Louisville lost another football game on Saturday. They also lost another game that they should have won. Penalties had been a major issue for this team, but they replaced that issue with turnovers this time around. But the biggest issue remains, and that issue is blown coverages by the secondary. For the second straight week, they turned a ball control offense into an explosive offense, and they paid the price for it. As usual, I did my best to provide some context to some of the key plays from
the game.
You couldn’t ask for better blocking than this from the offensive line, which was great to see after such a poor performance last weekend. To a man, the line drives their assignment out of the hole and provides Isaac Brown more room than any back has seen this year.
A term you hear a lot when it comes to offensive line play is “strain”. Lance Robinson is 5 yards down the field to block a linebacker who is right in the path of this play. His ability to get to this block on time is key to Isaac Brown being able to blow right by him and the backside defender who is closing on this play. This line can get the job done, but they have to do it consistently.
This was the first blown coverage of the game as well as the first of nine NC State completions of 16 or more yards on the day. TJ Banks spent a lot of time on Saturday with his arms out to his side, wondering how the receiver was so wide open. On this play, it’s because Banks let him run past him without carrying him down the field.
I’ll be repeating this a lot, so get used to it. There is no threat in Banks’ area, so he should be getting depth until he stops in the endzone. He provides no value to the defense where he is on the field, and the running back coming out of the backfield will be picked up by Stanquan Clark if needed. Keep in mind, there are only five receivers on any given play. Everyone is accounted for but the guy who catches the ball.
This is a two-by-two vertical route concept which is meant to be a zone-beater. The goal is to put the second-level defenders in conflict, which is exactly what we see. My issue is that you can see it played the right way to the bottom of the screen. TJ Capers carries the receiver down the field (albeit not as well as you’d like) to force what would have to be a very good throw between himself and the safety.
Banks lets his man go into wide-open space, and Bailey has an easy throw to make. If he carries him, the likely option is the check down to the back, which leads to a third down.
Louisville was flat-out bad on third downs Saturday, but for the third straight week, they utilized four pass rushers on third down, and it ended with a failed play for the offense. Micah Carter and Jarod Smith came in the game to play defensive tackle, and they immediately get pressure up the middle, which they have struggled mightily with this season. Smith loops around to land right in CJ Bailey’s lap, and they get a hit on the quarterback.
They can do this on every single third and long, but they just don’t do it. I would love to know why.
It was tough to see Keyjuan Brown distraught on the sideline late in this game, because this is the type of effort he brings every game. The right side of Louisville’s line does a good job of getting push on a play that is designed to run behind them. However, Anwar O’Neal lets his man run right by him because he steps down with the effort I give at work on a Friday at 3 pm. Justyn Reid is forced to run this player out of the play instead of leading Brown through the hole that is created on the right side.
Brown is patient enough to let Reid’s block work before he bursts up the field into the planned path of the play. Because Reid isn’t there to take on the free player at the second level, Brown is forced to make him miss by running through his tackle, while also running through the tackle of the backside safety who is chasing the play. This is all before he makes the frontside safety look silly in the open field. He may have broken this run if he had seen the player who ends up making the tackle a little sooner.
This was one of the best play designs I’ve seen from Jeff Brohm this year. NC State is an aggressive defense with linebackers responsible to fill in run support, so Brohm calls a fake sprint out to the left with a pulling guard and routes crossing to the left side of the field. You can see Tre Richardson going across towards the middle of the field in the clip.
But Richardson actually circles back and breaks towards the sideline while Lincoln Kienholz stops short before he squares up to look for Richardson.
Two things stand out to me about this play that should be pointed out. The running back getting to the flat is a subtle nuance to this play that I love. As he hits the flat, he ensures the flat defender in zone will have to stay short. That clears out plenty of room to make the throw.
The other thing I love on this play is Richardson staying flat on his route because he sees the zone defender, who ends up forcing him out of bounds. As Richardson turned for this route, he identified where the defense was and made sure he was where his quarterback needed him to be. A small thing, but floating even a handful of yards down the field here opens up the opportunity for the defender to make a play on the ball or on Richardson himself.
