Cincinnati Game Recap

[OscarBerkshire]

A good game, glad we're back in the wins column. My thoughts below.

Offense:

Generally had the same problems we've seen all year. Structurally I think we have to accept that's not likely to change the rest of the year. However, I think Rocco had his best game of the season. Just a gritty performance with some great throws. That improvisation after the high snap for the touchdown was absolutely filthy.

Offensive line I just don't know what's happening. We need to be able to run the ball better than what we did. Excluding the fake punt, we averaged 3.93 yards per carry. Not terrible but in the first half im sure it was below 2.
Additionally, pass protection was again an issue. I don't know what is going on with the offensive line lately but they have regressed throughout the season. Their performance was simply good enough to win but did not spark any hope for the last two regular season games.

Cincinnati schemed it to try to make anyone but Noel and Higgins beat us. That should have opened up the run game. It did not until the second half, and unfortunately, I think that had more to do with the Cincy D-tackle, Corleone, getting injured than it did with anything else. That guy was simply dominating Hufford and our guards. A lot of our run game is based on between the tackles running to reward our talented receivers with space on the outside, but tweaking away from that to running concepts that may work a bit better did not happen until the second half. Overall, Mouser called an okay game. Not his best of the year but certainly not his worst. The use of Rocco in the run game was again a good wrinkle.

Defense:
Obviously, the run defense was again terrible. Some linebackers returning is a promising sign, and they get an opportunity to feel like gods against a struggling Utah offense next week, but the ones that came back did not blow me away. Lots of horrible horrible angles, especially in the first half. Hopefully the returning linebackers can improve through the end of the year. Overall a 90s Nebraska option style offense is the perfect counter to whatever we are doing scheme/personnel wise and has been all year. Utah may not have the right personnel to run that, but Kansas State certainly does.
Verdon is the lynchpin to this defense. It does not seem like anyone can do what he does. From run stopping to coverage he's everywhere. He was out against Kansas and was here this week and we were able to get some stops when we needed them due to him and he forced the fumble that led to Cincy's lone turnover.

We were clearly the better team, our secondary played a great game and is still our best personnel group.

Special teams were absolutely elite tonight. Gosh it is so refreshing to not stress about punts. Fake punt call was a great one and was what we needed to assert dominance even if we only got a field goal out of it.

To win out we will need best of season performances at the lines on both sides of the ball.

Go Cyclones!

 

[acoustimac]

It’s been strange to see how dysfunctional the offense is half the game and nearly unstoppable the other half. We've seen it for ten games now. Beyond puzzling and I can’t imagine how frustrating it is for the coaching staff.

in this past game it was also interesting to watch a Cincy defense that so closely mirrored our own in structure. It was easy to see many of the same weaknesses (I.e. pass rush) as is in ours.

What's next? Likely more of the same. We've see our kryptonite as being a mobile quarterback and an inability to cover the option. As for our offense…who knows which two quarters they will pick to show up in.

 

[jay moe]

A tip of the hat to Klotz and Burkle, they were outstanding on Saturday.

 

[JM4CY]

A tip of the hat to Klotz and Burkle, they were outstanding on Saturday.

You forgot Eskildsen

 

[stewart092284]

Offensive line I just don't know what's happening. We need to be able to run the ball better than what we did. Excluding the fake punt, we averaged 3.93 yards per carry. Not terrible but in the first half im sure it was below 2.
Additionally, pass protection was again an issue. I don't know what is going on with the offensive line lately but they have regressed throughout the season. Their performance was simply good enough to win but did not spark any hope for the last two regular season games.

Cincinnati schemed it to try to make anyone but Noel and Higgins beat us. That should have opened up the run game. It did not until the second half, and unfortunately, I think that had more to do with the Cincy D-tackle, Corleone, getting injured than it did with anything else. That guy was simply dominating Hufford and our guards. A lot of our run game is based on between the tackles running to reward our talented receivers with space on the outside, but tweaking away from that to running concepts that may work a bit better did not happen until the second half. Overall, Mouser called an okay game. Not his best of the year but certainly not his worst. The use of Rocco in the run game was again a good wrinkle.

Its not that hard to understand what's going on with the offensive line.

1) I'd say on average, 70-80% or higher of our running plays occur between the tackles. Well, as a defensive line coach, DC, etc, that takes the guess work out. When you add that with the fact that 95% of the time, the RB gets the back from a single back set since the TE / H is usually flex up nearer to the line of scrimmage and the QB run game is a minimal part of the offense - again, it makes it simple for opposing defenses. Additionally, when was the last time Iowa State ran a draw? A shovel pass? Counter? We run split zone, some G scheme concepts and lead, occasionally outside / stretch but not a lot else. All of that makes our run game relatively generic and easy to prepare for.

Well, when you don't have 5 NFL offensive linemen, 3 or maybe even more than possibly one - a generic rushing attack + a injured most effective running back + a little bit of predictability in play calling on when we run and when we throw... I mean....

Frankly, I'd be more amazed if we were having great success running the ball. Why did we run the ball better in the second half?

QB Run game - because no one accounted for Rocco.
Toss play to Sama for the 27 yard TD. One of the runs by Rocco was an option.

I will give you 5 Anthony Munoz's. Or 5 Larry Allen's. And you give me four average to slightly above average NFL Defensive linemen, and another 2-3 average to above average NFL linebackers and one Safety. And you ain't running the ball for crap if they know the where, the who and the when.

Well, for Iowa State, now take that and put 5 average offensive linemen, to maybe a couple above average. And it gets even harder.


The most frustrating thing for me watching it is that we only need 2 damn run plays. One side and one outside. Toss and gap. Power and option. I don't care which. But if you can run outside it prevents the safeties from slamming down unaccounted for inbetween the tackles which is what Cincy did to Hansen in the first half. Cause they knew we weren't running outside. And it prevents your DE or 4 technique for slamming down hard inside because now they have a exterior threat.

Hell, run a bubble screen. Because again, now that safety can't just fly down field. He's got to respect the perimeter. Right now, they don't and it makes running between the tackles harder.

Right now, we're trying to block 7-8 with 5-6. Its not a genius thing to realize that doesn't work or becomes hard.

No one expects Rocco to keep it, so they're not going to waste a defender on him.
No one expects us to hit outside, so their LB's and safeties can crowd the box. Did you see how damn close Cincy's LB's were stacked behind their DL? Those dudes gave zero F's about an outside run threat.

And all of that makes it harder for an OL because as an OL, its about your eyes. You've got the DL as the obvious threat, duh, but then you want to see OK, I climb to him or we scoop here or combo there, etc... all that gets muddied when you allow the defense to muddy the box. And everything happens so fast. An average football play takes 3-4 seconds as most people know.

For an offensive or defensive linemen, you either win or lose your battle in roughly 0.5 to 1.5 seconds in the run game. So if you aren't sure on the look on what you see, or the box is muddied where maybe you step wrong because you're expecting A but get B... you are effed. And its either a sack, a TFL, or a holding penalty or a LB says hello to the running back at the LOS.


As good as Noel and Higgins are, they're not scary - like Tyreek Hill is scary. Or Randy moss, was scary or Justin Jefferson etc. They are very good receivers, don't get me wrong. But they're not going to scare you until giving a light box. They'll win a one on one matchup, sure, but they're not just taking the top off the defense. Nor are we a super aggressive down field passing team of like 15-20 yards plus. So again, now the safeties don't have to open and
bail which allows them to be factors against the run game.


Earlier in the season the running game was more diverse. not crazy so, but more diverse. And we saw a little of that in the second half. A little QB run game. A toss play. An option play. More bootleg which again forces the safety and leverage defenders to stay wide... beacause 90% of the time, on an inside run play, you don't account for them. You're counting on them to make sure the QB doesn't have the ball or defend the flat etc. Well, if you don't make them defend the flat or the QB run game guess what that DC is going to do?

"Get your ass involved, its not a dang spectator sport" and now you have a free hat teeing off on Sama, Jackson and Sama. And everyone says man, the offensive line sucks.

In reality, its no, the offensive line is not asked to account for that X defender, and that X defender is the one fitting i because he doesn't feel threatened on the perimeter or on the second level.


Is the offensive line playing at peak performance? Nope. Not even a little bit.

However, while its easy to say what the hell is wrong with the offensive line, its really not entirely on the offensive line. Because when we do threaten the flats and widden out the defense, we end up rushing for 143 yards after rushing for12 yards I think in the first half. Sure the fake punt blah blah... that's what a good running game is though. You hit them where they aren't and where they aren't expecting you. Unless you have 5 earth movers and then a prime Gronk as a blocking TE - you ain't running the ball effectively as currently designed. And its not because the OL is trash.


That's why I want Mouse to burn the 1st half tape and watch the second half. Because weto got away from running head first into a brick wall and wouldn't you know, the whole offense worked a lot better.

 

[troutslayer]

It was good to see them right the ship. As a fan and as little I know about coaching or schemes, I'm in for the ride. 8 and 2.