Alabama's O-Line secret to success- illegal hands to the face
After reviewing three Alabama games (Michigan 2020, Auburn 2023, Georgia 2023) I was shocked by how frequently I saw Alabama blockers use their hands on other players helmets and face masks to get blocks. It is so frequent and consistent from 2020 to today that it must be an intentional technique that Alabama uses. Seth and Brian, I'd appreciate your opinion on this as you do the Alabama Fi Fie Foe Film and Alabama preview.
Auburn was not able to get any pass rush and I was surprised how little pressure Georgia was able to create. There was also a lot of obvious holds/bearhugs that went uncalled. While this is normal, when your arm is around the back of the defender how can an official miss this?
I hope Michigan sees this on film and makes the officials aware of it before the game and if it's happening during the game. Here are 2 examples from just 1 drive in the Alabama/Georgia game:
December 15th, 2023 at 11:19 AM ^
So basically MSU with talent?
December 15th, 2023 at 11:20 AM ^
And coaching
December 15th, 2023 at 11:23 AM ^
Ah yes, the old Tuscaloosa Tug. No, wait, that's something else I think.
December 15th, 2023 at 11:26 AM ^
A Tuscaloosa Tug is $20 on University Boulevard, but the price goes up to $50 after midnight.
December 15th, 2023 at 11:37 AM ^
Up North, it goes by the name the Tucker Tug.
December 15th, 2023 at 11:38 AM ^
I recall a girl named Bunny, broke my Tuscaloosa heart.
December 15th, 2023 at 11:45 AM ^
+1 Scrubs. That’s a bit of a deep cut these days
December 15th, 2023 at 12:46 PM ^
I came of age and I met a girl in a Tuscaloosa bar
She cleaned me out and hit it on the sly
I tried to kill the pain, I bought some wine and hopped a train
Was easier than just waitin' around to die
December 15th, 2023 at 11:24 AM ^
I'm pretty sure that if you've got a bone to pick with any given team, you can go through that school's game film and fill a highlight reel full of clips of what appears to be textbook examples of holding not drawing any flags. I see opponents bitching about this with Michigan all the time.
So... is Alabama really doing more of this than Ohio State, or Penn State, or us? I'd need to see more than a few screenshots to be convinced of that.
December 15th, 2023 at 12:30 PM ^
Every fanbase thinks its opponents get all the calls, every fanbase think their own team regularly gets screwed on calls, every fanbase thinks its opponents break the rules with impunity, every fanbase can point to calls that went against them (Charles White in the Rose Bowl, the Spot) as evidence of conspiracy, while ignoring or minimizing the significance of calls that went for them (that incomplete-pass-changed-to-fumble against Iowa, the call of defensive PI against Nebraska while playing us a few years ago)).
It's unclear to me why so many people remain defiantly unaware of this.
Refereeing is an extremely difficult job — worth repeating, the refs don't have slow motion or instant replay, and critical contact happens extremely quickly, giving refs (who may not even have the best angle on it) extremely little time to determine whether a penalty happened or not — and you only hope important calls aren't made (like in the Super Bowl last year) or not made (like the famous defensive PI not called in the Saints playoff game a couple years ago) at truly critical periods in the game.
All that aside, I'm glad to see that our paranoia and conspiracy-thinking about how the refs favor Alabama are starting so early. We'll be up to fever pitch well before kick-off.
December 15th, 2023 at 12:58 PM ^
Yes, that's all true. But then sometimes when you review a larger sample, you wonder whether there is something to it. Like the stat Seth posted the other day that in B1G play, our awesome D-line drew a total of 1 (or was it 2) holding calls all year. And you just think about that stat and say "no way" is that right.
December 15th, 2023 at 2:05 PM ^
The better a team is - generally the LESS penalties called on their opponent.
2023 rankings in terms of opponent penalties called per game -
Oregon #105 of 133
Michigan #110 of 133
Ohio St #115 of 133
Alabama #120 of 133
Georgia #122 of 133
Texas #131 of 133
December 15th, 2023 at 3:32 PM ^
That's very interesting. Any stated reason for this? Because you might expect the opposite. And the pessimistic view is that this shows refs are trying to even the playing field (or keep the game close), depending on your perspective. Unless the theory is that teams that do not push the envelope of being flagged just perform worse (the "rubbin is racing" theory).
December 16th, 2023 at 7:44 AM ^
The pessimistic view is pretty much exactly what studies on basketball officiating show.
There is underdog bias, officials are affected by fans, and when teams are losing badly officials swallow the whistle.
December 15th, 2023 at 3:42 PM ^
"Every fanbase thinks..."
Yes that's true.
But only one fanbase is right when they do it!
And that's The Michigan Difference™
December 15th, 2023 at 5:00 PM ^
I mean the problem is though if you normalize the data, UM and a few other teams are unquestionably outliers in terms how few holding calls they draw based on standard deviations from the mean. And this has consistently been the norm since Harbaugh was a hired. So everyone can claim they are being screwed as you put it but not many teams can back it up with actual data that shows how far away from the norm they are on drawn holding penalties. And some can be gleamed from common sense, there is zero chance with how good UM's dline has been that the number of holds called for this season being what it is computes, unless tons are going uncalled.
December 16th, 2023 at 7:48 AM ^
"UM and a few other teams are unquestionably outliers"
That is correct... But it ain't a great complaint for this game, because in this respect over the last several years Alabama is by far the biggest outlier in terms of lack of holding calls.
https://mgoblog.com/diaries/offensive-holding-b1g-and-beyond-part-deux
"The only team that has fared worse is Alabama. A lot worse. Since 2012, Alabama has drawn a holding once every 260 plays. That is nearly 2.5 times the average. "
December 15th, 2023 at 5:43 PM ^
Most of the comments about biased officiating come from folks who have never held a whistle. If you have officiated (any sport, not just football), you understand how mistakes happen, why they happen, and that officials don't try to help or hurt either team.
December 16th, 2023 at 7:50 AM ^
"officials don't try to help or hurt either team."
Intentionally.
There is no doubt that officiating IS swayed by fans, and the current score of the game.
December 18th, 2023 at 2:29 PM ^
And judges dont intentionally try to change their rulings based on how hungry they are, yet we consistently see in all courthouses that tougher sentences are handed out before lunch time than any other time of day.
December 15th, 2023 at 11:28 AM ^
Former msu coach who used uncalled holding/hands to face to win is still using the same tactic. Shocking.
December 15th, 2023 at 11:41 AM ^
Michigan's OL cut-ups might surprise you as well.
December 15th, 2023 at 11:45 AM ^
I hope the officials call it equitably, fairly, and balanced.
It would be nice if they enforced holding by the OL, since I think Michigan plays with good technique.
Bama has strength on their DL - and, I’m hopeful the play calling / execution are able to address that.
Maybe this Rose Bowl will be one where officials aren’t the story.
Go Blue!
December 15th, 2023 at 1:01 PM ^
I hope the officials call it equitably, fairly, and balanced.
December 15th, 2023 at 1:04 PM ^
Your honor, your honor.
December 15th, 2023 at 12:00 PM ^
Big Ten refs don't seem to miss calling it. As long as we don't get SEC refs, we should be fine.
December 15th, 2023 at 12:01 PM ^
I'm pretty excited about getting away from B1G officials. Purdue PSU OSU and Iowa combined for 0 holding penalties against us the last 4 weeks.
December 15th, 2023 at 1:09 PM ^
Well, I'm sure it's just the great technique those teams have their OL's using.
Yeah, right... /s
December 15th, 2023 at 12:04 PM ^
This will be just like the arm bar coached by Pitino in 2013 NCAA final. As soon as the game is over a move to change the rule benefiting our opponent will commence.
December 15th, 2023 at 12:27 PM ^
I almost lost my job for having a "discussion" about that play with a Louisville fuck a few years ago, he was on the board of a company I worked for. He 100% believed it was a foul, I 100% knew he had never played basketball in his life.
December 15th, 2023 at 12:15 PM ^
Don't rush. Drop 11.
December 15th, 2023 at 12:21 PM ^
If you do it on every play, they'll call it a couple times but the overall advantage is much larger, right? They won't call it all game, will they?
December 15th, 2023 at 12:29 PM ^
That's the concept behind MSU's "holding on every pass" theory of defensive secondary play—the officials just won't call every PI, so the overall advantage goes to the team committing the infraction.
December 15th, 2023 at 1:11 PM ^
And when they do call it, it's a 10 yard penalty. The reward greatly outweighs the risk (of it being called).
FWIW, MSU doesn't do this as much as they did under Mork...and Michigan actually does it a lot more once we figured out MSU was getting away with assault on every other down.
December 18th, 2023 at 2:30 PM ^
Ravens won a super bowl playing defense like that lol
December 15th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
Michigan's opponents' OL got called for 1 holding call once all season. I expect much of the same against Alabama. Seth posted a picture from the OSU game where you could see 3 potential holding calls, just in the picture, none were called.
That said, their strength is their DEs and our tackles aren't ours. So maybe not calling holding very much could be a net positive for us.
December 15th, 2023 at 1:11 PM ^
The matchup you described - their DE's vs our tackles - will be a key point of the game.
My hope is - Moore, Newsome, and the OL - will have taken advantage of the practices to put something in place. I'd expect a number of double teams involving the TEs - and, on more than one play - seven on the line.
December 15th, 2023 at 1:14 PM ^
I was watching the Minnesota game the other night and went full DiCaprio when I saw the holding. It was incredible.
FWIW, Minnesota did have a second holding called on them...but it was on the TE (who was blocking on the line, but isn't part of the OL).
December 15th, 2023 at 1:25 PM ^
In the OSU game neither team was called for holding. Refs seemed fine with letting the teams play. I believe OSU had one penalty and Michigan had three. Although the last one was a celebration penalty after the game ending INT so really two penalties.
December 15th, 2023 at 5:10 PM ^
One all year with this d-line and people still think every team gets the same treatment when it comes to holding being called or not called, SMH. The reality is UM being essentially being 3 deviations away from the mean on holding calls drawn has been a constant since Harbaugh got here but some UM fans still say it is just whining and not a real gripe. That is just wild to me.
December 15th, 2023 at 12:34 PM ^
I still have PTSD from watching Vince Young vs Michigan back in the day. . . and McNabb, Cordell Stewart, Troy Smith, JT Barrett, Dennis Dixon, Armanti Edwards, et al. Michigan is allergic to running QBs.
December 15th, 2023 at 12:37 PM ^
That loss to McNabb in 1998 was brutal. Right back to reality after a championship season.
December 15th, 2023 at 1:17 PM ^
Random question for the board - have McDaniel/Minter faced any true running QBs or is this the first one?
I suppose Max Duggan from last year would count. He ran for 58 yards and two TDs.
December 15th, 2023 at 2:09 PM ^
Taulia Taguvolawhah but nobody like Milroe who looks like a fuck'n 32 year old bodybuilder who just finished a Tren cycle for the Arnold Classic. Peeeeled. My PTSD leads me to believe we'll play the perfect defense, but Milroe will swat defenders away like a fly on a horses ass and score in spectacular fashion because Michigan is allergic to running QBs and history is not on our side. Get ready to pucker your anus hole watching this game. I've watched many of my Michigan heros look like confused baby deers as some specimen of a man QB rips out their hearts while we're so close yet so far from the promise land. Should be fun.
December 15th, 2023 at 3:35 PM ^
But this is also where playing much more zone (vs man in the past) may have some benefits.
December 15th, 2023 at 12:57 PM ^
Of course Auburn couldn't generate a pass rush. They only rushed two.
December 15th, 2023 at 1:12 PM ^
Rush two - one spy - from the 31 yard line. Not a strong defensive call.
December 15th, 2023 at 1:20 PM ^
You literally WANT him to take off and run on 4th and 31. There is no reason to spy. Put that guy in the endzone.
If he runs...you have 9 guys to hold him to 30 yards or less and they only have 5 guys who can block your 9 (because 1 is the QB and the other 5 are OL behind the play).
It's basic fucking math and grown men who get paid millions of dollars can't figure that out.
December 15th, 2023 at 1:23 PM ^
The only thing dumber then rushing 2 is having a spy when the offense needs to get 31 yards. If you aren't convinced you can bring down a QB before 31 yards with 8 people behind the spy you need your head checked.