Picking up the blitz

[ClickClack]

I think by now other coaches have the blue print for disrupting our offense...USF brought many of the same bitz packages that Houston did. Today, Most of the time, it was not an issue of talent and one of our players getting blown up on the blitz...but the blitzer (delayed or otherwise) had an un-evaded path to the QB. This is an assignment issue.. There were multiple times Braden West was looking inside, when a safety or linebacker would come from the outside or between the OT and OG and have clear path to the QB. I don't know this is a coaching issue or just simply the players screwing up their assignments...if they bring too many guys for us too block, then we have to keep an extra blocker in to chip or audible to a quick slant or something which I didn't see us do all day.

[Charleston Pony]

agreed; Davis (or whoever might be the QB) will see plenty of pressure from here on out because we have been completely inept against any and all blitz packages we've seen this year

[JasonB]

That seemed to be half time adjustment of Houston and ECU as well. Bring the delayed blitzes. JMU stunted a lot on the line and it gave us fits. There are certainly a lot of communication problems where people just come completely free, with nobody to beat. It isn't even an outnumbered issue a lot of the time. I've seen guards and tackles double a guy and leave an open gap for the LB coming on a delay. No reaction to it when it happens. It's secondary effect is to keep Davis from scrambling. Really surprised to not see us clean that up after the bye.

The most disappointing part to me is that it should be the center calling out a lot of the blocking schemes. Lasecki should be cleaning some of that stuff up. It might be worth moving Barns in at center and pushing Lasecki to guard and see what happens.

[PonyKai]

Blueprint: "Just keep running the same blitz because even after multiple times across two games separated by 16 days, the blockers and QB still don't know it's coming."

[Stallion]

I'm not sure SMU has a sack on a blitz in the entire year. very few sacks period-think Lawler has 4.5

yep no sacks by DBs or LBs.

[JasonB]

I'm not sure SMU has a sack on a blitz in the entire year. very few sacks period-think Lawler has 4.5

yep no sacks by DBs or LBs.

No by Star either, right?

[Rebel10]

I saw weeks get taken out of the game because he was not playing up to par. He took his helmet off and seemed to be pretty upset about it. The USF front 4 was pretty much driving the SMU O line back during passing situations and clasping the pocket. Blitzes became easier when that happens.

[smusic 00]

Yes our line was blown up nearly every snap.

[dallascowboy]

Very true. Blitz pickup is horrendous. The first few games they didn't come after us much partly because they didn't know what we'd do on offense and partly from Matt Davis' ability to scramble. The adjustment was to bring an extra guy or a "green dog" late blitzer and that kind of gave us fits. Now teams know going in that they're going to bring the house and see if we can handle it.

I think the scheme doesn't really call for the Oline to pick up blitzes though. In the Air Raid offense they are usually built into the play as in having hot reads or options. Either the QB isn't making the right read or the scheme is just bad. Hard to tell but it isn't working whatever the case may be.

[ClickClack]

I saw weeks get taken out of the game because he was not playing up to par. He took his helmet off and seemed to be pretty upset about it. The USF front 4 was pretty much driving the SMU O line back during passing situations and clasping the pocket. Blitzes became easier when that happens.

Weeks was taken out after his 2nd penalty on the same drive. Briggs cam in at RT for him.

[Rebel10]

I saw weeks get taken out of the game because he was not playing up to par. He took his helmet off and seemed to be pretty upset about it. The USF front 4 was pretty much driving the SMU O line back during passing situations and clasping the pocket. Blitzes became easier when that happens.

Weeks was taken out after his 2nd penalty on the same drive. Briggs cam in at RT for him.

2 penalties on the same drive is definitely not playing up to par. And I believe he had been penalized a good bit during the year.

[Rebel10]

Yes our line was blown up nearly every snap.

Agreed.

[ClickClack]

I never said it was up to par...I simply stated that was the reason he was taken out and replaced by Briggs.

[Rebel10]

I never said it was up to par...I simply stated that was the reason he was taken out and replaced by Briggs.

Gotcha.

[ojaipony]

I think Lasecki has been one of the most overrated OL I've ever seen at SMU. Weeks always looked extremely slow to me (and I also understand he had a great summer conditioning and that he's also been injured). I wonder if the few seniors that actually have SOME ability, and the JJ leftovers who know their time is coming to an end (which unfortunately are several starters and key backups), have pretty much all mailed it in (Lasecki, Yenga, Shaq, Weeks, pretty much all the LBs). HCCM keeps saying they are playing hard and giving good effort but I'm just not seeing it with the exception of a handful of players (primarily the freshmen RBs and a couple of other HCCM recruits). We all know Davis has his issues seeing the field and distributing, but I don't blame him for having "happy feet" after what he experienced all last year and much of this year (at least lately). Kid has to stand tall in the pocket, survey the field, make quick decision and deliver the rock. VERY rarely happens. Perfect storm of poor OL play and lack of skill set. One can only "scheme" for it so much even someone as good as HCCM. Will be interesting to see how the QB situation plays out the rest of the year.