Scheming against the QB option

I assume because unless you hit him right as he's pitching the ball it would be a penalty and you're removing yourself from the rest of the play. You might get the benefit of the doubt when tackling a RB or WR after they pitch the ball, but with a QB you need to be extra careful.

We love you and there are no bad ideas. Etcetera. 

Hutchinson is good enough to force the pitch and still recover and help with the tackle if the teammates can constrain the ball carrier enough. Tackling the QB takes him out of the play for good. The proper option defense is to string it out long enough that the defense can recover to make up for the offensive numbers advantage created by the option. 

I would also like to see the QB destroyed, but that tends to get the refs looking a little longer.  Also, if Hutch commits to making a move at a QB like Martinez, a couple of stutter steps is going to open up a long run.  By that time, the LBs and Safeties are screaming outside to help against the pitch.  Letting the QB go back inside would, for the most part, be wide open.  Better for Hutch to make sure Martinez isn't getting by.  The goal is to force the pitch - always has been since Schembechler was coaching.

Basically, its just not good football to make your DE match moves with either a running QB or a RB.  Keep them contained and get the tackle.

Two schools of thought.  One is to bone the qb and make him pitch it every time so he thinks twice every time he runs that option.  The other is to try to slow play the keep-pitch decision, eventually force the pitch, and then hopefully help out on the pitch man inside out.

I thought it was more of a way to just simply slow up the play enough so the cavalry can arrive and keep the gain to a minimum. 

Tackling an athletic QB in space isn't always that easy.  Breaking down and forcing the pitch is the safer option.

We always had assignments playing the option. Outside linebacker or D-end had the QB. Safety had the pitch man w/ the corner having secondary contain. As a corner, I gave two shits what the QB was doing. I covered the pitch man like a blanket to essentially take that option away (or if you're that dumb to pitch it, I'm right there to intercept the pitch). Likewise the outside linebacker or D-end should give two shits about the pitch man. Force the QB to get rid of the ball (or just hammer him if he doesn't).

If you are an option offense your pitch man has to get more lateral to the line of scrimmage. Nebraska had a few pitches from what I can remember where Martinez was actually pitching the ball back an additional 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage. If someone on Michigan's defense just blanketed that guy from the get-go, that play turns into a huge loss. Having Hutchinson get on the QB quick forces him to get rid of it quicker to the pitch man, who also has no time to get closer to the line of scrimmage to receive the pitch.

Also, those quick hits to the QB is definitely going to result in a bad pitch that gets picked up by Michigan that Vincent Gray nearly recovered on one option play.

You aren’t an idiot but I believe the defenses backers are taught spill the play to the outside and the CBs/OLBs are to fill the play in. 
 

my opinion is to have Hutch hit the qb no matter what. Make the qb make a bad play and wear down of the course of the game. 
 

Hutchinson was doing an A+ job on those.  Those are good play calls on Frost's part as well too; letting the teams best defensive player remain unblocked was ironically how Rich Rod climbed the coaching ladder but that's a story for another day.

To go through it a bit more, on an option you always want the QB to pitch it.  Hutchinson was doing a great job of not allowing Martinez to get free yards but also not tackling him which allows him to chase the RB.  The reason you do not just run in and smear the QB is that the longer the QB holds the ball the more time you should have for your LB or Safety on that side of the ball to come down and fill their lane on run support, not to mention Hutchinson is good enough to effectively play both guys.  That's why Hutchinson was doing such a great job - he didn't charge right at Martinez because then it's an easy pitch.  But he also gave Martinez something to think about in terms of keeping it himself because I do not remember him actually tackling him. If you just want to smear the QB you are just banking on the fact he will eventually get hurt.  

Another way to think of it is this: If Hutchinson smears Martinez it is instantly an one on one situation with their RB versus the Safety or LB depending on whom the tackle blocks.  If Hutchinson can play both, you make Martinez decide if he wants to go one on one with Hutchinson (survey says: not a good idea) or now Hutchinson can rally to help out his other defender tasked with the RB.  While he probably won't be quick enough to make initial contact you now have 1.5 defenders for the RB instead of one.  

I know this sounds easy but I can't imagine how hard it is for one of the best defensive players in the country not to take a free shot on an exposed QB, but it's what you need to do defend that play correctly.  

Since we're discussing option plays, I'll ask: why does the default play seem to be defend the QB and force the pitch? I guess the reason is grounded in X's and O's. The pitch takes more time, is harder to execute, easier to defend without giving up a big play. However, it seems like maybe the optimal defense, from a whole game perspective, is to defend the back and make the QB carry. The RB is generally a better runner (Denard and others excepted, of course) and can be replaced due to fatigue easier than the QB. You might give up more yards to the QB early, but by the end of the game they will have taken a lot of hits and possibly be prone to making a mistake like the fumble Martinez had. 

As a non coach Hutchinson is slowing the play down by not attacking allowing defenders to approach to cover the toss. He gets there quick they tos quick and the defenders may not be there or free from blocks yet. He's not allowing forward progress and slowing them forcing them to have less space post toss.

Option is just assignment football on defense. They were pitching off Hutch, obviously. We tell our kids to plant the QB there, but Hutch seemed to be playing squeeze and pop technique on it because he's an elite level athlete. They have another defender assignment to the pitch man.

In my day/the old triple option day the DE always smacked the QB ASAP.  The times have changed.   Each player has to do their job first, then help out.  Aiden was doing exactly as coached and did a great job all night.  When players don't handle their task on the option the trouble starts.  It takes disciple to defense the option or read/option. 

I played DE and I didn't care about the fullback dive or pitch man.  I had blinders on to everything, but the QB.       

As others have said, Hutchinsons job there is to string out the play in an attempt to make both sides of the pitch wrong by allowing the defense to rally and constricting the field. 
 

But have a player attack the qb is a strategy in defending the zone read. It’s essentially the defense deciding that they want to choose the read rather than let the offense dictate. The difficulty with that strategy is that you need an extremely strong interior d line that can shed and make plays in their matchup and also that aggressiveness leaves you open to counters that can hit for massive chunks if you are too predictable.

95% of their offense is Martinez go make a play. I think we would take the trade of neutralizing their best offensive playmaker with our best defensive playmaker.

There are lots of ways to scheme a defense to play the option but it all comes down to being discipline and assignment sound. Do your job and trust your buddies do theirs. 

Our strategy on Saturday night was mainly make Adrian give the ball up. 

The point is to delay the pitch, allowing Hutchinson's teammates to read the play and rally to the pitch man. It also gives Hutchinson a chance to recover and get in on the play.

You attack the QB if you want to force the pitch.

You attack the pitch man if you want the QB to keep the ball.

You play a "feather" technique if you want to slow down the QB's read.

I'll be curious to see what the UFR or Devin Gardner or Gorgeous Borges have to say but on a rewatch I thought the bust on Martinez's TD was... Dax. Maybe Josh.

We had 4 on 3 on their bunch to the left, including Dax, and Josh was late to react, if he was supposed to scrape on that play (which I of course don't know). Aidan looked like he executed his assignment but there was no one behind him.

My approach would be much like a 2-1 in basketball (which this is highly effective but not used) key in on the ball handler knowing the entire time you are going to attack the pass/pitch and at the right moment go full for the pitch/pass receiver. A good pitch fake of course would be killer to the game plan but not many do that.

I think we were hurt more by the counters/extensions to the option plays in the game than we were by the option. Got caught looking into the backfield on the seam route up the middle, lost containment/linebacker caught in the wash on the wheel to the right that went for a TD, same thing on the end to the right. 

Nebraska made great adjustments on offense based on how well we were playing the option, and they did their damage basically banking that we were really looking for the option and our guys left to cover their "counters" to the option were biting hard, and not the fastest in the world to begin with. 

Back in the old days of the 52 angle defense, the strong/wide side end would attack the QB but the weak side end would try and play cat and mouse with the QB and RB to try and slow the play up until more help arrived. Bo made a film about all the techniques which I had to watch many times as my high school team ran the same defense..

What scheming adjustments would be needed against PSU’s qb who also is a runner?  I just re-watched last year’s game but our defense was so different then.   I am not as sophisticated as you guys at this but learned a ton from the above posts, but not enough to apply it to the nits.   Love learning this stuff!

Hits on a QB add up.  

Logged in for the first time in a long time to comment on this. You're exactly right that this is the best way to play the option. I was an option QB in high school (neg away) and the  the most difficult teams to play were the ones who sent the DE's to kill me every single play. 

It not only wears down the QB but the whole point of it is to freeze everyone on the defense just long enough to get the edge. If Hutchinson's job was to hit the QB every play (instead of trying to skate), then everyone else's job is to sprint to the pitch back. 

While the option is designed to keep the defense guessing, if you know what you're doing, the defense can actually dictate what they want the offense to do. Would love to see Hutchinson smash the QB every play. Most QB's will start to pitch it a little sooner to avoid the hit or brace for it which gives our D longer to pursue. 

While I understand our DE's are super athletic, they will rarely force the pitch and make the play. The whole point of the option is to nullify the edge. It typically does that very well. 

Hutch played it correctly. The technique is called "slow playing the QB." This is employed because the pitch player is a safety and needs time to get to the pitch. Slow playing the QB makes the option develop more slowly, giving the safety the time he needs. 

Old school defenses could also immediately hit the QB because the offensive formations were things like 2 TE wishbone so you didn't need multiple safeties worried about WR deep routes.

I like the idea of leveling the qb the first time to give him something to think about then after that play it more if a shuffle splitting and helping after the pitch, but make sure he pitches it because he's the more dangerous runner.  

I've often questioned whether when average running quarterbacks - say Cade - run play action fakes or zone read whether it would be legal and beneficial option to just lay out the quarterback when he is pretending he still has the ball. 

We've seen what big hits have done to our qbs over the years.... Im not saying I want to see them hurt, but doing so would likely quickly put a stop to it...