Question About Offense

[usfgrad84]

This is a serious question to those who know the Xs and Os of offense. After watching last night's game as well as a couple of other games, can anyone explain what our offensive game plan was last night?

I thought I understood football well enough to watch a game and understand what a team is trying to do. I mean you can see when a team is trying to pound the ball and control the tempo, or try to throw short passes or long passes to stretch the field or use a balanced attack.

When I watch our offense it simply looks like a team that is playing with the attitude of a pickup football game. They choose sides and BJ is the best athlete. They get in the huddle and the play is the good old "get open". Then because BJ is the best athlete he just either throws or runs around till something happens.

There are games where we just look like we don't have an organized game plan to move or control the ball.

I don't understand how hard it is to protect a young QB that is facing pressure by letting him take a 3 step drop and hit a guy 2 yards over the line on a slant for. A 5 yard gain or roll BJ and give him a run pass option.  Why is it that other teams use our aggressiveness agaist us by throwing a shovel pass or a screen or run a couple of misdirection or counter plays or true draw plays so we use the defensive speed against them. One other thing, I always thought that Ford lined up so deep in the backfield. James pointed it out last night when he said that he lines up so deep that there is no way he will be able to run against a fast defense like Rutgers. It makes a lot of sense why we have a hard time running against better, athletc teams.

Someone, please explain how this offense is not a playground offense. I just don't see anything else. I didn't last year with Grothe and I still don't.

[redfisher78]

Rutgers did the same thing to us they do every year. Put a spy on the QB and blitz the heck out of us. The entire coaching staff new that. My summation is they just dont have an answer for it.

[SQuinn17]

Offense? What's that?

[usfgrad84]

I am not just talking about last night. We even see this when we win. The only time I recall us really controlling the ball with some organization to it was against WVU in the 2nd half.

I'll have to watch again, but I don't even think we ran a true read option. It was more BJ on break down scrambles or designed sprints.

[bulldoze]

We do well against WVU because they sit back in base, vanilla defenses and rely on their speed.  We match up well with them.  Teams like Pitt/Rutgers/UCONN have much more sophisticated schemeswith players who do not miss the first tackle.  On offense those teams are bruising running teams that set up play action passing.  We do not match up with them and probably never will unless things change in terms of recruiting/coaching.

[usfgrad84]

I understand we don't match up. I am asking what is our offensive game plan. To me it just seems like the offense is to let the best athlete on the field throw it as far as he can or run around because he is the fastest on the team.

[usfbullcpa]

Two main issues this season.

1.  Youth.  We knew we would have a young offensive line and we expected this season to look like this.  Then the first part of the season they held it together and we forgot.  Now the season injuries are showing we have no depth on the line.  We had to shift strong side tackle to guard, bring in a new tackle.  The Center started the season as a L guard.  This has resulted in a swiss cheese protection scheme.  Now add in a young QB and he gas good legs and does not see downfielt well yet.  It becomes a breakdown we saw last night.

2.  BJ while an excellent athlete and I think a very good to become great QB just wants to rely on himself.  We saw this with Grothe, We saw it with Blackwell, and you can even say Florida saw that with Tebow, just to get off USF as an example.  He gets near sighted, and cannot see the deep, or options.  This came to a boil by the 3rd quarter last night where he took his drop, but never even lifted his head to look for a receiver, he dropped, stopped, and rolled out.

Next year will be better,  I honestly believe that. 

[usfgrad84]

Two main issues this season.

1.  Youth.  We knew we would have a young offensive line and we expected this season to look like this.  Then the first part of the season they held it together and we forgot.  Now the season injuries are showing we have no depth on the line.  We had to shift strong side tackle to guard, bring in a new tackle.  The Center started the season as a L guard.  This has resulted in a swiss cheese protection scheme.  Now add in a young QB and he gas good legs and does not see downfielt well yet.  It becomes a breakdown we saw last night.

2.  BJ while an excellent athlete and I think a very good to become great QB just wants to rely on himself.  We saw this with Grothe, We saw it with Blackwell, and you can even say Florida saw that with Tebow, just to get off USF as an example.  He gets near sighted, and cannot see the deep, or options.  This came to a boil by the 3rd quarter last night where he took his drop, but never even lifted his head to look for a receiver, he dropped, stopped, and rolled out.

Next year will be better,  I honestly believe that. 

But these are reasons/excuses. We knew this stuff going into the game.  What was the gameplan to minimize these factors and play winning football?  Thats is my biggest frustration.  Not only last night, but all year.  If he can't read the options available, don't give him any options where he has to make decisons.  Give him quick hit timing routes.  Roll the pocket .  Don't leave  because the OLine sucks.  him sitting back in the pocket where he has to read what is available or has to deal with a collapsing pocket.  Use his athlticsm proactively, not just his escapability. 

[lmiusf]

You have answered your own question. WE HAVE NO GAMEPLAN! I see the same things grad84.

Every other team we play has an identity on offense and we have none! We have and identity on defense as being aggressive which a lot of times works against us when a coaching staff "gameplans" for it. I can't count how many times Selive lost containment last night.

[smazza]

This is a serious question to those who know the Xs and Os of offense. After watching last night's game as well as a couple of other games, can anyone explain what our offensive game plan was last night?

I thought I understood football well enough to watch a game and understand what a team is trying to do. I mean you can see when a team is trying to pound the ball and control the tempo, or try to throw short passes or long passes to stretch the field or use a balanced attack.

When I watch our offense it simply looks like a team that is playing with the attitude of a pickup football game. They choose sides and BJ is the best athlete. They get in the huddle and the play is the good old "get open". Then because BJ is the best athlete he just either throws or runs around till something happens.

There are games where we just look like we don't have an organized game plan to move or control the ball.

I don't understand how hard it is to protect a young QB that is facing pressure by letting him take a 3 step drop and hit a guy 2 yards over the line on a slant for. A 5 yard gain or roll BJ and give him a run pass option.  Why is it that other teams use our aggressiveness agaist us by throwing a shovel pass or a screen or run a couple of misdirection or counter plays or true draw plays so we use the defensive speed against them. One other thing, I always thought that Ford lined up so deep in the backfield. James pointed it out last night when he said that he lines up so deep that there is no way he will be able to run against a fast defense like Rutgers. It makes a lot of sense why we have a hard time running against better, athletc teams.

Someone, please explain how this offense is not a playground offense. I just don't see anything else. I didn't last year with Grothe and I still don't.

i have been told usf runs

the read option spread

the spread

the wv offense

but i have never seen such an offense

usf's offense is both unique and inept

it doesnt look like west virginia's offense in any way