Five Plays: Ole Miss Third Quarter
· Yahoo Sports
If you are accustomed to reading this series over the last few years, you are aware that the title is merely an often-failed goal. This game really picked up in the third quarter, so I decided to clip all of the plays that felt relevant to the outcome of the game. We started to see Louisville get things going on offense while also seeing the defense start to break a bit.
Let’s dive in.
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While the checkdown to Isaac Brown in the second quarter was the moment that made me feel good about Lincoln Kienholz’ potential, I think this was the throw that led Cards fans (and players) to buy into what Linc could be as a passer. This is a perfect throw. It has the right pace and trajectory; it is on time, and it is placed where only his receiver can get it. This was a turning point in the game for Linc.
I didn’t notice it until I clipped the play, but only one Ole Miss player identified that this was a jet sweep. Tre Richardson runs right through that one player’s tackle attempt on his way to a touchdown. It was really nice to see him blow through this tackle so easily, since that’s not what Richardson has been known for. I think we’ll see him on more jet sweeps and option plays as the season goes on.
This is not only a perfectly executed play, but it is also a testament to Jeff Brohm setting up plays with his personnel. They had been running the ball consistently all game, even without overwhelming success. That kept the Rebels keying on those handoffs, which is why they bit on this play. Brohm using motion was also a major factor, as the Rebels stopped acknowledging the motions. You can see Lawayne McCoy with a simple motion before Richardson goes in motion. It was so much movement that it stopped having an impact on the defense, which was the goal.
The Cards need this consistently from Daylen Russell. Even more so with Demeco Kennedy out for a few weeks. He does an outstanding job of getting into the center’s pads quickly and with good leverage. This allows him to gain control and toss the center to the side. His ability to then make the tackle is what really stands out to me. He is completely under control on this play and honed in on what he wants to do. For a guy who hasn’t played very many snaps at all in college, this is great to see.
I personally feel that Trinidad Chambliss is the best quarterback in the country, and he shows why on this play. He uses his great eye discipline to hold just about every defender in the middle of the field before he zips a throw between Stanquan Clark and Bryson Scott that he throws well before his receiver clears Clark. Deuce Alexander does the rest with his insane speed down the sideline.
My only two issues with the Cards on this play are that the defensive line has to be able to provide pressure with four rushers this year. They invested in this group, and they just weren’t good enough on Sunday.
Also, it appears that Koen Entringer turns his hips on this play, which leaves him having to recover to try to make this tackle. There’s no threat to the field side with DJ Waller in the deep third to that side. With Alexander crossing the field, Entringer should be getting depth down the middle. It looks like he is turning to the play, but I’m not sure. But he probably could have saved a touchdown if he were in better position.
This was a well-blocked play by the offensive line. Specifically, Johnnie Brown does well to get around the edge as a pulling guard to wash out the edge of the defense. You can see a bowling-ball effect as he takes on number 11. Lance Robinson and Eryx Daughtery also do a good job of controlling their blocks, which creates the wall that Brown whips around.
Keyjuan Brown shows really good patience on this run by allowing his blockers to clear a path before he gets up the field and runs through a tackle on his way to a first down. This is real growth from Brown, and I think we’ll see it showing up more as the year goes on. Instead of trying to bounce this outside or just running into the back of his blockers, he throttles down a bit and then presses the seam to get up the field. His skill then shows up as he gets free to gain yardage.
This is one of the most selfish penalties I’ve seen recently. Jabari Mack clearly sees Chambliss running out of bounds, and at the last second he decides to throw his shoulder into him for no real reason. Chambliss isn’t going to cut this back. He’s clearly looking at the sideline as he gives up on the play. Mack even eases up because he sees Chambliss giving up on the play. You can’t have this stuff from the most veteran player on the team.
Brohm continued to do a very good job of making calls off of plays he set up earlier. The jet sweep earlier to Richardson drew no attention from the defense because they had been running downhill all game. On this jet action to Richardson, the entire defense reacts outside of two players, and Linc gets a clear lane through the middle of the defense.
It was also nice to see Linc at full speed in the open field. Even in open practices, it was hard to get a true feel for how fast he is. He shows here that he can outrun a good number of players on the field. I think that if he just had #14 to deal with here, he may have held him off with a stiff arm and his speed. Hopefully we get to see him break one this season.
Myles Norwood did not have a fun time to end the third quarter. He’s in press-man coverage here with safety help behind him. He allows the receiver to beat him past his face on an in route, and he is unable to recover to stop the completion. His technique is poor, which you can see because he ends up nearly falling backwards when he gets beaten. He needs to either get his hands on the receiver or play him inside so that he can use the boundary as an extra defender.
I’ll point out again that the pass rush doesn’t even make Chambliss uncomfortable here.
Norwood doesn’t do anything wrong on this play. He just can’t keep up with Alexander. But the issue I have is that no one on this defense has much of a chance of keeping up with Alexander, which is why they shouldn’t be in press coverage here.
This felt like a moment where the new defensive staff let one slip. Norwood had been in for multiple plays, so it’s not some sort of surprise situation where he was replacing an injured player. Steve Ellis and Mark Ivey should have put him in a better position by playing him in off coverage on this play. Even a 5-yard cushion would have helped him keep up, and it would have given him a better chance to run the receiver into the sideline. Instead, he gets blown by for an easy touchdown.