Formations that give away running plays
Sorry I'm not able to provide screenshots, but I noticed this several times in the second half yesterday. Michigan would line up with two wide receivers split wide on the same side, both of whom were on the line of scrimmage. If this were a passing play, the inside receiver would be covered up and thus ineligible.
Maybe I'm OCD but I always notice this! Sometimes it's a passing play and refs miss it; last night each time we ran. If this is a running play it's fine, but it totally gives it away! When Michigan lines up with a WR in an ineligible position, they will run. Easy!
I'll also say Michigan isn't the only team I've seen do this, and I've seen us do it in previous years. But I really don't understand this. Probably it's hard to pick up on in real time for a defense, but why make design plays like this?
September 2nd, 2019 at 4:47 PM ^
One thing I noticed was whenever Cornelius Johnson was in the game it was a run. 3rd downs with Tru Wilson in the game we’re almost always a pass. Charbonnet is the only back where there was balance between run and pass. Gattis is a smart guy and every major college football team has coaches or analysts whose soul responsibility is to look for tendencies.
September 2nd, 2019 at 4:51 PM ^
Didn't Cornelius Johnson have multiple catches though?
September 2nd, 2019 at 4:53 PM ^
Forget it man.... he’s on a roll.
September 2nd, 2019 at 5:09 PM ^
Talking about that “soul responsibility” lmao
September 2nd, 2019 at 7:24 PM ^
Gattis bombed Pearl Harbor?
September 2nd, 2019 at 4:58 PM ^
That’s the OTHER Cornelius Johnson you were thinking of.
September 2nd, 2019 at 8:29 PM ^
Freakn Wizard like observation
September 2nd, 2019 at 4:56 PM ^
Didn't the announcers say that we had lined up multiple times where a WR was ineligible, but someone you wouldn't normally expect to be eligble was? Perhaps, just giving the defense more to think about.
September 2nd, 2019 at 5:08 PM ^
Yes the last man on the LOS, likely the OT, on the other side. Having an OT be eligible isn’t really useful though. But the Pats ran this formation down John Harbaughs throat in a playoff game, I wonder if that planted the seed
September 2nd, 2019 at 6:06 PM ^
Yes the former OSU linebacker on the BTN studio show kept mentioning it. Interesting.
September 2nd, 2019 at 8:40 PM ^
I had a little back-and-forth with him on Twitter. He said the tackle is "eligible" but that is incorrect. College linemen can't report as eligible if their numbers are #50 through #79. They can only catch laterals...just like anyone on a football field can catch a lateral.
September 2nd, 2019 at 5:06 PM ^
Yeah I noticed it too, and yes it’s a bit of a giveaway IMO. Might sneak a tight end out of the backside once to mix it up...or maybe hoping the defense isn’t paying attention. Remember Bill Belichek had some success w this against John Harbaugh, who lost his shit over the play
September 2nd, 2019 at 5:36 PM ^
It is a Michigan tradition for fans to know the playcall before every play. It was a truism during the Bo and Carr years and starting to become that way in the Harbaugh years except for the Jedd Fisch era. It's starting to look like Gattis will finally break the mold and implement a truly unpredictable and productive offense. Can't wait!
September 3rd, 2019 at 8:53 AM ^
Back in the day -- my day -- we always anticipated the play in the student section. Our battle cry was "Hey diddle diddle, Shuttlesworth up the middle!" Amazingly, much of the time it worked.
September 2nd, 2019 at 6:28 PM ^
They put tendencies on film just to break them later and catch teams sleeping but that might be too smart by half.
September 2nd, 2019 at 6:38 PM ^
The premise is incorrect, because as I’m rewatching I’ve already detected at least one exception:
Second quarter, the play before the McKeon TD, the “off the hands of Ronnie Bell” play. McKeon starts to the right of the formation, but when he actually enters his stance he is on the left side of the line, on the LOS, covered by the outside receiver. RT Jalen Mayfield is the outside player on the right side. Obviously, this was a pass play, nearly a TD.
As for why they do this: I haven’t read a firm explanation, but as others said on this thread, the ability to pop an unusual eligible receiver stresses the defense. And it should be obvious to the QB right away whether they have responded to the formation or not, so you can get some interesting reads.
September 2nd, 2019 at 9:35 PM ^
This is it. A quick read by the QB will tell him if it's man or zone by the shifts, if any/how far/by whom, on defense.
There will be, generally, an open "zone" pass and an open "man" pass. Depending on the front seven set up there could also be an initial run option off of it.
Smh at these internet coaches....
September 2nd, 2019 at 6:48 PM ^
There is going to be a time in the future where the offense will give that same look and then pass the ball. It may be against Army, maybe Wisconsin, or later.
Army will only have MTSU film to study before this weekend. Wisconsin will only have two games worth to study. It is probably not the best time to break tendencies when we are in complete control of the first game of the season.
September 2nd, 2019 at 7:30 PM ^
Tells. Everyone knows what the team is going to do or have a general idea, but stopping it is another issue. That's why they have wrinkles... And that's why the plays were limited.
Football is a game of chess. Even though we played mtsu we were also giving army and Wisconsin something to think about.
September 2nd, 2019 at 9:38 PM ^
#Chaoschess
That'll mess em up!
September 2nd, 2019 at 9:01 PM ^
They passed out of that formation also so its definitely not a run tip.
I believe Gattis uses the formation to force numbers away from the opposite side of the field. The defense still has to account the ineligble player - they can't simply leave him undefended because he can still catch screens behind the line of scrimmage and he can also block or rub defenders near the line of scrimmage (under 3 yards).
OSU ran a play like this last year where they lined up an ineligble player inside, then actually had him run actually run a route down the field while the eligble receiver stepped back to receive the screen. I was confused why there was no call for illegal man downfied, but apparently under NCAA rules there is no call for illegal man downfield on screens (its the opposite rule in the NFL).
Of course you can run out that formation as well because it still forces defenders out of the box. Even if the defense is pretty sure its going to be a run, they still have to align personnel to cover the ineligble receiver or they risk giving the QB an easy pre-snap read to take advantage of.
September 3rd, 2019 at 8:50 AM ^
Didn't Ruiz get called for illegal man downfield on a screen? Memory is a bit fuzzy, though.
September 3rd, 2019 at 12:52 PM ^
I thought that was a downfield pass, not a screen.
September 2nd, 2019 at 10:00 PM ^
Like others have said, you are mistaken. I remember thinking the same thing in the stadium but they indeed passed out of their unbalanced sets.
I specifically remember when Mattison was DC, he said he had an automatic check to a nickel blitz when there was an unbalanced line and the slot was ineligible. Gattis may be trying to catch someone doing this so he can pop it to the slot behind the blitzer.
September 3rd, 2019 at 8:54 AM ^
I know its not totally on topic, but the clap has always bothered me. For the most part, there is a half clap, and then Shea claps to get the snap. For me, it just feels like a dead freaking giveaway when the ball is coming out.
Just do the classic keep hands out and snap on a certain call or cadence.