Louisville couldn’t have had a worse start to the second quarter against Villanova, but I’m happy to try to explain why that was. The Cards have some things to fix, but we started to see how well this team can adjust on the fly as well as how athletic this team is on both sides of the ball.
I won’t blame this solely on Koren Entringer, because I don’t know the specific call on this play, but one of the defensive backs at the top of the screen was in the wrong on it. Entringer or DJ Waller should be playing
off the ball here. The reason you wouldn’t have two guys lined up like this in coverage is obvious as you watch the play. The two receivers run a pick route, and Entringer gets caught up, leading to the slot receiver streaking down the sideline.
Even if this is on the corner to back off in coverage, you bring in a guy like Entringer so he can lead the secondary and make sure everyone is lined up correctly. He can’t be the one involved in this type of play when he should be the guy ensuring it doesn’t happen in the first place.
I’ve watched this play more times than I can remember, and I can’t figure out if this is a busted play or not. Lincoln Kienholz turns to his right immediately, but the receivers to the bottom of the screen are set up for a screen pass. The line cut blocks as a group, which makes sense with the slant routes to the right. So, maybe the idea is to show screen to the backside to try to pull the linebackers. This one left me stumped a bit.
But, either way, we got to see Linc show off his ability to improvise, including a ridiculous move to allude to the defensive end chasing him by juking him sideways. He and Lawayne McCoy are showing a real connection early in the season, and I hope it continues to lead to big plays like this one.
“Solve your problems with violence” is one of my favorite football sayings, and DJ Waller seemed to take that mindset here. Waller had been getting hit with these screen throws early in the game, and each time he took on the blocker and the plays went for at least a handful of yards. He got aggressive in this instance and fired on the receiver to track him down as he made the catch.
Even if Waller doesn’t get to the receiver here, he’s clearing out a blocker who would create an obstacle for the rest of the defense. If he played this as he had earlier, he’s meeting this linemen up the field, and the receiver can try to take this outside where everyone is chasing from the inside out. You can clearly see that the linebackers would have an easy play to make, with nothing but grass to navigate to get to the ball.
Count me as a big fan of how they have used Tre Richardson this year. Jeff Brohm spent last weekend getting the ball to him and letting him work. I’ve also enjoyed just how much motion they are using to start the year. It is impossible to know where the ball is going, and a major part of that is using so much motion that the defense ends up not reacting. It’s great to use it as a coverage indicator, but it’s better if the defense doesn’t even adjust. It gets you plays like this where Nova still blitzes with an obvious numbers disadvantage.
This play stood out to me because it seems like timing may be an issue with the run blocking. Jaleel Skinner comes in motion here with the assignment to take the defender filling from the top of the screen. That ends up being the linebacker, but Skinner gets too wide before hesitating and missing the block.
Johnnie Brown at right guard is responsible for the middle linebacker on this play. He should help the center before climbing to the linebacker. He helps, but he doesn’t get his head up in time and gets blown by. This hopefully gets fixed with time and reps, but this is just not the level of play they can accept as the season progresses. This is just poor execution.
This play features a personal pet peeve of mine. It’s third and four, and Louisville comes out in man coverage across the board. Nova uses motion to get a coverage indicator, which means that the quarterback will be getting rid of the ball quickly because he knows he has man coverage and Louisville is showing blitz.
Kaleb Beasley is aligned fine on this play. He’s right behind the sticks, and he is in a position where he can drive on anything quick. Then he does this hop back at the snap, which puts him nearly 8 yards from the line of scrimmage when the quarterback gets to the top of his drop. There is no chance for him to make a play on this ball or to stop the receiver from getting to the line to gain. All because he gives up ground with no need to do so.
Little things matter in close games. This is the type of first down that could lead to a key touchdown in a big game, but should actually lead to a punt or maybe a fourth-down try that could swing a game the Cards’ way.
Solve your problems with violence.
I am so excited about the potential of Linc as a passer. Jeff Brohm keeps pointing out that he has to improve here, but when the lights are on, he keeps showing that he can make these tight throws with different levels of touch and anticipation. This throw is right over and around the linebacker in a deep zone drop while also being right in front of a safety who can take out the receiver. He puts enough air on it to beat the linebacker while putting enough pace on it to protect his receiver. Outstanding stuff from a guy who hasn’t played much.
Just like we saw in the Ole Miss game, the running game showed up right before halftime. Nova is looking to stop the pass here, which opens things up for Isaac Brown to look like himself. Brown has been doing his job even as he has been bottled up this year. He has not stopped his feet to look for openings or make unneeded cutbacks while looking for room. It’s what he should be doing, even though I’m sure he’s frustrated.
On this play, he has the space to make a proper cutback, and it leads to a very nice run up the middle of the field. He sees this really well as a Nova defender cuts off his path outside, but I also think he showed the type of initial patience he’s lacked a bit. His first few steps on this play are not at full speed. That’s not a bad thing. If he takes this with his regular burst, he’s either taking this outside or he is running right into the linebacker who cuts him off. He’s able to cut this back because he’s taking the time to let things develop. It’s worth looking out for this weekend to see if it shows up against SMU.
