Williams & Blum: Where’s the offense?

[Aiden Wyatt]

Chris Williams and Brent Blum dissect Iowa State’s road loss at Colorado. Why is the offense continuously stalling out in the red zone? Is it fixable? Guessing the point spreads. Reacting to Penn State firing James Franklin and more. Presented by Mechdyne.

Williams & Blum: Where’s the offense? - Cyclone Fanatic

Chris Williams and Brent Blum dissect Iowa State’s road loss at Colorado. Why is the offense continuously stalling out in the red zone? Is it fixable? Guessing the point spreads. Reacting to Penn State firing James Franklin and more. Presented by Mechdyne.

cyclonefanatic.com

 

[cyclones12321]

I don’t get how we can struggle so much but then the last possession of the half go down field with ease and get a td. If that works then keep doing it

 

[madguy30]

I don’t get how we can struggle so much but then the last possession of the half go down field with ease and get a td. If that works then keep doing it

Maybe rely on the defense to be in prevent/soft coverage too.

Also of note: ISU's receivers caught open passes on that drive.

 

[CyGuy5]

I don’t get how we can struggle so much but then the last possession of the half go down field with ease and get a td. If that works then keep doing it

The same reason ISU gives up points before half on a regular basis. Simple, base D with soft coverages

 

[cycloneworld]

Would love to see some stats but it feels like the offense performs well in tempo situations yet it feels like the coaching staff is forcing them to be methodical going down the field. I know they want to run clock with long drives but why continue to push that if the offense works better with pace?

The other eye opening stat is how bad we’ve been on the road. Night and day different.

 

[cycloneworld]

Listened to the first half of this on the drive to work this morning - appreciate the level headedness of both. But I do disagree with Chris when he says "it doesn't matter what we say, half of the fans will be pissed at us". That's pretty out of touch because what 90% of the fans want is an honest assessment of the game/program/players/coaches.

Don't ball wash this coaching staff. It is okay to think this staff is amazing AND be critical. Far too often we put someone on a pedestal and think that anyone who critiques them must be a hater. It is okay to be critical and still think they are great.

 

[jbhtexas]

Would love to see some stats but it feels like the offense performs well in tempo situations yet it feels like the coaching staff is forcing them to be methodical going down the field. I know they want to run clock with long drives but why continue to push that if the offense works better with pace?

The other eye opening stat is how bad we’ve been on the road. Night and day different.

Here are ISU's scoring possessions from the 39-pt outbreak against Arizona...
score/plays/yds/top
TD/9/72/4:21
TD/6/38/2:31
TD/4/30/1:49
TD/7/75/3:30
TD/3/44/0:48
FG/7/34/1:32

No monster time consuming scoring drives.

It's a philosophy of the game thing. The offense has the strategical advantage of knowing what the play is. It also has the advantage to dictate the tempo and prevent the defense from making proper adjustments and to prevent the defense from adequately surveying the offensive alignment before the play is run. IMO, The plodding, slow-down, methodical offense strategy gives up that last advantage. Once the offense gives the defense the chance to get set and have a look at things before the play is run, the offense basically needs perfect execution, play after play.

Most points wins the game. I'd just like to see the ISU offense keep the opposing defense on its heels, get the score as quickly/efficiently as possible (given the abilities of the available players), and let Heacock do his thing on defense. He's been a remarkable coordinator at ISU. He can handle it.

 

[cykadelic2]

Regarding the discussion on the 4th and 1 call and CMC claiming post-game it was good call, Rocco backed that up during his presser. Rocco said it was a RPO, he made a bad read, and should kept the ball and throw it to Brahmer (?) out in the flat. Watching a replay of that play supports Rocco's comments.

 

[CYEATHAWK]

I don’t get how we can struggle so much but then the last possession of the half go down field with ease and get a td. If that works then keep doing it

Well, unless it's part of the PROCESS that allows for GROWTH while being the BEST VERSION OF THEMSELVES.........not going to happen.

 

[bawbie]

We have had 440 and 470 yards in the two losses. That's enough offense (from a yardage perspective) - 455 yards / game would be 25th nationally.

Turning 440 yards into only 17 points is a problem. And obviously scoring 30 on Cincy should be enough offense, if the defense had played the first half.

 

[jbhtexas]

We have had 440 and 470 yards in the two losses. That's enough offense (from a yardage perspective) - 455 yards / game would be 25th nationally.

Turning 440 yards into only 17 points is a problem. And obviously scoring 30 on Cincy should be enough offense, if the defense had played the first half.

Cincy is averaging 36 ppg, so not sure why you'd think scoring 30 points would be enough. They scored 37 against KU the week prior.

 

[isucy86]

Regarding the discussion on the 4th and 1 call and CMC claiming post-game it was good call, Rocco backed that up during his presser. Rocco said it was a RPO, he made a bad read, and should kept the ball and throw it to Brahmer (?) out in the flat. Watching a replay of that play supports Rocco's comments.

Going for it on 4th and one is hard to accept from a traditional coaching decision approach. It smacks of a terrible decision.

But from a modern analytics approach it's smart football. Although risky.

ISU was down 4 points, so we needed a TD to win. With 7 minutes left on the clock, punting probably means ISU will get the ball back once more to score a TD.

Going for it on 4th & 1 and making it, gives ISU two possessions to score a TD. And it flips the possessions to ISU 2 & CU 1.

And not making it on 4th & 1 had an acceptable result if the Cyclone defense held CU to a FG. Which happened and if ISU had scored a TD, puts ISU to send the game to OT.

 

[Billups06]

We have had 440 and 470 yards in the two losses. That's enough offense (from a yardage perspective) - 455 yards / game would be 25th nationally.

Turning 440 yards into only 17 points is a problem. And obviously scoring 30 on Cincy should be enough offense, if the defense had played the first half.

Once we get inside the opponents ~40, our play calling shifts dramatically. We start trying stuff/tinkering and get away from the success earlier in the drive. I know the field compacts a bit, but we compact it even more by our tight, heavy formations.

Sama ran so much better when we were in wider splits and the passing game seemed to come easier too. Less heavy formations and put more receivers on the field is my ask.

 

[Daserop]

We have had 440 and 470 yards in the two losses. That's enough offense (from a yardage perspective) - 455 yards / game would be 25th nationally.

Turning 440 yards into only 17 points is a problem. And obviously scoring 30 on Cincy should be enough offense, if the defense had played the first half.

Red Zone Offense: Tied at #115 for worst team.

If you don't score points, it doesn't doesn't matter how well you move the ball.

 

[ScottyP]

Campbell's teams seem to statistically dominate a game in most categories except the scoreboard. Before the year, there was talk of CW mentioning being a ball control offense compared to last year. I think that strategy backfired.

 

[CloniesForLife]

We have had 440 and 470 yards in the two losses. That's enough offense (from a yardage perspective) - 455 yards / game would be 25th nationally.

Turning 440 yards into only 17 points is a problem. And obviously scoring 30 on Cincy should be enough offense, if the defense had played the first half.

I'd be curious to look at years past on this too. Feels like some of those Manning offenses would put up yards but not score. Maybe I'm misremembering but this feels like it's been a problem for several teams under Matt Campbell.

I think part of it goes to the tempo discussion. I have no data on this but it feels like sometimes when we get in the red zone or near the goal line we go to an even slower pace and that gives time for the defense to setup even more. I think that they made a good point in the pod too that when you're methodically moving the ball down the field and not getting explosive plays it also makes it harder to score because then you are always trying to score in the box that is the red zone where everything gets tighter.

 

[spierceisu]

Couldn't watch the game, but listened to it and it sounds like Rocco was constantly throwing behind or off to receivers. He has been off the past few games and we don't have the margin for error when this happens. We also had a ton of penalties at bad times. In the Cincinnati game the defense was the problem, not the offense (the offense still wasn't great).

 

[Cyclonepride]

I don’t get how we can struggle so much but then the last possession of the half go down field with ease and get a td. If that works then keep doing it

The sideline reporter mentioned something that stuck with me, something to the effect that Rocco was talking to his guys about focusing on getting first downs. I get the impression that the offense is trying to take heat off the defense by grinding out time of possession.

IMO, the focus should be on scoring points in volume, whether the drives take 1 minute or 8, and this offense just moves down the field way better when playing with tempo. Also, from Rocco talking in the postgame, I think he's taking too much responsibility and pressure upon himself. Yes, he had a very rough game, but I'm hoping the staff helps him settle down a bit on that. It's a team game, just play your part.

 

[CycloneVet]

Maybe rely on the defense to be in prevent/soft coverage too.

Also of note: ISU's receivers caught open passes on that drive.

It amazes me how many people don’t understand this

 

[CloniesForLife]

The sideline reporter mentioned something that stuck with me, something to the effect that Rocco was talking to his guys about focusing on getting first downs. I get the impression that the offense is trying to take heat off the defense by grinding out time of possession.

IMO, the focus should be on scoring points in volume, whether the drives take 1 minute or 8, and this offense just moves down the field way better when playing with tempo. Also, from Rocco talking in the postgame, I think he's taking too much responsibility and pressure upon himself. Yes, he had a very rough game, but I'm hoping the staff helps him settle down a bit on that. It's a team game, just play your part.

Yeah and extra min of rest isn't as beneficial as playing defense with a lead. Not to mention if you're trying to be methodical but only have a few play drive vs having some tempo and going and scoring will the time of possession be that drastically different? You don't have to run a 2 minute drill but you also don't have to completely take the air out of the ball and ruin the offensive rhythm. Keep the defense on their heels