Coach Dave Patenaude

stinger 1957

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,283
We need to get the running game going in the 2nd half of the season, but it just hasn't been there lately. Maybe Sims' recent success with deep passes will open it up some.
Your mention of the deep pass reminds me of the Pitt fan coming on this site and telling us that is exactly what W. Michigan did to defeat Pitt and maybe if we can be effective with the deep throw and get the "box" stacking stopped it will help our run game. Also our OC needs to quit being so damn predictable on first down and maybe other downs, I don't know, but 1st down is obvious to me.
 

TromboneJacket

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
818
Location
Seattle, WA
I think y’all really need to go back and watch plays from our last game again. Patenaude is more creative than y’all realize. I just watched us run a midline option that was blocked almost to perfection, and it went for a first down.

And not all of our issues are play-calling. I just watched one of Sims’ interceptions in slo-mo. The guy on the right was tightly covered from start to finish on that play. At no point did he look remotely open. Meanwhile on the left side, the two inside receivers get at least somewhat open multiple times, and by the time Sims throws the ball, the outside guy on the left (possibly Malachi?) has beaten his guy and will go for a touchdown if the ball hits him in stride. Sims never even turned his head left. And pre-snap it’s clear that dook is unprepared. Their secondary is desperately trying to figure out who’s got whom on the left side. I can’t imagine Patenaude told Sims “Hey, completely ignore the coverage pre-snap, and lock your eyes on the isolated receiver. Don’t take your eyes off him or even entertain the thought of throwing to anyone else, no matter how tightly covered he is.”
 

slugboy

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
10,748
I think y’all really need to go back and watch plays from our last game again. ...

Super Troopers Yes GIF by Searchlight Pictures
 

SOWEGA Jacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,865
I get that play calling can be Monday morning quarterbacked every game. What I personally don’t like with Patenaude is that everything he runs are plays that you see every team run every game. There are no wrinkles to any of his plays. Hence, when the players do everything right the play succeeds. When something goes awry (as happens to every team a lot) we are dead in the water. A good OC can create plays that not only work when run as designed but also can work with a blown assignment thrown in. That‘s why I’ve used the term “vanilla” for Patenaude. Right now, no defense is confused by our pre snap motion or our alignments. They already know our plays because their offense runs the same ones. So the thought in a defenders head at the snap is which play is it then react. What you see from high end OC’s are plays that make defenders doubt their initial reaction which costs them a step or two in reaction time.

Last year in the Natty, Bama’s OC ran that play with Devonte Smith lining up in the slot and then doing an A back arc only to stop and go back the same direction for an easy catch and 1 on 1 with a LB. They scored off it once and I think picked up a 1st down off the other. Not a flashy play at all and not a play they normally ran. It was just something drawn up to get their best player in space. This stuff isn’t that hard and you don’t have to be a “career” football guy to come up with wrinkles. Right now, Patenaude can experiment because we stink and our OLine can’t really block so he could be using this time to revamp his play book. Instead, we’ll keep running handoffs 5 yards behind the LOS with an OLine who has proven they can’t block it.
 

forensicbuzz

Helluva Engineer
Messages
8,008
Location
North Shore, Chicago
Run the ball.
Then run the ball again.
Run it with Gibbs.
Run it with Mason.
Run it with Smith.
If that doesn’t work.
Run it with Sims.
I know it’s simplistic but the reason we seem to be having issues is INTs.
Don’t throw= no INTs.
I should probably watch tapes of our 3 & Out sessions but I’m drunk and this is an opinion.
I finally realized that our O-line is not as depleted as I though so PLEASE…I BEG….HAVE THEM TAKE OVER ONE GAME.

RUN THE BALL.
Thanks.
Buzztheirazz
Drunk at 3am (or 4am EST) probably means you shouldn't be posting.
 

GTBandit22

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,169
as someone on the run the ball train, I agree with the earlier post. Both Pitt and Duke sold out on run downs then backed off on 2nd and 3rd and long. They are daring us to beat them down the field, and that necessitates more passing.

My problem with Patenaude comes on some of his situational calls. The third and 14 comeback pass that even if all goes right, is a 7 yard gain, if it goes wrong it is picked. Not a good risk/reward.The draw on 3rd and long. The 3rd/4th and 3 power run when we have been getting stuffed. It’s easy to have hindsight and second guess, but even within the flow of the game, these are bad calls.

Just like we had the rocket toss, I think we would be better served to have some de facto running plays by getting Gibbs/Dante the ball in space. He is calling those, but I think they need to be more central to the calling than they have been. Instead of running Gibbs into the gut 15-20 times, how about subbing 5-10 swings, screens, arrow routes to get him the ball in space. I thought he called a decent game against Duke, and those were big plays. The screen on the last drive was setting up to be a huge play but the Duke DE made a great hustle play and knocked the ball loose. If we can hit those consistently, that will stop teams from bringing the heat every 1/2 and medium to long.
 

LibertyTurns

Banned
Messages
6,216
You laugh but have you noticed that he has added two of the things the boards have been screaming for? Two back sets, and QB under center at the goal-line.
You could be right. Maybe he needs a better Wifi connection? The more he reads this board, the faster he might improve. Either that or pay someone to whisper in his ear during the games.
 

slugboy

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
10,748
We run the same system as Clemson and Pitt. Clemson looks bad making the same play calls we do. Pitt looks good making the same play calls we do.

For comparison, here’s a response to Clemson fans griping about Tony Elliott. If you make TDs, no one complains about your offense

(Not actually true. People will complain about touchdowns)

 

UgaBlows

Helluva Engineer
Messages
6,351
as someone on the run the ball train, I agree with the earlier post. Both Pitt and Duke sold out on run downs then backed off on 2nd and 3rd and long. They are daring us to beat them down the field, and that necessitates more passing.

My problem with Patenaude comes on some of his situational calls. The third and 14 comeback pass that even if all goes right, is a 7 yard gain, if it goes wrong it is picked. Not a good risk/reward.The draw on 3rd and long. The 3rd/4th and 3 power run when we have been getting stuffed. It’s easy to have hindsight and second guess, but even within the flow of the game, these are bad calls.

Just like we had the rocket toss, I think we would be better served to have some de facto running plays by getting Gibbs/Dante the ball in space. He is calling those, but I think they need to be more central to the calling than they have been. Instead of running Gibbs into the gut 15-20 times, how about subbing 5-10 swings, screens, arrow routes to get him the ball in space. I thought he called a decent game against Duke, and those were big plays. The screen on the last drive was setting up to be a huge play but the Duke DE made a great hustle play and knocked the ball loose. If we can hit those consistently, that will stop teams from bringing the heat every 1/2 and medium to long.
We should be running screens left and right with Gibbs ALOT! if executed a little better than our previous attempts this play would kill With him in space and give pass rushers a lot to think about
 

UgaBlows

Helluva Engineer
Messages
6,351
Run the ball.
Then run the ball again.
Run it with Gibbs.
Run it with Mason.
Run it with Smith.
If that doesn’t work.
Run it with Sims.
I know it’s simplistic but the reason we seem to be having issues is INTs.
Don’t throw= no INTs.
I should probably watch tapes of our 3 & Out sessions but I’m drunk and this is an opinion.
I finally realized that our O-line is not as depleted as I though so PLEASE…I BEG….HAVE THEM TAKE OVER ONE GAME.

RUN THE BALL.
Thanks.
Buzztheirazz
Paul? Coach J is that you?
 
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