The Good, The Bad and the Ugly: Georgia vs. Ohio State Drives 10 & 11
DON'T PANIC.
Drive 10
3rd & 7 at the +29 (4:37 3Q)
After two drives with no score, the Dawgs are facing another 3rd down on their first set of downs. Thanks to a 22 yard punt return, they are already in field goal range.
Ohio State is showing a pressure look with six potential rushers playing MOFC Man behind it. In a bunch formation, the Bulldogs should be able to get to a good play with some crossers to distort the man with a rub. However, the choose not to do that and instead go for the rub to the solo receiver side.
The concept is the classic Noel Mazzone Exxon with a snag and a flat/wheel by the RB. The issue here is the lack of a rub by the snag player. The play is usually a sound choice against man coverage because it gets the RB against an inside linebacker and the snag has the ability to get in the way of that inside linebacker on his way to cover the RB.
But that doesn’t happen. This play is, unfortunately, lost due to a lack of detail in the execution. Solid design, poor result. You can almost see the WR running the snag avoid running into the inside linebacker. While the WR can’t be obvious about it as to draw a flag, completely side stepping the linebacker is a massive issue. If anything, the snag player needs to force the inside linebacker over him as that is a longer path to the RB. Allowing the linebacker to run underneath gives him a straight shot — the only way to beat that path is if the RB is super fast and can get over top with the QB throwing the ball with air.
Bennett sees the inside linebacker get over there and is forced to move on, but there is no answer for him backside. The Dawgs miss the field goal and with a Buckeyes’ offense that looks designed to destroy the Dawgs’ defense, panic starts to creep in.
Drive Summary:
4 plays, -2 yards, Missed FG (2:17)
Score:
OSU 35 - UGA 24
Drive 11
1st & 10 at the +43 (13:54 4Q)
This play is a great example of a QB throwing on rhythm against a pressure. The Buckeyes, once again, are play MOFC and bring the Mike and play 3 deep 3 under on the backend. Thankfully (for the offense), the strong safety has no idea what’s going on and the TE runs right over his head on a crosser. Bennett is probably looking there for his first read and rips it on rhythm for an explosive.
The Bulldogs are in a six man protection off gap scheme play action and don’t pick up the Mike who comes free. Thankfully the Mike isn’t running as fast as he can. However, the rhythm of Bennett’s drop would’ve beaten the blitz too. So another fundamental at play: throwing on rhythm gets the explosive (along with the strong safety not doing a thing to cover him, of course).
1st & 10 at the +17 (13:35 4Q)
Though the defense is playing MOFC Zone against the offense’s 11 personnel, the offense has the numbers advantage since the defense is playing 3 Buzz and the boundary safety hasn’t come down into the box yet. The issue with 3 Buzz is that it pushes the Will into the flat to naturally out-leverage any QB keep.
The defensive end can afford to be the RB player without worry of a QB keep — thus Bennett gets the keep read and runs right into the Will. As I see it, this predicament is hard to avoid unless you can check out the play or have a triple-like RPO that the QB can use to answer this problem. The Dawgs don’t do either.
2nd & 7 at the +14 (12:58 4Q)
The Bulldogs have hopped in this formation throughout the game but will all zone runs, so here they pull out the jet as a counter. But they can’t block it and the numbers turn against them by the defenders in pursuit.
The TE on the right side has a tough block. My guess is that he’s been tasked with reaching the first outside flat defender — but this is a tough ask because that defender is far outside him. So he can’t reach him, but only try to kick him out. The TE with the ball can’t cut upfield because there are defenders racing in pursuit. Then to make matters worse the outside WR isn’t able to block the corner.
Absolute disaster that sets Georgia up for another tough 3rd down. On that 3rd down, there seemed to be a miscommunication between the WR and the QB as the ball was thrown short and the WR ran deep. So then the Bulldogs said forget the FG, let’s go for it on 4th.
4th & 6 at the +13 (12:10 4Q)
The Bulldogs finally pull out a simple quick game right at the moment they need it. Facing Cover 0, they have a comeback-out concept called into the boundary. It’s a one-on-one matchup between the TE and the defender.
This play works because the defender plays with over and inside leverage and backs up at the release. The TE does a great job of running the route at six yards, enough for the first down. No other route looked to good so Bennett’s pre-snap decision and post-snap confirmation made all the difference.
3rd & Goal at the +13 (10:14 4Q)
So the Bulldogs seem to be thinking TD or nothing after that 4th down attempt. On 1st down they got a decent run outside to the three yard line, but 2nd down was a disastrous backward pass that didn’t get to the WR and lost Georgia 10 yards.
So here we are in another 3rd down standoff. The Bulldogs naturally choose to get routes in the end zone on a double dig concept with a whip underneath. While Bennett does a good job at getting the ball out fast with conviction, there is a numbers and leverage problem. Both digs are double covered as Ohio State chose to play MOFO defend the goal line. Not only is the WR target’s route leveraged from the inside by the safety, the cornerback also is playing over and inside.
Could this play have worked?
The Bulldogs put three WRs into the end zone against four Ohio State defenders. That means the defense can properly double only two of them. The only way this could’ve worked is by the design of the read on the play (which I know nothing about). The post by the number one receiver to the left was on a post. The number three receiver to the right was on a dig. So the read could’ve been on that left safety and play off him. That would’ve been sound offense. If Bennet was just looking right the entire time and reading the play inside out, then there was really no chance of getting out of the numbers problem unless the left safety’s job was strictly to double the left WR.
That safety did jump out to help with that WR, but followed Bennett’s eyes and doubled the first dig. So Bennett would’ve only been able to hit that post if he’d manipulated that safety with his eyes by either looking him off or reading the first dig to the post. Then he would’ve had to laser a ball high enough to get over that safety and the WR would’ve had to make a heck of a catch. That would’ve been advanced QB play.
So this play didn’t work because of a numbers and leverage problem that the Dawgs didn’t have the tools to fix within in the play.
Drive Summary:
12 plays, 62 yards, FG (5:17)
Score:
OSU 38 - UGA 27
Where Do They Stand
The first four offensive drives of the second half for Georgia saw two punts, a missed field goal, and a successful field goal in a goal to go situation. While the first half seemed to promise explosives throughout the game, there haven’t been many since. That’s partly due to Georgia not dialing them up, but also when they do, not going against a good look. Ohio State has been able to shed blocks in the run game and keep them stifled there too despite decent run numbers. Once again, the game is about blocking and tackling.
Tomorrow will look at how the Dawgs manage to score two touchdowns to put themselves in position to win the game.
Until then,
Emory Wilhite
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