Opening up our offense

  • After Iowa State won the Big 12, a Cyclone made a wonderful offer to We Will that now increases our match. Now all gifts up to $400,000 between now and the Final 4 will be matched. Please consider giving at We Will Collective.
    This notice can be dismissed using the upper right corner X button.

clonedude

Well-Known Member
Apr 16, 2006
30,548
25,678
113
Does anyone recall the play we ran right before our reverse to Horne for the TD yesterday?

Jarvis West, I believe it was, came around in motion prior to the snap. Barnett faked the read play up the middle to White, and then ran with it around the end, but he had West there with him for the option pitch if he needed it. It turned out that the defender went with West and so Barnett took it for about a 20 yd gain.

So why in the world do we not run this more often? It just gives us one more option for the defense to have to defend. Basically a triple option.

And you could still easily pass out of this as well. Fake it to both White up the gut and fake it to West coming around, and then throw it. Or, fake it to White up the gut, and hand it to West coming around.

I just think we'd be so much more succesful on offense if we could mix it up a bit. Defenses right now just have to key on White and Barnett. That's it. Especially in windy conditions when we're no threat to throw it at all.

We used to always bring JJ Moses or Lane Danielson around in motion. It made the defense respect the fact that we could give it to them at any time on a counter or reverse type play. It really put the pressure on the DE's to stay home, which opened up the middle that much more in the run game. I remember numerous times watching JJ and Lane take that play to the house. And it does not take away that WR in motion out of play. He can still run a passing route if we don't give them the ball on the end around. In fact, he can be a good safety valve out in the flat if the QB can't find anyone else open OR they can go deep on a wheel route type play.

It just seems we find a lot of success the few times we mix it up a bit. We just seem so vanilla 99% of the time. Numerous times yesterday I saw us run that read option play 3 times in a row for hardly any yards and then punting. It isn't too hard for defenses to key on your one RB and your QB. But it puts a lot more pressure on a defense if the QB keeps it, but he also then has the option to pitch it if the DE is right on top of him. Or if the DE crashes and the QB keeps it, it sure puts a lot of pressure on the CB or LB on that side of the field if he has to cover two guys, the QB and the pitch guy coming at them around the end.

I was just so excited to see that play yesterday, especially when Rhoads says we need to get the ball in the hands of Jarvis West more.... which is true. And then to follow that up with the reverse for the TD on the very next play... I was thinking that Herman finally was mixing it up a bit. And last week we ran that counter type running play a LOT for success against TT, and barely saw it at all yesterday?

If the "spread" is really an attempt to make a defense cover the entire field, as Herman says it is, then why don't we make them cover the entire field? KU had everyone on defense crashing on our RB and QB all game long in over pursuit. You cannot just continue to run in right into that over pursuit all the time and expect to get different results.

We're just too easy to defend right now IMO.
 

huntt26

Well-Known Member
Apr 10, 2006
10,562
2,213
113
po' dUnk
Good points. I do think the playbook can/will open up as Barnett learns the offense even better. Hopefully things get creative during this bye-week. We will need to pull out all kinds of tricks to win the next 3 games.
 

clonefanpaul

Omnipresent Lurker
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Nov 28, 2009
679
340
63
Milwaukee, WI
I'm honestly surprised we didn't run more option plays against KU. We were beating them on the edge and they have been killed all year long against the option. Earlier in the year Jantz was running options really well with White (see last TD in Iowa game) but we seem to have done away with that with Barnett. I wonder what the reasoning is.
 

cycloneG

Well-Known Member
Mar 7, 2007
15,056
15,041
113
Off the grid
Everytime we tried to go wide yesterday with a WR screen, JB threw the ball into the ground. KU was stacking the box and some successfully completed WR screens would have torched them but JB just kept throwing the ball into the dirt. I don't know what was wrong with him but he needs to be able to complete those 99% of the time for this offense to work.
 

Clones21

Well-Known Member
Jan 20, 2008
17,554
300
83
Des Moines
West needs to be more involved. He needs the ball in his hands about 10 times a game. That guy is fast and can be a game changer. I'm very excited about Jarvis.
 

istater7

Well-Known Member
Mar 31, 2010
4,691
1,076
113
I'm glad we have a bye this week. Hopefully these next 2 weeks of practice allow the offense to open up the playbook more. I'm excited to see what Herman and the offense have planned for OSU.
 

cycloneG

Well-Known Member
Mar 7, 2007
15,056
15,041
113
Off the grid
West needs to be more involved. He needs the ball in his hands about 10 times a game. That guy is fast and can be a game changer. I'm very excited about Jarvis.

They tried to get the ball in his hands more yesterday, but as I mentioned in my previous post, JB was busy aerating the field.
 

istater7

Well-Known Member
Mar 31, 2010
4,691
1,076
113
West needs to be more involved. He needs the ball in his hands about 10 times a game. That guy is fast and can be a game changer. I'm very excited about Jarvis.
I think he needs to be back returning punts too. I like Lenz back there but Jarvis is way more explosive.
 

clonefanpaul

Omnipresent Lurker
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Nov 28, 2009
679
340
63
Milwaukee, WI
I think he needs to be back returning punts too. I like Lenz back there but Jarvis is way more explosive.

I've seen West bobble waaaaay to many kick offs for me to feel comfortable with him as a punt returner. Sure hands over explosiveness.
 

Clones21

Well-Known Member
Jan 20, 2008
17,554
300
83
Des Moines
I think he needs to be back returning punts too. I like Lenz back there but Jarvis is way more explosive.
I'm pretty sure they have Lenz back there because he is sure handed in catching the ball and not fumbling. Not because he is a game breaker. I'd like to give Jarvis a chance back at punts also.
 

ISUAgronomist

Well-Known Member
Nov 5, 2009
26,634
8,294
113
On the farm, IA
Great Clones21 has a new man-crush

puking.gif
 

ISUAgronomist

Well-Known Member
Nov 5, 2009
26,634
8,294
113
On the farm, IA
No man-crush, but are you telling me you are not excited about what you have seen out of Jarvis? He is only a RS Freshman. He is like our own little Percy Harvin.

Looks like a good player but when you start talking about excitement about a player this runs through my head:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCyaXh-VZco]Chris Farley's Pretty New Pet - YouTube[/ame]
 
  • Like
Reactions: Clones21

kingcy

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Sep 16, 2006
22,570
3,351
113
Menlo, Iowa
They really need to look at the run calls and mix it up a little. In the 3rd and 4th qtr most of the run plays by a RB went right and got very little yards. until they started milking the clock with Woody running left and got a pile of yards.
 

SCarolinaCy

Well-Known Member
Jun 20, 2011
3,147
1,289
113
Greenville, SC
Does anyone recall the play we ran right before our reverse to Horne for the TD yesterday?

Jarvis West, I believe it was, came around in motion prior to the snap. Barnett faked the read play up the middle to White, and then ran with it around the end, but he had West there with him for the option pitch if he needed it. It turned out that the defender went with West and so Barnett took it for about a 20 yd gain.

So why in the world do we not run this more often? It just gives us one more option for the defense to have to defend. Basically a triple option.

And you could still easily pass out of this as well. Fake it to both White up the gut and fake it to West coming around, and then throw it. Or, fake it to White up the gut, and hand it to West coming around.

I just think we'd be so much more succesful on offense if we could mix it up a bit. Defenses right now just have to key on White and Barnett. That's it. Especially in windy conditions when we're no threat to throw it at all.

We used to always bring JJ Moses or Lane Danielson around in motion. It made the defense respect the fact that we could give it to them at any time on a counter or reverse type play. It really put the pressure on the DE's to stay home, which opened up the middle that much more in the run game. I remember numerous times watching JJ and Lane take that play to the house. And it does not take away that WR in motion out of play. He can still run a passing route if we don't give them the ball on the end around. In fact, he can be a good safety valve out in the flat if the QB can't find anyone else open OR they can go deep on a wheel route type play.

It just seems we find a lot of success the few times we mix it up a bit. We just seem so vanilla 99% of the time. Numerous times yesterday I saw us run that read option play 3 times in a row for hardly any yards and then punting. It isn't too hard for defenses to key on your one RB and your QB. But it puts a lot more pressure on a defense if the QB keeps it, but he also then has the option to pitch it if the DE is right on top of him. Or if the DE crashes and the QB keeps it, it sure puts a lot of pressure on the CB or LB on that side of the field if he has to cover two guys, the QB and the pitch guy coming at them around the end.

I was just so excited to see that play yesterday, especially when Rhoads says we need to get the ball in the hands of Jarvis West more.... which is true. And then to follow that up with the reverse for the TD on the very next play... I was thinking that Herman finally was mixing it up a bit. And last week we ran that counter type running play a LOT for success against TT, and barely saw it at all yesterday?

If the "spread" is really an attempt to make a defense cover the entire field, as Herman says it is, then why don't we make them cover the entire field? KU had everyone on defense crashing on our RB and QB all game long in over pursuit. You cannot just continue to run in right into that over pursuit all the time and expect to get different results.

We're just too easy to defend right now IMO.

Our best plays of the day were the busted play on our own 3 yard line and the fake punt.

Why can't our receivers create some SPACE?!

It was really interesting when we simply handed the ball off to Woody at the game's end. Everyone in the stadium know we are going to run the ball, and the OFF line knocks holes. FOrget the zone read until we know how to run it.
 

cyclones500

Well-Known Member
Jan 29, 2010
35,663
23,142
113
Michigan
basslakebeacon.com
Lenz is there on punts because he catches the ball every time.

But, I agree he shouldn't be returning KICKOFFS. Slow.

This is probably how I'd split it up ... keep Lenz on punt returns, use West on kickoff returns. If I had to trade a big return vs. reliable fielding on punts, I will. A little room for error with hands on kickoffs (a little), so having better chance to break a big one is worth it.