Adjustments on Run D

[ejb25]

What adjustments were made on Run Defense?

They were running it down our throats and looked unstoppable. And then all of a sudden, they cant run at all. It was complete night and day.

 

[Madsol]

Bump. Hoping some of the Xs and Os guys can weigh in.

 

[mmp121]

I'm guessing here, but the fact that we had A LOT of points made them one dimensional (had to throw more). That took away their team strength (running misdirection) and ball control offense.

So they had to play catch up doing something they we're not good at, pass protection and catching the ball in less than ideal conditions as was witnessed by the multitude of dropped passes by our receivers.

 

[djr4rebs]

Pinched our DEs in. DL started firing gaps vs taking up blocks waiting on LBs to clean up. LBs with run blitzs once we realized Natduzzi was scared and or unwilling to throw down field. CBs cheating up on the edges.

Hell, maybe the Pitt OL got worn out from being on the field too much. The push they were getting was gone right after the 4th and goal stop.

 

[Blue and White Blood]

Winning the fleld position in a dominate way the entire 3rd quarter was a huge factor. Kudos to Gilliken who had a terrific night punting, especially considering the 3rd qtr was into the wind.

 

[BullrunLion]

What adjustments were made on Run Defense?

They were running it down our throats and looked unstoppable. And then all of a sudden, they cant run at all. It was complete night and day.

I think we took out our walk on middle linebacker, that should be no higher than Third string on our team. I hope the coaches have learned something and actually play someone who is fast and athletic!

 

[Ten Thousan Marbles]

Pinched our DEs in. DL started firing gaps vs taking up blocks waiting on LBs to clean up. LBs with run blitzs once we realized Natduzzi was scared and or unwilling to throw down field. CBs cheating up on the edges.

Hell, maybe the Pitt OL got worn out from being on the field too much. The push they were getting was gone right after the 4th and goal stop.

I am not an x/o guy, but this sounds awfully close to what CJF told DWill going into the locker room at the half.

DWill asked him about adjustments, and CJF went into specifics using coachspeak...which I did not fully understand. He sounded very confident that he was gonna get it fixed within the next few minutes.

 

[marisa45]

Less out of position players in 2nd vs. 1st. Parsons has trouble committing to his lanes (still hesitant). I can't remember who 40 is but made some great plays and then was terribly out of position on a few others. As a group, we lost contain a number of times. Linebackers over running plays or looking for splash hits over filling gap assignments. I'll take a Brandon Smith or Jan Johnson any day over super-athletic guys trying to make every play and not doing "their job". Koa still doesn't flow well (picks the wrong tackling lanes) and Cam Brown has concentration lapses from time to time. We're still waiting for a leader to clearly "emerge" on the defense and straighten things out "in-game" vs the sidelines (or worse, at halftime). Cabinda was definitely our biggest loss from last year.

From what I could see it was mostly second level stuff--we weren't being physically handled by their O-Line, just weren't fitting gaps on the second and third levels. Safeties played back a little.......probably still shell-shocked off the App State game. Also clearly miss Marcus Allen.

 

[Agoodnap]

How did they stop the run that was being effective? Simple, they went man only on the WR's and loaded the box to stop the run.

 

[rudedude]

Keeping them pinned to their goal line for almost the entire second half with those weather conditions was huge. They also imploded with their mistakes. Just imagine if we didn’t get hosed with non calls (Amani face mask on interception) and bogus clip on Polk on Miles’ big run, and receivers caught the ball, we may have planted 70 on em’!

 

[ejb25]

CJF explains that the defense end wasn't "spilling??" and that was their biggest adjustment.

I don't know if that was the right term. But I have to give it to the coaches for identifying that and making those adjustments.

 

[psuno1]

I thought the call on JJ on Sanders long to catch was bad as well, if you watch it again the Pitt player makes first contact and JJ spins off him.

 

[ejb25]

At his post game Press conference Pat Narduzi had no idea, why there Run Game worked in the first half and not the second half. It's the little things like this that people don't appreciate from CJF. #outcoached

 

[bkmtnittany1]

I looked like to me that the DL's splits were tighter.....not a fb coach so I may be full of crap. But 5 captain and cokes can do that to ya!

 

[Marylovesthelions]

CJF explains that the defense end wasn't "spilling??" and that was their biggest adjustment.

I don't know if that was the right term. But I have to give it to the coaches for identifying that and making those adjustments.

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He explained they were attacking the block with the wrong shoulder and thus being cut off from the play, unable to shed and be in a position to tackle.

 

[Rollin Stone]

My take was that in the first half Pitt was again doing some funky formations with the O-Line either lining up in them or shifting to them and the defense was not aligning properly to the offensive set.

I think that when we watch the replay you will see on some plays 4 Blockers on one side of the center where we only had 2 DL. So I think it’s part the LBers not setting the front to the correct side or not switching the front when there is shifting.

Now sometimes it is easier said then done to make the adjustments on the sideline when there is some chaos. Also when the players come off the field and the coaches are asking them what the Offense is doing they say something different than what the coaches are seeing in the box. (Obviously, they have different POVs). So for the DC, he has to reconciled what the coaches are saying and what the players are saying. I think this is what was happen with the setting the Def Front to the wrong side or not switching it with the shifts. Sometimes it takes the halftime when the D-coaches can all get to get and figure it out a little.

I think what Franklin said about “spilling” and “wrong arming” which I can go into if anyone wants to know. But for right now it comes down to the DL playing that counter play correctly in concert with how the LBers fit their gaps. Sometimes when you watch on TV who we think made the mistake may not be the guy who did but someone else did.

I think when they got to halftime they were able to figure it out and make the correct adjustments, that’s good. What’s concerning is not being able to figure it out by the second quarter. And this could stem from the lack of experience of some of the players. If the LBers are setting the front wrong and come to the sideline and incorrectly tell the coach what he’s seeing, makes it tough on the coach to make the correct adjustments, because he’s getting conflicting or incorrect information from multiple sources. IE from the box coaches and the multiple players on the field. Basically fog of war (hate using that analogy).

I believe that as the players gain more experience, they will be able to understand what is happening and explain to the coaches better. Which should allow the adjustments to happen quicker.

Fingers crossed.

 

[Rollin Stone]

CJF explains that the defense end wasn't "spilling??" and that was their biggest adjustment.

I don't know if that was the right term. But I have to give it to the coaches for identifying that and making those adjustments.

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He explained they were attacking the block with the wrong shoulder and thus being cut off from the play, unable to shed and be in a position to tackle.

Actually wrong shouldering is a type of technique used vs power and counter plays to “spill” the RB to the outside. This means that vs these type of plays the LBers will flow over the top and tackle the RB outside.

If the LBers are expecting the DEs to “wrong arm” the pulling Guard, but the DE doesn’t do that, you have the DE kicked out and the LBer flowing fast over the top and now the RB can run north and doubts through a Giant Hole in the LOS. The DL and the LBers on the backside need to fight through their blockers but the frontside needs to get in better sink with regard to their gap responsibilities.

That’s why we were gashed with the power and counter plays, because of the DEs and LBers not in-sync with their gap responsibilities.

 

[nits74]

I am not an x/o guy, but this sounds awfully close to what CJF told DWill going into the locker room at the half.

DWill asked him about adjustments, and CJF went into specifics using coachspeak...which I did not fully understand. He sounded very confident that he was gonna get it fixed within the next few minutes.

I noticed this also and his confidence at that point caused me to settle down (my girlfriend was happy about that).

 

[marisa45]

CJF explains that the defense end wasn't "spilling??" and that was their biggest adjustment.

I don't know if that was the right term. But I have to give it to the coaches for identifying that and making those adjustments.

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Just a fancier way of "losing contain". They still have young rush ends shooting straight up the field and losing contain by over-running the play or not forcing the play to the inside where they have help and the lanes are smaller. Linebackers are running into lineman who have the play covered in their current lane--which is the definition of not "fitting" a gap. Young linebackers chasing bait like a young bass after a crank lure.

 

[EPC FAN]

I'm guessing here, but the fact that we had A LOT of points made them one dimensional (had to throw more). That took away their team strength (running misdirection) and ball control offense.

So they had to play catch up doing something they we're not good at, pass protection and catching the ball in less than ideal conditions as was witnessed by the multitude of dropped passes by our receivers.

They didn’t throw the ball more.

 

[SoParkLion]

What adjustments were made on Run Defense?

They were running it down our throats and looked unstoppable. And then all of a sudden, they cant run at all. It was complete night and day.

I think that the real-time value of PSU-tOSU game tickets was dropping while sPitt was running the ball... but then recall that in 2016 we gave up 42 to sPitt and then only 21 vs tOSU... and 31 vs Wiscy.