Running home to Mommy

[Uterider]

Well with a month to prepare our offensive brain trust faced a number of challenges: Improve the red zone production, get the throw game working and shore up pass protection.

Instead they installed the Weddle package for Huntley. MOMMEEEEY!

When they HAD to score they pretty much abondoned the throwgame. Patrick and Singleton combined for 3 catches and 37 yards.Williams was sacked five times. The two best pass plays all night were a swing pass to Joe Williams and a flea-flicker by Huntley.

Y’know, it’s almost like these guys knew they couldn’t throw it, so they ran home to mommy. Enter the Weddle package.

They called 52 running plays vs 24 pass attempts. All season long it’s been balance, balance, balance. But when they really had time to work on the offense it was all run.

They know who they are. Better put, they know who they aren’t. T. Williams has regressed badly. Patrick can’t get open. The O-line is a sieve in pass protection. A-Rod is unable to change any of that.

So okay, let’s give them all another season. But when we do, get ready for a 2-1 run vs. pass “balance” on offense. Why we don’t just go wishbone is beyond me. No it’s not, A-Rod doesn’t know how to install it.

Can Zach Moss carry the ball 30 times a game next year? How long before he’s hurt? Shyne and Moss good for 40 carries a game, with Huntley keeping it 10 and maybe somebody else twice? That’ll get us to the 52 carry mark like last night.

Things are gonna change next year my friends, and we saw a glimpse into the future last night in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. These guys can’t coach a throwgame and they admitted it to themselves last month in preparation for the bowl. They let the rest of us in on it last night. MOMMMMEEEE!

 

 

[UtahFanSir]

I thought it revealing that when push came to shove, the passing game was minimized to the run game, and in the red zone, Huntley took over. And as you astutely pointed out, the coaches had a month to prepare. Minor wildcard, TW2 was banged up while we are told he has been less than 100% for half of the season.

KW in the TV post game (and at many other junctures in the season) was all over trying to figure out these perennial deficiencies. Urban Meyer already knows what the problem is, whether it is one or both co-offensive coordinates and their basket of plays or the receivers and their coach or the QB or all of the above. Or something else entirely. He has likely told KW or is prepared to if asked. This is not rocket science. 

i don’t know, above my pay grade. But I do await with bated breath to hear what KW does over the next month. A QB coach appears to this seat as a no brainer. 

[Utah]

This dream of an amazing pass game will never happen under Whitt.

Why? Because there is no over-rated thing in the world than passing stats. Teams that throw the ball a gazillion times don’t win. 

Teams that run the ball and destroy other teams win much more often than they lose. 

We don’t need to figure out a way to throw for 300 yards per game. 

We need to figure out a way to throw for 220 yards per game with 4-5 fewer attempts. 

We need to become more efficient passing the ball. We don’t need to throw more often. We need to make our throws count more. 

We needed a WR coach and a QB coach. I think Holliday did a good job this year and should stay. 

We now need a QB coach. Someone to teach our QB’s to be better and more efficient. 

Our deep balls were fine this year. Only Washington had more big plays in the passing game.

[Big Kahuna]

So the streaming worked from Argentina or Antarctica? Impressive old man.

[Anonymous]

After that interception it was literally it for TWilliams. Even that one he threw in the back of the endzone he wasn’t trying to complete a pass just dont screw up. 

[MotherJabubu]

Whitt preaches balance but in reality, if he could get away with it he would run the ball 80 times per game

[Utah]

And he’d be smart to do so. I’d bet that teams win well over 90% of the times they run over 50 times. 

[UteThunder]

And I’d bet you are wrong. At least in the sense that simply running the football a lot causes you to win.

Look at it this way: Do teams win because they run the ball a lot? Or did they run the ball a lot because they were winning?

If running the football 50 times per game led to a .900 winning percentage, every coach in the country would abandon the pass.

I recall when Urban was here, he mentioned that he wanted his offense to be balanced to the point of 50% of yards coming from the pass and 50% coming from the run because teams that can do that win a lot of games.  

 

[Puget Ute]

FWIW, Indiana is known in the Big 10 for their stout defense and physical play. Even Michigan could only manage 20 points against them.

Still, if CBB was on kickoff return duty (first fumble), and those two 4th quarter fumbles don’t happen, we win comfortably.

But Indiana had a vote in the outcome, and they were decidedly more amped up for the game. Their enthusiasm was infectious.