The Forward Pass

[FWMustang]

What is going on here? Are we Nebraska of old? How can a team, which is the worst offensive team in the country, so blatantly ignore one aspect of the game? I love KK, but can you imagine what he could do if SMU just even gave token attention to pass during the game? [deleted] poor attitude to just avoid it if you think it's not going to work.

I saw a post earlier that mentioned the slant route. Not in SMU's playbook from what I can tell. That is the ONE pass that will call the dogs off the blitz, and we haven't used it once this year. No quick pop pass to the tight end either. Only that stupid 3-yard out route, over and over and over and..... Coach Bennett, when the fans in the stands can predict what you are about to do, it's a fair bet the other teams can, too.

And can someone please explain to me why our OC can't remember with which arm his two QBs throw? Roll the lefty out right and the righty out left. Bass-akwards if you ask me. They don't have time to stop and square up to throw, not to mention they both like to run, and you completely give up the ghost by making them have to square up to throw.

I will toss one bone to them. Yesterday was, at times, fun to watch, and didn't make my daughter throw up, like the Boise St. game. Just difficult to stomach this, while seeing teams like Houston, Tulsa and SJSU have success, teams we used to handle.

<small>[ 11-02-2003, 06:05 AM: Message edited by: FWMustang ]</small>

[hpfan]

What ever happened to the SHOT GUN FORMATION. Even highschool teams can hand off the ball from it. Eight grade offense..pathetic

[KnuckleStang]

I feel your pain, FW. But here's the problem. 6-16 passing. We were sacked NINE times, on 25 pass attempts. In other words, 36% of the time. Think about that for a second. 36%! Can we really blame an OC for sticking to the ground under those conditions?

I'm in favor of leaving Phillips in the game, for no other reason than it gives us 2 guys back there who are a threat to run the ball rather than 1. When Wallis is in there, bad things almost always happen. But until this o-line matures, or we get some hosses in there, I won't hold my breath about seeing many slant routes, or anything else "good" from our passing game. Our guys are just getting bulldogged up front (no pun intended).

[PK]

Originally posted by hpfan:
What ever happened to the SHOT GUN FORMATION. Even highschool teams can hand off the ball from it. Eight grade offense..pathetic

We used the shotgun formation multiple times and we handed off from that formation a number of times...were you at the game?

[hpfan]

Another dumb idea,,zone blocking on short yardage and goal line situations...

[hpfan]

PK I am suggesting they use it all the time..more time to read the blitz, see the field and pass to the TE,,may even take 9 out of the box for a change...

[Thumper]

The line can't mature fast enough.

Darrin Johnson needs to be the left tackle. Throw him in there, let him learn as he goes, and he will get better. When I watch him, he has great feet and he's going to get stronger - a lot stronger. Besides, if we'd just leave Phillips in the game, as a lefty, he'll see the DE coming if he gets past Johnson, and Phillips showed everyone yesterday he can really run.

Brad Kieschnick is a very good guard. He's way too green at tackle, although his effort is commendable. Put him back at guard, where he belongs.

Center scares me for next year. Everything I read suggests that Grant Eidson and Bryan Turner will battle for the center spot after Steve Reindl graduates (is there a more underrated Mustang than Reindl?) But I also keep reading that they're a lot smaller than they're listed, and looking at them yesterday, that's true. I fear DTs blasting up the middle on us next year simply because of size. Is there another center waiting in the wings? Or can we sign one with some size? Please?

For a year I've read how Chris Urbanus was going to be the heir apparent to Sterling Harris at right tackle. Then I go to the game yesterday and there's #78 at right guard? How long has he worked at the RG spot? Has he ever played guard before? Justin Boren and Caleb Peveto and Kenard Burley had better be ready to play next year - we're small and thin at some key spots. Until the line plays better, (9 SACKS?!?!?) it doesn't matter if we play Chris Phillips or Tate Wallis or Don Meredith back there.

[PK]

Originally posted by hpfan:
PK I am suggesting they use it all the time..more time to read the blitz, see the field and pass to the TE,,may even take 9 out of the box for a change...

You maybe right, but I didn't notice that much difference yesterday in the results between being under the center or in the shotgun. I know I have been harping on the O-line, but to be fair they have had a lot of injuries and as a result people have had to play positions they are not use to playing. As Bus would say, we need to recruit a herd of big men so that we can have adequate depth at every position instead of having to move these guys around so much.

[Nacho]

I wasn't in the stands with a stop watch but if Wallis wouldn't hang on to the ball so long he might not get so many sacks. Your excuse is of course that the receivers are covered. If so throw it away.

[PK]

Exactly what I said in a post in a different thread...I wish he would learn to throw the ball away rather than take a sack. Of course you have to be careful when you do that as the QB from Miami will tell you after last night.

<small>[ 11-02-2003, 08:55 AM: Message edited by: PK ]</small>

[FWMustang]

I am talking about quick slants, pop passes to a TE, swing passes to a RB (like the ones that killed us yesterday), or short crossing routes. We do not throw between the numbers at all. That's well over half of the field that we do not use. I can't even tell that we run routes there.

The passes I am talking about are QUICK, 2-3 drop, or from the shotgun. hit the WR before the DB can even react. This is also how you get balls to smaller WRs.

I agree that any QB has little or no time. So don't depend on protection or long routes. This can be done and it can tomorrow. No excuses.

Just boggles the mind how anyone can think that runnning 90% of the time out of a 1-back set, can work. No TEs, no FB.

[Mustangunner]

As I have read if our centers are smaller than they are listed at than why can we not convert one of our bigger freshman lineman to center? (Such as Caleb Peveto at center or perhaps Justin Boren)