Offensive Line Play

[TheFlyingWorm]

Can we take a moment to address the horrendous play of our offensive line? I recall Vito writing an article about how Coach Langston had improved the play off the offensive line but the numbers do not lie. In 2012, UNT offensive line allowed 6 Sacks. In 2013 they allowed 11. 2014 was 33 and 2015 was 19. Brad Davis took over for Mike Simmonds last year and that line allowed 43 Sacks. This year going into the bowl game we’ve allowed 33. Mason Fine is getting absolutely assinated out there and running for his life as he has most of this season. When will the offensive line be held accountable? Jordan Murray has the size of a dream lineman but moves like he’s stepping in quick sand. The other tackle isn’t much better. I know a lot of the blame has been placed on our defense but a good offensive line changes the game as well. 

[LongJim]

Agree with you, but there is never much real football discussion here.  OL has been getting schooled all game.  Losing Wilson has really hurt, also.

[H-towngreen]

In my expert analysis they are bad, really bad.

[Hunter Green]

We need massive help up front on both sides of the ball.

[UNTLifer]

6 minutes ago, Hunter Green said:

We need massive help up front on both sides of the ball.

Yep. 

[NorthTexan95]

They were better this year but not good enough.

[DeepGreen]

54 minutes ago, Hunter Green said:

We need massive help up front on both sides of the ball.

Been that way at UNT for a long time.  We seem to always have a hard time recruiting good, big offensive and defensive linemen in sufficient quantities.

Edited December 16, 2017 by DeepGreen

[laxtonto]

Time to maybe dip into the JUCO well some, even if to just get some more solid depth. It really takes 3 years to develop kids to being a CUSA level OL from a strength and size standpoint. We need some help up front no doubt

[FirefightnRick]

It's a wonder Mason Fine walked away today?

 

Rick

[Cooley]

Man, its hard to knock Mason Fine about anything since he has been such a pleasant surprise but he doesn't exactly have the best pocket presence and escapability I've seen from small quarterbacks. So yea, we need to find him some immediate help. 

[TheFlyingWorm]

3 minutes ago, Cooley said:

Man, its hard to knock Mason Fine about anything since he has been such a pleasant surprise but he doesn't exactly have the best pocket presence and escapability I've seen from small quarterbacks. So yea, we need to find him some immediate help. 

It’s hard to have pocket presence and eacapability when 3 seconds after the snap you’re having to run for your life. 

[Anthro1999]

  Fine is one tough football player.  Didn't see him react in any negative way towards his offensive line.  I don't know if I would have had as much composure...we were certainly out played up front...after every play there was a player or two helping him scrape himself off the turf...we need a better effort up front, that's an understatement - hope Fine isn't damaged permanently...

[wardly]

I just flew in from New Orleans , and my take is that you can't beat bigger, faster,stronger. Both our O&D lines were very undersized compared to Troy.We couldn't run, so they teed off on Fine. We couldn't rush, so Silver had plenty of time to throw to a core of excellent receivers.FAU and Troy are who we want to be when we grow up.

 

[GOMG2013]

The line is bad, but the play calling and prep does not help. We already know the line is bad ahead of time.  We already know they are going to have problems.  

So why do we have plays where we expect them to block for 4 seconds?  Why is Fine dropping back and sitting there like he will have time?

Because those plays worked in practice?  Well the offense should have been prepared that the blocking would be 3 seconds or less cause that was reality.  Where's the safety valve and the check down?  No audibles?  Keep practicing like you will have 4 or 5 seconds and wide open WRs, and we will continue to have these results vs good teams.  

[LongJim]

1 hour ago, FirefightnRick said:

It's a wonder Mason Fine walked away today?

 

Rick

That's the truth.

[GMG24]

34 minutes ago, Anthro1999 said:

  Fine is one tough football player.  Didn't see him react in any negative way towards his offensive line.  I don't know if I would have had as much composure...we were certainly out played up front...after every play there was a player or two helping him scrape himself off the turf...we need a better effort up front, that's an understatement - hope Fine isn't damaged permanently...

He should have gone to the OL bench and ripped their #^*^ let them know you’re tired of getting murdered play in and play out.   I was so mad at the end of the game when the OL kept helping him up and patting him on the back.  NO do your damn job and this doesn’t have to happen!! 

[BTG_Fan1]

1 minute ago, GMG24 said:

He should have gone to the OL bench and ripped their #^*^ let them know you’re tired of getting murdered play in and play out.   I was so mad at the end of the game when the OL kept helping him up and patting him on the back.  NO do your damn job and this doesn’t have to happen!! 

Agreed, saw a few times that Murray would let his man by, and Fine would be hit and laying on the field and Murray wouldn’t get him up.. 

[outoftown]

I have decent hope that the O-line will indeed improve next season. There was a decent number of guys with potential that were redshirting this season and I think there is a good likelyhood that a few of them will prove an improvement. Doesn't have to be, but it sure seems like the coaching staff is throwing numbers against that problem, maybe that will stick.

On the defenssive front seven I am much less hopeful that we got enough coming up. Feels like there we cannot afford any misses.

[FirefightnRick]

1 hour ago, Cooley said:

Man, its hard to knock Mason Fine about anything since he has been such a pleasant surprise but he doesn't exactly have the best pocket presence and escapability I've seen... 

WTF????

 

Good grief!

 

Rick

[GrandGreen]

16 hours ago, wardly said:

I just flew in from New Orleans , and my take is that you can't beat bigger, faster,stronger. Both our O&D lines were very undersized compared to Troy.We couldn't run, so they teed off on Fine. We couldn't rush, so Silver had plenty of time to throw to a core of excellent receivers.FAU and Troy are who we want to be when we grow up.

I was at the game also, Troy was a much better team not a bigger team.   I keep seeing reference to size that just are not true, neither Troy or FAU are overall bigger.   The defense NT plays depends on quickness not size.  NT's linebackers are slow compared to most teams.   Troy's defensive backs were playing single coverage much of the time and NT's receivers could not get consistently open and the drops didn't help.  This allowed Troy to absolutely control the line of scrimmage. 

Troy's defense just overwhelmed a bad NT offensive line and it certainly was not because they were bigger.  

Big players are easy to find, the trick is getting those that are athletic enough to play high-level football. 

 

[SHD]

The current OL coach cannot carry Brad Davis's water bottle (Brad Davis is worth two more wins on the season).  The OL lived off what Coach Davis had taught them last year with very little, if any assistance from new guy.  From Beaumont to Denton he was outcoached thoroughly at this level.   What was exposed yesterday was the same damn thing the DE from SMU did to us the first game of the year, I was just amazed more opposing "D" did not pick up on it.  When you have one OLineman have bad game or bad group of games, then we can point to the kid or kids, and lets remember these are kids, but when you have a group of three or four or the whole damn group having bad games back to back to back then its coaching and no changes were ever made because the current staff can point to the 9-3 season and go "look at the improvement".   Put the blame where it belongs NO WAY Littrell keeps this guy. 

[wardly]

12 minutes ago, GrandGreen said:

 

Well, from row 20 on the 45 yard line they sure looked bigger to me.Regardless, they beat us badly on both sides of the ball. Feel free to correct me, but I thought the main reason you have 3 down line men is because you don't have the depth for four.

[Felozano]

20 hours ago, TheFlyingWorm said:

Can we take a moment to address the horrendous play of our offensive line? I recall Vito writing an article about how Coach Langston had improved the play off the offensive line but the numbers do not lie. In 2012, UNT offensive line allowed 6 Sacks. In 2013 they allowed 11. 2014 was 33 and 2015 was 19. Brad Davis took over for Mike Simmonds last year and that line allowed 43 Sacks. This year going into the bowl game we’ve allowed 33. Mason Fine is getting absolutely assinated out there and running for his life as he has most of this season. When will the offensive line be held accountable? Jordan Murray has the size of a dream lineman but moves like he’s stepping in quick sand. The other tackle isn’t much better. I know a lot of the blame has been placed on our defense but a good offensive line changes the game as well. 

The line struggled all year, but had Wilson and Fine’s escapabilitiy to cover up the flaws.  Our line was exposed against better competition and no Wilson.  The team still had a great season.  Looking forward to seeing what Littrell and Co recruit.   When’s the green/white game?!?!!  GMG!

[DeepGreen]

Makes me wonder if Wilson made the OL look decent in many of games this year.  Pass blocking is awful.  Ask Mr. Fine.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

We now know one area to really recruit.......Lots of games are won and lost on recruiting day ... 

 

Edited December 17, 2017 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66