Why is our passing game hot garbage?

[VeloClone]

3rd and 6 "grounding play" where the game completely turned.

Pre-snap (OSU showing that they are bringing 7 guys).....

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They do bring all 7.... but all 4 of our receiving targets are running longish routes that take forever to develop. By the time Purdy needs to get rid of it, all the receivers aren't even close to finishing their routes yet......

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I don't know enough to say for sure (maybe someone else does?), but I have to think this might be on Purdy when he comes to the line of scrimmage and sees how OSU looks to be bringing the house that he can check the play down to something else quicker hitting?

Either that, or there needs to be a "hot read" that automatically happens between the QB and one of the receivers where if they bring everyone that it's an automatic thing where one of the receivers cuts their route off and runs a quick slant over the middle where Purdy can dump it off to them??

But something has to occur pre-snap to avoid this from happening. You can't have all your targets running long developing routes, and Purdy sitting like a dead man in the pocket while OSU is bringing 7 (blitzing at least 3). And OSU didn't even disguise what they were doing. Everyone could see they were bringing everyone.

This is simple stuff that just cannot happen. Ultimately it's on CMC and Manning to have "hot reads" designed, or to allow Purdy to check to something different. This play had ZERO chance before the ball was even snapped.

It's not that simple. There were many plays where they showed blitz but didn't bring everyone they showed. They also at times brought pressure from the secondary and dropped a DL into coverage - overloading one side while an o-lineman sat with no one to block on the other side. When you have that much talent and experience on defense it isn't as simple and formulaic as you present it here. Not many NCAA defenses have a D-lineman who can be regularly successful in downfield coverage, but they do.

 

[VeloClone]

My recollection of the grounding play was that the play call was probably perfect against that pressure, assuming they were trying to clear the field and dump to Breece, but Breece couldn't release upfield soon enough for Brock to beat the pressure. Even though that play was a huge turning point, it gave me hope at the time that Manning had a plan to beat that pressure, if we could execute as the game went on. Problem is, it didn't seem like we ran much more of that later in the game.

Yeah, look for Breece in that second picture he posted. You can't find him because he is caught up in that mass of humanity in the middle of the line. He is trying to get downfield but can't.

 

[flycy]

Don't agree. With a good OC.... teams can destroy blitzes all day long with pressure up the middle. It creates huge advantages all over the field for you if you know how to scheme against it.... which Manning has no clue how to do.

The play where Purdy gets called for grounding was a prime example.... I almost couldn't believe my eyes.... the play was there for the TD to Hall with a dump off over the line of scrimmage, but Purdy clutched it too long.

So the play was there, but it is OC problem. Got it.

 

[Statefan10]

So the play was there, but it is OC problem. Got it.

That play was a prime example of a perfect play call against a blitz but a better play by the defender who hit Brock's arm.

 

[Tre4ISU]

It's pretty simple, really. We don't have very good WRs. We miss Milton more than you think. Teams have caught on to the TE and defend them very well. TEs work best when they come as a surprise, not when they're the main focus of the offense and the defenses know that. That leaves us with one competent WR, Hutchinson, and the defenses know that too.

This is it. When you recruit a bunch of TEs and flex TEs, it's going to be really hard to get them open. Size is great, but using that size can be a low success rate endeavor if they can't get open and right now, almost no one is getting open. Not a single new WR is emerging and that either fall on recruiting or design and I'd lean toward the former. We have great TEs but we have about 6 of them with 2 or 3 of them masquerading as WRs with little speed and route running ability on the outside, let alone the inside. There's a reason a lot of the best WRs in the country are 6 foot and smaller. It's because they get open better and they're faster. Matt Rhule talked about it all the time and I was really interested in how his approach to WRs would compare to ISUs general approach which is almost polar opposite. They were both recruiting the two things you can't teach but speed and the ability to run sharp routes is the significantly more important attribute.

 

[Tre4ISU]

The receivers inability to get open is absolutely making our line's job harder. OSU correctly figured out if they bring pressure they'll get to Brock faster than a receiver can get open just about every time. So it's left to the line to have to sort out all kinds of pressure, which of course is not easy.

If I'm playing us I'm playing zone and bringing 5+ all day. You can only get beaten by Hall and one on ones with the TEs at this point. Don't let Hall lose and don't let the TEs get free and you're golden.

 

[VeloClone]

If I'm playing us I'm playing zone and bringing 5+ all day. You can only get beaten by Hall and one on ones with the TEs at this point. Don't let Hall lose and don't let the TEs get free and you're golden.

When UL beat ISU playing tight man coverage the die was cast. Everyone is going to try to beat ISU playing tight man coverage and throwing bodies in the box to limit Hall. Until ISU can consistently make defenses pay for doing that it is going to continue.