Dictating to the other team's defense

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BrentVU
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Dictating to the other team's defense

Post by BrentVU »

I happen to know from having heard David Raih speak in July that the long, downfield pass is something the offensive coaches wanted to utilize a lot going into the season. Vandy thinks it has the receivers to get open for home run balls, and it thinks it has a QB who can deliver them.

I also recall hearing an interview with Ken Seals the week before ETSU. "We're not concerned with what the other team's defense does. We have confidence in what we do, and we want to play our game and dictate to the other team's defense." (Not an exact quote, but close. He seemed to be reflecting what the coaches had been telling him.)

Well, the first two games may have changed the calculus a bit. Seals didn't connect on any long passes in the ETSU game, and the result was a painful defeat; and unless you count Chris Pierce's amazing catch in the CSU game, Seals is something like 0-for-10 in long balls this season. On most of them, he's just overshot the receiver. On others that looked like long passing plays, the protection was breaking down and Seals was having to escape the pocket, ruining the rhythm and chance for success. Vandy also used the wide receiver screen a lot vs. ETSU, but ETSU blew it up every time.

But midway through the CSU game, Seals began having success finding Cam Johnson on quick slants and passes to the middle of the field; and suddenly, the offense began clicking. The quick pass neutralizes the rush; Seals is very accurate on these throws, and Johnson is very sure-handed. Joey Lynch even called one of these on a critical fouth-and-short, and it worked.

I think these first two games have likely been a humbling thing for the offensive braintrust. You may talk a good game about imposing your will on the other team and dictating the play, but it sometimes doesn't work out that way. Good coaches adjust and take what the other team is offering up. I'm anxious to see how the playcalling plays out vs. Stanford, which has a very good pass defense. (Kyu Blu Kelly is an elite cover corner whom they will probably use to match up with Chris Pierce.)