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Our friend garret says; that JJ still puts the qb under center quite a bit, in short yardage and redzone situations. I remember Colt scoring a td against San Jose St., on an option play under center last season.

I like seeing the QB under center as often as possible. Keeps the defenses guessing. Plays run out of the shotgun formation in the last coaching group's schemes, left a lot to be desired.

ALEX LIFESON wrote:Our friend garret says; that JJ still puts the qb under center quite a bit, in short yardage and redzone situations. I remember Colt scoring a td against San Jose St., on an option play under center last season.

I would disagree with quite a bit. He would have Colt go under center inside the 5 and when it was 3rd and very short. Personally, I prefer the Run & Shoot with the QB under center, always doing the half roll, either right or left. The defense never knows where the QB will be. In the gun, the QB will be in the same spot about 97 % of the time. Just ask Georgia...

That said, Jones' record at Hawaii... 76-41, shows he's been pretty successful going Shot Gun almost exclusively... so I doubt he'll change that too much.

Dr Death wrote:
I would disagree with quite a bit. He would have Colt go under center inside the 5 and when it was 3rd and very short. Personally, I prefer the Run & Shoot with the QB under center, always doing the half roll, either right or left. The defense never knows where the QB will be. In the gun, the QB will be in the same spot about 97 % of the time. Just ask Georgia...

That said, Jones' record at Hawaii... 76-41, shows he's been pretty successful going Shot Gun almost exclusively... so I doubt he'll change that too much.

Dr. Death,

I don't see how we are in disagreement. I said that UH used Colt under center in short yardage situations and in the red zone. I guess I should have clarified red zone near the goal line instead of just saying red zone.

I guess you are disagreeing with how JJ doesn't use the QB under center more...I seem to remember JJ using it more in his first years at UH, but he went to a more shotgun-only (except for those situations) formation after that. JJ knows far more than I do about offense, so I don't try to second guess him on that.

I do hate how he rarely rotated in fresh offensive linemen or WRs at UH. But his way worked and the offense performed best in the 4th quarter, so I guess they weren't too tired. And I'm guessing that he won't have 8 top-level WRs at SMU for awhile, so it doesn't matter.

By the way, I also told Alex that UH *has* used TEs in the past. In fact, UH used a TE for a few plays in Sugar Bowl and used a TE (maybe this should be termed a TE/H-back hybrid) extensively in the Purdue (I think that was the game) game the previous season. It was more in a blocking TE role than a receiving role, but UH did have a TE against specific defenses. It seemed to me that JJ used it when a team has a really good DE that the tackle cannot handle 1-on-1.

Garret wrote:
Dr. Death,

I don't see how we are in disagreement.

No worries... I just didn't agree with the quite a bit part... I think Colt would have had a better chance under center in the Sugar Bowl... I've been involved, one way or another, with the Run & Shoot since the mid 1980's... and that's the one thing I don't agree with JJ on... but he doesn't listen to me too much!

PK wrote:I like seeing the QB under center as often as possible. Keeps the defenses guessing. Plays run out of the shotgun formation in the last coaching group's schemes, left a lot to be desired.

Left a lot to be desired, PK?

Yeah, like a bowl bid waiting for us (after 2006 Rice game) if Burns had a clue how to score inside the 10 yd-line.

SWC2010 wrote:

PK wrote:I like seeing the QB under center as often as possible. Keeps the defenses guessing. Plays run out of the shotgun formation in the last coaching group's schemes, left a lot to be desired.

Left a lot to be desired, PK?

Yeah, like a bowl bid waiting for us (after 2006 Rice game) if Burns had a clue how to score inside the 10 yd-line.

I was trying to be kind.

PK wrote:

SWC2010 wrote:

PK wrote:I like seeing the QB under center as often as possible. Keeps the defenses guessing. Plays run out of the shotgun formation in the last coaching group's schemes, left a lot to be desired.

Left a lot to be desired, PK?

Yeah, like a bowl bid waiting for us (after 2006 Rice game) if Burns had a clue how to score inside the 10 yd-line.

I was trying to be kind.

I hear ya-- but those plays still haunt this program. One of many...

Rotating offensive linemen has a lot of disadvantages unless you can rotate two deep. A line gets some cohesiveness and Jones practices plays over and over and over again until people are used to where they are supposed to be. A school like SMU or Hawaii does not have the manpower to rotate linemen in and out of offense en masse. So, unless a player is gassed or nicked up, I suspect that he keeps the players out there. I suspect that in close yardage situations, a QB like Willis who can run an option or pass would be very good to run under center.

SWC2010 wrote:

PK wrote:

SWC2010 wrote:

PK wrote:I like seeing the QB under center as often as possible. Keeps the defenses guessing. Plays run out of the shotgun formation in the last coaching group's schemes, left a lot to be desired.

Left a lot to be desired, PK?

Yeah, like a bowl bid waiting for us (after 2006 Rice game) if Burns had a clue how to score inside the 10 yd-line.

I was trying to be kind.

I hear ya-- but those plays still haunt this program. One of many...

That day will live in infamy for me (as well as quite a few of you). I'm sure that was one of the livliest fanbases we've had at an away game in a long time, and it was a long, quiet ride home. Here's to blowing Rice out (out of what? ) from here to enternity.