If I was a defensive coordinator against ISU, I would coach my defenders to take the running back out of the read option and make the QB run the ball. ISU has several running backs with experience and only one QB with experience. The quickest way to shut down ISU's defense, is to put its starting QB on the sidelines. The backup QB is a redshirt freshman who has never played. If he goes in, the offense will probably be very simple. I would bet that this is what UNI did in the first game. Sam Richardson ran more than 20 times in that game. Every time he runs, the defense gets their shots on him. The more he gets tackled the greater the chance he will end up on the sideline watching the game. If the defense takes the running back out of the read option, our coaching staff has to protect their QB and stop running the zone read. The end result of the UNI game was Sam Richardson was injured. It impacted his game against Iowa. When he did run he went down quick before he was hit, gaining little. According to our coaches today, his ankle made it hard for him to set his feet properly when he was passing and he was off target most of the first half.
Problem with the Pistol Offense
- Thread starter cyborg
- Start date
The pistol offense is not the problem. The problem is what we are doing in it. You can run the pistol very effectively without ever running the zone read or designed QB runs.
Correct! I'd like to see us run the pistol, but use hardly any zone read off of it. Especially with a hobbling QB. Just hand it directly to the RB. You don't have to get too fancy. Bring Wimberly in motion from the slot on occasion as well to test the edges once in a while on an end around counter.
I see high school teams run the pistol better than we can. Mess just LOVES the zone read, even when he has a QB on one foot that is no threat to run. Explain that one.
Maybe we are experiencing a conservative implementation period.
The pistol can be dynamic and unpredictable. Two things our offense rarely is.
The pistol can be dynamic and unpredictable. Two things our offense rarely is.
I had a dream last night that we ran something called "the Uzi". 3-5 play bursts of successful pistol. I think there were three in the backfield. Whatever it was it was working...
The pistol was installed by our new o-line coach. The glaring, most obvious problem? Everyone assumed it would work similar to the U of Nevada from a few years ago...
uhh...just missing a mobile QB with a cannon arm. No big deal. Coach Mess will fix it
[video=youtube;g-AplFCO6HY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-AplFCO6HY[/video]
I think all of this is a moot point. As with every offense, skill, talent, speed, brains, and unpredictable play calling wins. IF you have less on all of the above categories you become average at best. If you have less on all of the above and predictable play calling - you manage only 68 yards in a half of football.
Will that work with our oline? We could not even man up to FCS and MACLike football. We may have toi pass downfield to move the ball.
I seem to recall an interview with Mess during camp where he explained that they've simplified the playbook so they could focus more on offensive fundamentals. I remember thinking to myself at that time hoping it wouldn't make the offensive play calling too conservative...and now it really does feel that Mess has nothing inventive left in his playbook. You can run a few play well with everyone healthy, but if can only run only a few and the defense figures it out or you suffer performance injuries, what do you go to then? Run up the gut playing into a defensive team's specific strength...then try it again hoping they fail a second time because it is one of the fundamental plays your offense plays "well" in practice?
I think Mess doesn't adjust to what the defense is giving him because he is tied by his own schemes that he believes his offense plays "well" and he is too conservative to go away from those bread-and-butter plays because of the injuries. And then in the rare instance he does go away from those plays, his players don't perform (injuries, skill, whatever), and that exasperates the negative offensive rhythm. Honestly, I don't think teams these days can rely solely on bread-and-butter offenses like in the past, and it is sad we allowed Iowa to get away with that because of our offensive troubles.
I think Mess doesn't adjust to what the defense is giving him because he is tied by his own schemes that he believes his offense plays "well" and he is too conservative to go away from those bread-and-butter plays because of the injuries. And then in the rare instance he does go away from those plays, his players don't perform (injuries, skill, whatever), and that exasperates the negative offensive rhythm. Honestly, I don't think teams these days can rely solely on bread-and-butter offenses like in the past, and it is sad we allowed Iowa to get away with that because of our offensive troubles.
I doubt if you can find a single program at the D1 level that would attempt to do this. Why make a struggling situation even worse? Unless you want to make your QB the lead blocker, you are simply adding another guy to block while taking away any doubt for the defense on who to key on.
The offense that has been installed is successful at programs all over the country. Like any offense, it does require proper execution which is not happening. This is the biggest problem right now - not formations, play calling, or coaching. If you change anything else and still don't execute, you still don't move the ball.
When you start to see all 11 players consistently do everything that they are capable of doing on every play, you will see an effective offense. If you don't, it doesn't matter what formation you are in, what plays are being called, or who is calling the plays. This isn't throwing players under the bus, it's reminding them that the ball is in their hands and that they are the ones who can step up and make plays.
