on that side are covered as he throws it out of bounds. FG 16-0. Playcalling here wasnt so much an issue. The play that was strung out was designed to go inside, and the rollout was a fine play call, but there shouldve been another man following the two WRs into the boundary and I dont see him. Parker wouldve had time to set and throw back to midfield.
-D 3&out. A bad punt gives us the ball at our 40. We get the ball with about :40 left. Parker is blitzed off the corner on 1st down and throws it away, Ellington drops a pass in his breadbasket on 2nd, and on 3rd down sails a throw to Ellington. We didn't even run off 25 seconds. Punt, and BC takes the knee.
Halftime Clemson has had no drive over 40 yards.
-D 3&out.
-We get the ball at midfield. Harper runs right on 1st down, and just doesnt fire into the hole, no gain. A WR screen to Ford gets a few yards. A pass in the flats to CJ gets only 2. CJ takes a toss sweep right for the first. PA to Ford would've been a TD if Parker had taken a little bit off. A short pass to Ashe gets 7, and an inside WR screen to Ford doesnt benefit from any blocking. BC blitzed at the same time so Parker was rushed. Jackson kicks a 52 yarder, 19-0.
Normally a WR screen would work great if they blitz you, so the call was fine, but the play had to develop a little faster and nobody blocked. L.Walker was standing still and Ford ran right into him.
-McDaniel picks off the deep ball in what looks like Man-Free coverage at our 46.
-Ford is double covered and Parker never takes his eyes off him then sails one over his head. Why not look underneath or left? Harper takes a Draw nowhere, and Palmer's catch sets up 4th & 1. The 4th down play was a power play to Ellington, and Deihl does not make his block, and Austin doesnt execute a cut block either (either that or he tripped). Hairston was actually lined up at TE on the right side here, and doesnt make a great block. It didnt look like he fell down well either, I suspect this is where he got hurt.
-D 3&out. First lightning delay.
-Spiller is still in the game here after the delay, but only two plays that I see. Lambert is in at LT. McClain again gets beat by his man. Parker hits Palmer for a 1st down. Coverage shows that if we tried for an inside route, we'd be hitting it all day. They show a Cover 2 look to me. BC blitzed and good coverage on 3rd down forces a punt.
-BC gets their first yardage because Jenkins missed the QB in the backfield on the PA fake, and he scrambles 18 yards. A few plays later he scrambles again on an inside blitz where we missed him and gets another first down. End of 3rd Qtr. Bowers didnt miss him on the next play, lined up from a 3-tech DT position. 7 plays for 32 yards, this was their best drive of the game.
-Ellington fumbles on the very next play. He was carrying it high across his chest and the LB popped it out.
-On BCs TD play, they showed us a bunched set, with 3 receivers to the right side. We blitzed one LB up the backside A/B gap and another around the backside corner. McDaniel was in close, and lets his man go right by him. He was supposed to bump him and backpedal. The FS took the inside receiver to protect the post, which was his only choice. The Corner took #2 into the flat but didnt look to see #1 running behind him into the corner of the endzone. Miscommunication and assignment. 19-7.
2nd lightning delay.
-Clemson opens with the ball again. End around to Ford, then a Power play with Lambert unable to seal off the backside when Austin pulls out. On 3rd down Parker hits Marquan on the boundary for a first inside their 25. We try to run perimeter plays again with Jones on the end-around and get nothing, then they blitz off the left side on 3rd down, it isnt picked up and Parker has to rush his throw and it falls incomplete. STOP RUNNING THESE PERIMETER PLAYS. FG 22-7.
-D 3&out.
-Really, Clemson should call conservatively to run clock, and we are able to run the ball inside. Norris is in the game at RG, and he and Cloy got good push here. Ellington blows into the hole much quicker than Harper on some of these zone plays. Parker hits Ellington on a PA pass on a flare route for the 1st, which was really a great play call right here. But then Harper comes in and the OL just isnt creating push and he isn't cutting back or doing anything but fall down. Parker overthrows Ford on another corner route. Punt downed at the 1. I dont think we blew assignments here, Harper doesnt have the explosion that Ellington has, the crease was there.
-Meeks picks off the next pass that was really another bad throw. Ball was thrown inside on a vertical/skinny post and sailed a bit on him.
-Harper takes a handoff to the left side that goes nowhere, but a penalty pushes us back. Ellington takes the next zone play to the 11. Korn does the right thing by falling down and taking the sack, keeping the clock moving instead of throwing it away, but Ellington did not carry his block through to the end. Harper comes in and falls down as soon as they touch him. I can see going conservative here with the calls, the game is in hand, but honestly I'd have gone for the TD. Another FG, 25-7.
-D forces a turnover on downs and Clemson takes a knee.
Thoughts... -McClain got beat too much, and didnt look too good to me. Austin looked much better, Walker looked ok, Cloy looked good, and Lambert got beat once or twice. Push was better than I thought up front. -Clemson ran fewer Power plays and more inside zone plays than before, the left side is doing their job, many times cutback lanes were wide open because the left side had down-angle blocked everyone right. -Harper just doesnt have the burst into the hole, he looks tentative and plays slower than he should. -Playcalling in the red zone needs to be more north-south and less east-west, but understand that zone defenses bunch up in the red zone and there arent as many open spaces. Still, scoring against such a defense comes down to the running game and we should've done better. Otherwise I feel like the calls were fine: we were conservative and it was wet, but thats no excuse for 6 FGs and a pattern of inability to score in the red zone this year. As far as I know, its been only once from within the red zone (D. Allen's catch last week). -The offense will get a first down, possible two, but then can't move the sticks due to blown OL assignment, dropped pass, poor pass or lack of execution offensively. -BC blitzed at great times and we did not pick it up far too often. TCU will see that. They played good sound zone defense against us. -Parker made some bad decisions and throws and didnt look off his primary enough, there were open men further downfield to hit. Wet balls are harder to throw but he sailed a few. He seemed too eager to hit Jacoby and doesnt look off. -I dont think I saw a Clemson defense play this good against a conference team since I was a little kid. Other than the miscue on the TD, I can find nothing critical to complain about. -Raycom sports highlights available here.
