I am still amazed how bad our passing game looks at times when we run the ball as well as we have. Usually establishing a good running game results in some opportunities to take some shots down field when the defense is stacking the box against the run and we haven't seen a lot of that so far. Even some more play action fakes to throw a deep ball would open up this offense some more.
I’m not sure why you think that we’ve “run the ball well”. Take away Breece’s two big runs, and he carried 18 times for 49 yards. That’s 2.72 ypc, and distinctly not a consistently good rushing attack.
And that’s generally been par for the course for his season—big runs buff up the small holes the OL has opened otherwise.
If you want an answer for
that, I’m pretty sure that the simple fact that two of our best three linemen are out has something to do with both the running and passing issues—especially the latter.
Oh, and the fact that by far our single most experienced wide receiver returning, Tarique Milton, has been hurt is a huge factor too. At this stage, he and Xavier Hutchinson would complement one another well.