One thing completely obvious watching yesterday

gamecockcat

Heisman
Oct 29, 2004
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Our running game DESIGN is completely vanilla. Every team I saw yesterday ran a bunch of traps, motion, fake misdirection, etc. MSU did run quite a bit straight up running plays but even they pulled and trapped, too. Maybe Dawson isn't the answer but when the design of each play is so basic and so dependent on each OL winning their individual battle with no hint of trying to confuse the defense, it's really no surprise our running game was so ineffective.

Would sure like to see more creativity and innovation incorporated into the design of each play versus straight handoffs from the shotgun.
 
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sluggercatfan

Heisman
Aug 17, 2004
35,953
29,631
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Our running game DESIGN is completely vanilla. Every team I saw yesterday ran a bunch of traps, motion, fake misdirection, etc. MSU did run quite a bit straight up running plays but even they pulled and trapped, too. Maybe Dawson isn't the answer but when the design of each play is so basic and so dependent on each OL winning their individual battle with no hint of trying to confuse the defense, it's really no surprise our running game was so ineffective.

Would sure like to see more creativity and innovation incorporated into the design of each play versus straight handoffs from the shotgun.
Wow...did you not watch us rush for almost 400 yds against uncc... signed Mark Stoops, Shannon Dawson
 
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kyjohn

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Feb 5, 2003
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Our running game DESIGN is completely vanilla. Every team I saw yesterday ran a bunch of traps, motion, fake misdirection, etc. MSU did run quite a bit straight up running plays but even they pulled and trapped, too. Maybe Dawson isn't the answer but when the design of each play is so basic and so dependent on each OL winning their individual battle with no hint of trying to confuse the defense, it's really no surprise our running game was so ineffective.

Would sure like to see more creativity and innovation incorporated into the design of each play versus straight handoffs from the shotgun.
You forgot,Dawson and UK are Air Raid oriented,so they don't need a running offense like you described.
 

docholiday51

Heisman
Oct 19, 2001
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26,718
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One other thing that was obvious,these teams(from WKU/So Miss on up the line)get plays off without false starts,holding or some other penalty every other play.They do what they are supposed to do,the attention to detail is far better than what we see watching UK.Things like that can be fixed without havein a 5 star player at every position,hell little league kids can do that if they are taught well enough.
 
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UKWildcats#8

All-American
Jun 25, 2011
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Air Raid only works if you have coaches and players intelligent/competent enough to run it. We have neither of those at present IMO.
 
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WildCard

All-American
May 29, 2001
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I'll take your word for it; I just did not watch games quite as "closely" as I did in the past. I will say that last year when Towles was running the ball quite a bit (or in JoJo's Wildcat game against USC), UK ran the same basic play (inside zone QB run) using multiple blocking schemes (i.e., straight zone blocking, lead with FB and backside pull).

Like most everyone, I had a some trouble figuring out exactly what Dawson was really trying to do with the offense. But as I have said many times, when your O-line is weak, your offense is generally reduced to a sporadic play here and a play there type of thing. JMO.

Peace
 

tntuk

Heisman
Jan 17, 2002
11,489
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Air Raid only works if you have coaches and players intelligent/competent enough to run it. We have neither of those at present IMO.
I think Dawson knows how to run a true Air Raid offense...I'm just not so sure he is allowed to fully implement it.
 

Mr Schwump

Heisman
Nov 4, 2006
29,563
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What I noticed:

1. OLs that pushed people backwards in the run game
2. RBs that didn't come out of the game after 2-3 carries to catch their breath
3. WRs that actually caught passes
4. Biggest thing to me....guys bodies had definition and didn't look like a beer league softball team
 
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Bluetick2100

All-Conference
Apr 15, 2007
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Anybody's system, needs good O-Line play.
This seasons O-Line couldn't be effective for anybody's system.
 

gamecockcat

Heisman
Oct 29, 2004
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But I think part of the OL struggles can be attributed to how basic our scheme was. Very little creativity and almost never catching the defense off guard can and did lead to a lot of ineffective plays and TFLs, imho.

Surely there are more variations possible from the shotgun than just a straight handoff into the A gap.
 
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zcats

Heisman
May 29, 2001
38,028
40,184
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I agree with the OP. The offense we run is simple and easy to defend. Once opponents saw what we were doing they adjusted and we didn't counter.
 

TBCat

Heisman
Mar 30, 2007
14,317
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Our running game DESIGN is completely vanilla. Every team I saw yesterday ran a bunch of traps, motion, fake misdirection, etc. MSU did run quite a bit straight up running plays but even they pulled and trapped, too. Maybe Dawson isn't the answer but when the design of each play is so basic and so dependent on each OL winning their individual battle with no hint of trying to confuse the defense, it's really no surprise our running game was so ineffective.

Would sure like to see more creativity and innovation incorporated into the design of each play versus straight handoffs from the shotgun.
This is one of my complaints about the "balanced Air Raid". There's really no such thing. The running game in the Air Raid by design is simplistic and there are reasons for that. You don't have the unbalanced lines and the variety of iso, traps or pulling guards that you have a more traditional system. You might have some of it but not to the degree that you see in a pro set. For the running game to be effective in the Air Raid it has to work off your passing game. The running game can be effective out of the Air Raid. Maybe even more effective but you have to understand that the running game is your change up not your fastball. Nothing in the Air Raid works if you are not committed to throwing the ball. Bottom like keep the Air Raid and lose the balanced garbage or lose the Air Raid. Either or. You can't be a run first team out of the Air Raid.
 

gamecockcat

Heisman
Oct 29, 2004
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^Great post, TB. You can't be balanced Air Raid - it's contradictory. Air Raid means pass first to set up the run to keep the D off balance. A 'balanced' attack needs more sophistication in the running game than the traditional Air Raid provides. Can't have both unless you're trying to combine concepts of each, which I think is impossible. Pass to set up the run but in a balanced way? Recipe for disaster, imo. Or one line that describes UK's offense this year. Either way.