Re-Watched the Entire UNT vs. SMU Game

Stan R · September 13, 2006

I would add two more words to that "Keronna Henderson running plays". I've seen this guy run with the ball,.....he's a load.
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Well, all I have to say is thank goodness Darrell Dickey reads the board and takes all of our comments to heart. I have no question in my mind he'll take our suggestion and alter his game plan.

mad dog · September 13, 2006

Illuvius,
Just out of curiousity and I am not being tacky, I just want to know. How do you know what reads he is supposed to be making and if he is not making the correct reads or not ? I am just asking b/c I dont know ?
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You can tell a lot of the time if a play was a bad read or checkdown if it just goes nowhere.

If the QB doesn't read the formation and runs J-Mo into a side of the offensive line where they are going to be outmatched, that's a bad read. If the QB doesn't notice the safeties creeping up and doesn't audible to the pass play with a single covered Johnny Quinn on the fly.

But reads are something that I always want to check against what the coaches think. Coach Dickey and Coach Flanigan are very straight shooters, and they'll tell you what's what, and if someone made a bad read or not.

calvin · September 13, 2006

So with that logic you are saying, everytime a play gets no yards then it was a bad read ? Everytime it was a good play it is a good read ? I think it is a little more complicated then what you are saying.

If my thinking is right there is probably only one play called and if he goes up to the line and sees something that will not allow the play to work then he will have to check off, other than that they will run the play. I dont think every play there is 2 or 3 options of what he can call at the line. But I may be totally wrong.

September 13, 2006

Are you saying that every play is a good call? Is most three and outs just a result of an improper read? I'm not a coach, but I'm not buying that.

We must have had some poor reading quarterbacks because how many plays have gone right into the teeth of 6-8 in the box. Why do we keep doing that?

Reads are important and a quarterback needs to be able to change the play when he sees a defense that's going to negate what he's trying to do. Our quarterbacks didn't use to have that option. Even Hall wasn't trusted with that option, at least early on. I think that moving the chain is the most important aspect of being a quarterback. If you have athletic ability and make the wrong read you can still advance the down marker but if you are too immobile, even if you are a great passer, and make the wrong read, you're going nowhere (unless it's backward).

mad dog · September 13, 2006

So with that logic you are saying, everytime a play gets no yards then it was a bad read ? Everytime it was a good play it is a good read ? I think it is a little more complicated then what you are saying.
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You can tell a lot of the time if a play was a bad read or checkdown if it just goes nowhere.

Never said every time.

good_ken · September 13, 2006

usually leaving defensive backs in man-coverage against receivers

Quinn in man coverage...excellent

It looks like the 3-3-5 provides blirtzing from different angles and different positions. That should exclude any statue-esque quarterbacks from playing.

If I remember right, RF expained to Illuvious how the check-downs weren't being made.

The point is: a superior atlete can be gamed planned against, whereas a total team effort is tough to stop. I am sure that Tulsa can find someone to spy on Woody, and stop him from improvising....however if Woody plays well as a complete Qb that will be tough to stop.

(if you don't belive that, revisit the S. Miss gameplan to stop a superior athlete and force a team effort to beat them)

pollock · September 13, 2006

Lots of good points. If the 3-3-5 is hard to read, maybe that will be less of a factor with a QB that likes to (and has the skills to) wing it.

There were some Tulsa fans griping on their board that the new DC doesn't know how to run the 3-3-5, and they think that's why BYU put up so much offense against them.

I think we'll see a more productive Jamario in the first half. SMU sold out to stop him early, and when they were forced to account for a good QB too, he had more room to run.

It's becoming apparent that we have 3 guys on the field that have to be accounted for at all times. If you try to double-team two of them, the 3rd one is going to run wild.

As far as how we match up with Tulsa...... this early in the season, who the hell really knows? It's hard to say how good Texas, BYU, or SMU (or SFA for that matter) is. Tulsa beat us like a rented mule last year. We're obviously better than we were. They might be just as good as they were, but they did lose TE Garrett Mills to the NFL, and he put up 750 yards and 12 touchdowns against us.

mad dog · September 13, 2006

Are you saying that every play is a good call? Is most three and outs just a result of an improper read? I'm not a coach, but I'm not buying that.
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No on both questions. Sometimes you'll make a bad decision after the pre-snap read, as well. And THAT is where Woody is able to use his athletic ability to shine and make things happen. But you don't want your QB running for his life on every play when, if he simply makes the right call at the line, things more or less fall into place. Way too risky.

We must have had some poor reading quarterbacks because how many plays have gone right into the teeth of 6-8 in the box. Why do we keep doing that?

Since I'm not a QB or an OC, I couldn't begin to tell you everything they look for, but they often key on the positioning of one or two guys. They will, for example, read the outside linebacker and see where he is lined up and if he is showing blitz. Depending on which gap the QB thinks he'll hit, he will either go with the play or check down to the other play, which would, by reason, have a better chance of working. Remember- we have 8 or 9 guys "in the box" too. If the QB thinks that every defender in the box can be accounted for, you can run against the 7 or 8 man front. At that point, it is all about how well your blockers block, which obviously is something beyond the purview of the QB.

Reads are important and a quarterback needs to be able to change the play when he sees a defense that's going to negate what he's trying to do. Our quarterbacks didn't use to have that option. Even Hall wasn't trusted with that option, at least early on. I think that moving the chain is the most important aspect of being a quarterback. If you have athletic ability and make the wrong read you can still advance the down marker but if you are too immobile, even if you are a great passer, and make the wrong read, you're going nowhere (unless it's backward).

Actually, the checkdown is a pretty basic part of most college football, even here. Hall was given the responsibility to make those decisions, and his good choices had a lot to do with the success of Galbreath, Cobbs, and Thomas.

I'm not sure I follow the last part of your comment. You are talking about running and passing, and the "reads" that I usually talk about happen before the snap, not after.

And, with regard to post-snap actions, you can certainly make the point that moving the chains is, in the end, most important aspect of the position. As to the next point... to be honest, when you're passing, you can get the ball out a heck of a lot quicker than tucking the ball and scrambling around. (A good qb throws the ball around 40 mph. The fastest human being ever ran around 27 mph) So if you are talking about post-snap reads, that's still important because a bad passing read is a pick and a bad running read will get you stacked up at best, injured at worst. Advancing the ball works both ways.