4th and 3

[DyeCampAlum 335]

In all the playcalling madness, the most damning is coming out about the 4th and 3 zone read that A&M snuffed out.

From an al.com piece (http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2016/09/will_auburn_makes_changes_to_i.html#incart_river_index):

Malzahn said four of those plays were due to the Aggies "mesh charging" – having a defensive end rush to the mesh point between the quarterback and running back on zone read plays, including on Auburn's first offensive play of the game and later on the fourth-and-3 in the fourth quarter.

"We've got to do a better job of making adjustments quicker," Malzahn said. "So it looked like the offensive line wasn't doing their job, and really it was a coaching adjustment that should have been made earlier. They'd never done that before but the bottom line is we've got to adjust earlier."

So in the biggest play of the game, we run the SAME PLAY into the SAME SCHEME?!

[IronMan70 3,277]

On the 4th and 3 play, there is only one reason that play was blown up. Cox totally whiffed on his block to keep the back side DE from getting to the mesh point. That play goes for a nice gain if not for that and Cox was in a good position to make that block too.

Gus wasn't going to call out the player at a presser and instead put it on the coaches. That was the right thing to do by the way. The 4th and 3 play is different from the ones where coaches thought Smith could pull from RG and have time to get to the opposite side DE. That one was impossible and all on the coaches.

[DyeCampAlum 335]

2 minutes ago, IronMan70 said:

On the 4th and 3 play, there is only one reason that play was blown up. Cox totally whiffed on his block to keep the back side DE from getting to the mesh point. That play goes for a nice gain if not for that and Cox was in a good position to make that block too.

Gus wasn't going to call out the player at a presser and instead put it on the coaches. That was the right thing to do by the way. The 4th and 3 play is different from the ones where coaches thought Smith could pull from RG and have time to get to the opposite side DE. That one was impossible and all on the coaches.

That's a helpful reply, but it doesn't help me with the call.

[AUApostle 7,663]

6 minutes ago, IronMan70 said:

On the 4th and 3 play, there is only one reason that play was blown up. Cox totally whiffed on his block to keep the back side DE from getting to the mesh point. That play goes for a nice gain if not for that and Cox was in a good position to make that block too.

Gus wasn't going to call out the player at a presser and instead put it on the coaches. That was the right thing to do by the way. The 4th and 3 play is different from the ones where coaches thought Smith could pull from RG and have time to get to the opposite side DE. That one was impossible and all on the coaches.

That was a helpful reply and helps me with the call.

[IronMan70 3,277]

1 minute ago, DyeCampAlum said:

That's a helpful reply, but it doesn't help me with the call.

I hear you, there was some goofy play calling for sure. But that one was actually a good play. Watch the replay again. The OL had a decent hole opening up. If Cox even chips the DE, the backs get to the hole, get the first down and might have  even broke it.  

[imaolgatiger 523]

16 minutes ago, IronMan70 said:

On the 4th and 3 play, there is only one reason that play was blown up. Cox totally whiffed on his block to keep the back side DE from getting to the mesh point. That play goes for a nice gain if not for that and Cox was in a good position to make that block too.

Gus wasn't going to call out the player at a presser and instead put it on the coaches. That was the right thing to do by the way. The 4th and 3 play is different from the ones where coaches thought Smith could pull from RG and have time to get to the opposite side DE. That one was impossible and all on the coaches.

Gus thinking Smith could pull and block the DE would have worked based on the past tendencies of the DE.  It didn't work, so give Chavis credit for the adjustment.  I agree with everything else.

[kd4au 1,145]

Cox missed a lot of blocks last year too.I thought all of last year Pettway was by far the better blocker of the two.They need to get Pettway and KJ on the field more at the same time.

[IronMan70 3,277]

43 minutes ago, imaolgatiger said:

Gus thinking Smith could pull and block the DE would have worked based on the past tendencies of the DE.  It didn't work, so give Chavis credit for the adjustment.  I agree with everything else.

True about the tendencies. After the opening play didn't work, I couldn't believe they called the 2nd "pulling Smith" play. That DE was too fast for Smith to cover that distance in time.

[DyeCampAlum 335]

I'll trust you on the play. IM. Did Cox have a good angle so that he should have made that block, in your opinion?

[imaolgatiger 523]

8 minutes ago, IronMan70 said:

After the opening play didn't work, I couldn't believe they called the 2nd "pulling Smith" play. That DE was too fast for Smith to cover that distance in time.

I am still not sure that we aren't tipping our plays and or snap count. They were awful quick or guessed really well on plays and snap count. 

[IronMan70 3,277]

1 minute ago, DyeCampAlum said:

I'll trust you on the play. IM. Did Cox have a good angle so that he should have made that block, in your opinion?

It sure looked like it to me. He did wave his elbow at him as he ran by and almost touched him too, but not quite.

[AUApostle 7,663]

4 minutes ago, IronMan70 said:

It sure looked like it to me. He did wave his elbow at him as he ran by and almost touched him too, but not quite.

That was a weird play.  The announcers showed the replay a couple of times on TV.  Cox inexplicably ran right by the defender...almost like he was supposed to block someone else.

[imaolgatiger 523]

5 minutes ago, AUDevil said:

That was a weird play.  The announcers showed the replay a couple of times on TV.  Cox inexplicably ran right by the defender...almost like he was supposed to block someone else.

I am pretty sure this was the play that Stan mentioned on the radio broadcast that he has to be chipped, even if you are suppose to block someone else. 

[IronMan70 3,277]

21 minutes ago, imaolgatiger said:

I am still not sure that we aren't tipping our plays and or snap count. They were awful quick or guessed really well on plays and snap count. 

They sure were. You could very well be right about that. 

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,950]

20 minutes ago, AUDevil said:

That was a weird play.  The announcers showed the replay a couple of times on TV.  Cox inexplicably ran right by the defender...almost like he was supposed to block someone else.

 What gets me about this play is  why didn't they catch this issue at practice?  did they not practice it?

[DyeCampAlum 335]

28 minutes ago, Quietmaninthecorner said:

 What gets me about this play is  why didn't they catch this issue at practice?  did they not practice it?

They wouldn't have practiced it because they didn't think A&M would crash their ends.

59 minutes ago, imaolgatiger said:

I am still not sure that we aren't tipping our plays and or snap count. They were awful quick or guessed really well on plays and snap count. 

We tipped our plays with our tendencies. They jumped quick screens and sweeps just based off of formation and tendency.

[AU-24 3,121]

2 hours ago, IronMan70 said:

On the 4th and 3 play, there is only one reason that play was blown up. Cox totally whiffed on his block to keep the back side DE from getting to the mesh point. That play goes for a nice gain if not for that and Cox was in a good position to make that block too.

Gus wasn't going to call out the player at a presser and instead put it on the coaches. That was the right thing to do by the way. The 4th and 3 play is different from the ones where coaches thought Smith could pull from RG and have time to get to the opposite side DE. That one was impossible and all on the coaches.

It always makes sense when you explain it. I highly questioned that play call at the time, but now, I see what you're saying.

[Tiger 8,835]

1 hour ago, DyeCampAlum said:

They wouldn't have practiced it because they didn't think A&M would crash their ends.

We tipped our plays with our tendencies. They jumped quick screens and sweeps just based off of formation and tendency.

Multiple players too.

 

I want to believe that it truly burns Gus' core to see a defensive back or LB wagging his finger in a "no" motion at the AU bench/staff after completely selling out to jump the routes or sweeps and will inspire some change.

But the pessimist in me thinks that Gus believes if the players executed better it wouldn't be a problem as this predictability issue should have been corrected over a year ago. :/

[leglessdan 1,934]

6 minutes ago, Tiger said:

Multiple players too.

 

I want to believe that it truly burns Gus' core to see a defensive back or LB wagging his finger in a "no" motion at the AU bench/staff after completely selling out to jump the routes or sweeps and will inspire some change.

But the pessimist in me thinks that Gus believes if the players executed better it wouldn't be a problem as this predictability issue should have been corrected over a year ago. :/

^^^^THIS. 

[1913-14 263]

2 hours ago, kd4au said:

Cox missed a lot of blocks last year too.I thought all of last year Pettway was by far the better blocker of the two.They need to get Pettway and KJ on the field more at the same time.

LIKE THAT THINKING

[Tiger 8,835]

2 hours ago, kd4au said:

Cox missed a lot of blocks last year too.I thought all of last year Pettway was by far the better blocker of the two.They need to get Pettway and KJ on the field more at the same time.

With 2 viable ball carriers in the backfield with one of them being a + blocker? Nah no thanks

 

 

/sarcasm

[autigeremt 6,794]

This comment isn't to protect anyone but watching both Clemson and A&M it looked to me that the defense knew our play 50% of the time. That's not good.

[mikeholiday 132]

That play was actually really important in hindsight. We were only down 12 at that point with plenty of time left. If we had scored on that drive, things may have turned out very differently 

[creed 1,686]

Just my opinion but the h back position needs to raise their game a lot. 

[Quietmaninthecorner 1,950]

4 hours ago, DyeCampAlum said:

4 hours ago, Quietmaninthecorner said:

 What gets me about this play is  why didn't they catch this issue at practice?  did they not practice it?

They wouldn't have practiced it because they didn't think A&M would crash their ends.

I'm confused.  We are running plays our team has not practiced AT ALL?     If  they practiced the play,  bit did not practice it with the D ends crashing.  WTH were OUR  ends doing during practice,  trying to get blocked.    Our coaches never mentioned what to do in case the ends crash?  I would think someone would have said, " Hey,  if an end  crashes on this play you MUST block him,  or at least get a piece of him".   It just seems to me they should have considered how the D would defend the play.