A Look at How Colorado Shut Down the Nebraska Offensive – Some Key Pieces

The Rocky Flatirons are a supernatural mystique for Stephen King's readers. The Shining, The Stand and Doctor Sleep are all set in the idyllic foothills of the Rockies, and Husker fans should also be aware of the oddities at Folsom Field, nestled just below the Flatirons. A series of 18-year-old victories broke in 1986. A questionable side-track in 1989. A dark night in 1991, caused by an onslaught of snowballs from CU students who were probably founders of the trust from southern California or New England. The comeback of the local team that played the role of forerunner in 1997 and 1999. And the nightmare of all the quirks: the day the equivalent of university football in Rome fell in 2001.

As a hardcore and unsuitable fan of Husker (because, let's face it, all of us, hardcore supporters of football, are unsuitable individuals), it was difficult to type the previous paragraph without subtracting at least twice. But the fact is that strange things are happening in Boulder, much like strange things are happening in the Nebraska-Northwest "rivalry" in the Big Ten. The 71st Saturday edition of the rivalry between Nebraska and Colorado was no different. A blazing day began, followed by a lull, followed by a shootout that ended in agonizing sorrow that no one saw coming at half-time.

The Husker offense was meant to prove that last week's performance against South Alabama was an aberration; an anomaly that would be the exception rather than the rule. And for thirty minutes, that seemed to be the case. Quarterback Adrian Martinez had 9 shots on 9 for a total of 180 yards and a touchdown of 45 shots on goal, including 45 yards rushing and one of those shots on the ground.

But after halftime, the script rocked and the Buffalo defense did just enough to slow down and muddle the road for the Husker offense using some adjustments to which the Husker offense had not occurred. not adjusted. CU's defensive coordinator, Tyson Summers, began using the Green Dog blitz, Blitzing the Formation (BTF) stunts, Tackle-End Exchange (TEX), and simulated pressures to pressure Martinez to confuse an offensive line. developing and stymer the Husker's offense. enough to bring back the damn buffs in the game.

Many Husker fans of a certain era know the Red Dog Blitz, a favorite defensive tactic of Bob Devaney and George Kelly, in which a linebacker would rush against the quarter with the ferocity of a furious and angry bull. But the Red Dog Blitz was a blitz mission without further reading. By evolving with the spreading offense, the blitz of the Green Dog has become a weapon for defending distributed passing games that love to use the throws in turning back. From the NFL's point of view, Bill Belichick likes to call his "Rain Blitz", a Green Dog blitz in which his linebackers read the turn of the center.

In Colorado's Tite Front's Green Dog blitz, the two linebackers perform a 2-in-1 Blitz Read on the I-Back. If the I-Back is released to one of the ILBs, the ILB closest to the back will provide it, while the ILB away from the back will perform a delayed blitz.

The Green Dogs Blitz is essentially a defensive reading option. This call makes the fault incorrect and creates confusion for the quarter and the offensive line, as the activation and protection of the pass are based on alignment and numbers. Dedrick Mills is pushed to the strong side of the training as catcher # 3 and Nate Landman takes Mills cover. That leaves CU with the numerical advantage at the weak side of the formation, with the JACK linebacker taking Stoll, the corner taking Wan'Dale Robinson and still having a safety on top.

As far as I know, the Husker's offensive had been described as Saints-Y Cross, without the benefit of the all-powerful film consisting of 22 coaches. This three-level flood concept was put in place by Wan'Dale, signaling weakness to force the safety rotation, thus opening the way for J.D. Spielman and the potential post-alert pathway for Kanawai Noa. The game call was set up to force the CU safety spin and create a good game, but CU's Green Dogs Blitz call forced a hasty shot at Dedrick Mills, the exit catcher and the Buffs being able to limit it.

The second tactic used by the buffs to slow down the Husker's offensive was to simulate the pressures exerted by their defensive appearance. The simulated pressures work pretty much as the name implies, the defense simulating that they bring pressure before the pressure, before the feared defenders come forward. This creates confusion for a young offensive line, as the protection of the pass depends a lot on the alignment before the break, as mentioned before.

On this 3rd and 6th, Nebraska launches his Mesh-Spot piece from a condensed training, anticipating the cover of men, given that Mesh-Spot is a concept that creates friction and natural choices to allow a crosser shallow to part with his defender. CU defensive coordinator Tyson Summers performs back pressure with simulated pressure. You can see it just before the whistle whistle in a "Casino" blitz, if you know how to read lips.

When defining protection, center Cameron Jurgens first identifies the MIKE and then adapts the protection to the defensive force. Jurgens put a half-slide protection, everyone going from left striker Brenden Jaimes protecting the gap left against the overhead. Martinez is also asking Maurice Washington to pre-schedule a gap in order to force what they anticipate to be an advocate of media coverage to get out of his blitz and fit into the cover.

At the time of the shooting, the three defenders of the interior simulate the blitz then burst into their areas of coverage, which kills the Mesh created by the shallow crossers. This leaves Jaimes and Farniok overloaded, with two throwers each. The CU's rear nickel, Mekhi Blackmon, puts the bag on Martinez, effectively smothering the disc.

To go forward, Nebraska's offensive line needs to go to the movie theater to study the simulated pressures that she will no doubt see as the season progresses, the simulated pressures being the defensive tactics in vogue against widespread fouls that do not have the finest pass protection systems. . The second thing that the Husker offensive line needs to improve is to pass stunts like TEX's, as seen below.

To overcome the stunts, it is necessary to overcome the piss, but I do not doubt that Frost and the coach of the offensive line, Greg Austin, will advance the OL. The stunts are designed to create confusion and play on the tendency of an offensive lineman to be eager to make contact with pro pass. Working to keep up with the line of scrimmage and allowing defenders to cross each other before making contact will make routine routines a routine game. Matt Farniok tends to be a "lunger" in pass protection and this trend was picked up by opposing defense coordinators even last year.

In any game, win or lose, there are lessons to be learned. The Husker attack needs to be improved in this young season 2019: the ability to adapt and anticipate. The ability to adapt is a function of the treatment of empirical evidence of what the defense has already shown and done. The ability to anticipate is a bit of a gamble, but the big offensive game critics of college football have the ability to anticipate what a defense could do in response to a look that the offense wants to show. While it paints me to praise all things Colorado Buffalo, the CU coaching staff has anticipated the game Mesh-Spot from a condensed division training, although we We have not run this game yet in this young season. Frost is a great offensive spirit and can become a good game hunter. What we must not forget, is that he continues to evolve as a head coach and offensive coordinator, particularly in the current stages of Nebraska reconstruction. Let's hope that next week we discuss how the Husker's offensive has had a start to a breathtaking match and brought together four solid football quarters.

GO Big Red!