Alabama jumped ahead early and came away with a big 31-14 win over Notre Dame. Let’s NAG It!
Two Plays Affected by Numbers
Numbers – #1
Motion and unbalanced formations can do so much to a defense. Look at this play and how loose the defensive secondary becomes with the swing/rocket motion from #6, DeVonta Smith the 2020 Heisman Trophy winner…
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The defense ends up with 6 guys in the box since I would not count the backside corner. This leaves the five offensive lineman and the TE to block the four down lineman and the two inside linebackers. So with the inside zone being run to that TE side, and there being basically is no secondary support, that is why this becomes a 10 yard gain. Notice that the TE to the play side is covered up and is not eligible for a forward pass. This formation allows this motion by the wide receiver #6 in order to still have seven people on the line of scrimmage. To me this produced a Numbers advantage to the TE side of the formation in the interior. Note that the swing route here was a great looking play also to #6. The wide side corner was way off and would not have been able to contain a swing route effectively.
Numbers – #2
Great job by Notre Dame leveraging an unbalanced formation also to create a numbers advantage. Note that the inside receiver to the short side in not eligible for a forward pass.
If you count the numbers Notre Dame has 5 players to the wide/right side and 6 players to the short/left side. Alabama has 4.5 players to the wide side and 6.5 players to the short side so Notre Dame has created a .5 numbers advantage. Notre Dame does not quite score on the QB sweep but it is a solid play that sets up the touchdown on the next play. To balance up I think Alabama should have slid its linebackers to the wide side to gain back that extra half player. The extra defensive back lined up over the covered up wide-receiver becomes a wasted defender. Note that you can throw to this inside receiver if you throw him a lateral, but that takes a lot of timing out of the shot gun.
Two Plays Affected by Angles
Angles – #1
Corner is one of the hardest positions to play and is so visible on the screen. The offenses are so high powered and the corners are in charge of protecting a lot of Grass. Here is a play where the corner takes a slightly bad Angle and we end up with an explosive play…
We just do not see these formations very much! There are three tight ends in the game and a physical wide receiver for Notre Dame. Alabama does a great job getting 8 guys in the box by rolling one outside linebacker up on the line to the wide side and also rolling the safety to the field. Alabama has also balanced the Numbers by putting 4.5 players into the boundary and 6.5 players to the field. Although this play does go for a large gain, I would lean towards running this ball into the boundary as there are simply fewer players needed to make the blocks to have a successful play. But in the end the corner #28 has to do his job and to turn this play in so the rolled-up safety #9 by taking a proper Angle. His footwork is fine to start as he takes his initial back-peddle steps. But once he reacts to the play he should be working straight back up the field or even a bit wider to contain the play.
Angles – #2
A defensive player must know the proper Angle to take in order to protect the Grass. In this play the running back is able to bounce to the outside. Take a look…
Alabama ends up in a tight, trips formation after the short, creep motion by the wide receiver. Typically this would allow the receiver to block an alley play like a rolled-up safety and simply leave the corner. Typically if a corner makes a play it is a 5 yard gain anyway so that is why a corner is left unblocked many times. But here Notre Dame does not have a rolled-up safety and is more in a 4×4 defense look with an eight man box. This means that the linebacker playing (#6) head-up on the TE who is off the line is the ‘edge’ player. He cannot get pinned in this type of defense. If you are the defensive end, who is inside #6, in this type of defense then you can ‘blow up’ a play and bounce the play outside since you have an ‘edge’ player to the outside. But in this defense the edge has to be set by #6. He has to take an Angle to attack the outside number/shoulder of the blocker and turn the play in. If he would set this edge properly there are 7 other players in the box to make the play for a short gain.
Two Plays Affected by Grass
Grass – #1
Plays do not have to be complicated. Put a talented player in a space with lots of Grass and let him make a play. Steve Sarkisian, the 2020 Alabama offensive coordinator and new 2021 head coach at Texas said: “The least defended player on the field in the pass game is the running back,” It is in this video posted on Twitter. Here it is in action…
I have seen so many tackling drills where the offensive player is given a ‘two way go’ and one single defensive player in the drill rarely makes the tackle. A ‘two way go’ means there is enough Grass to cut either way. In this example the running back #22 checks for any blitzing linebackers and then releases. In front of him there is a nice crossing/pick route to tie up the linebackers. #22 catches the ball 1 yard behind the line of scrimmage and ends up with a 14 yard gain. Putting this talented of a running back against any inside linebacker in space is a complete mismatch.
Grass – #2
I want to continue the play above to talk about hustle as a component to Grass. Hustle or ‘Playing to the Whistle’ creates Grass for your team. Watch #87 the TE who is running the crossing route into the short side on this play after the catch is made…
Do you see him start to jog at about 35 seconds on the video? This is a very natural human reaction. He sees two people going to tackle his player and he ‘believes’ that his running back will be tackled and the play will be over. He has become a fan. I would say in 80% of the cases that will be the result, but big plays come in 20% of the plays and it takes every player playing to the whistle to create those ‘once in a game’ plays. I teach my players that if you are seeing the back of a jersey then re-route and find the next closest player to block. #87 will not get to either of these two defenders but he could work his way up-field to block #40 who comes into view at 38 seconds to secure a path in case the running back gets through these two defenders. The phrase ‘Play to the Whistle’ creates more Grass.
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