Film Study - Offense vs Clemson

[InsideLB]

Wonder how Devine would have faired vs Grady Jarrett?

 

[Madison Grant]

To keep it in perspective, Clemson has the #1 defense in the NCAA in terms of yards per game (252). Our offense may not have played well, but we still put up 353 on them, 100+ over their average. Statistically, UGAg looks like a much tougher match up. They are 13th in ypg defensively, and 29th? I think offensively. FSU looks like a very winnable game for us, despite them being undefeated and defending champs. They are 39th on offense and 55th on defense, and we are 25th and 62nd respectively, going by yards per game in both categories. I learned from watching Clemson all year that it isn't Deshaun Watson. Clemson is who they are. They let crap teams like Wake and Syracuse play them close because they just weren't that much better. Same for FSU. After 11 games with all the close calls, that is what the Noles are, and it aint dominating. UGAg on the other hand had a couple of bad games, and otherwise mopped the floor with some pretty good teams.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

Thanks Boomer.

Kudos to Chamberlain! Maybe our coaches and he know what they are doing (tic). And we have him for another year!

My principal observations match yours I think
1) The other team generally wants to win and will play hard and motivated. Clemson D was tough all day and other than two big runs by Snoddy and JT, kept the running game bottled up effectively. We were fortunate that we got that pick 6 and weren't down two scores, Clemson would have been more aggressive if they had a two score lead. Or do you think they would have stayed the same?

2) If you can't win the blocks on the one on one level scheme is not relevant. Clemson does have the best D we have seen in years to my naked eye (no slo mo replay). VT was good too, but not the speed and size and tackling efficiency of Clemson. Even though Clemson was the best D we have seen, we were able to execute enough (only one punt). One measure of that is the number of FGs we attempted .... The VT D forced us to try 4 FGs and VT and Duke were next in forcing us to attempt 3. (and we have only attempted 16 all year in 11 games).

3) We can now pass and are going to the true spread offense, e.g. spread the field vertically and not just horizontally like we have. JT passing efficiency is insane over the last five games averaging a QBR of about 185. http://www.cfbstats.com/2014/player/255/1047228/passing/gamelog.html I think that comes from better blocking as well as Smelter and Waller catching everything that's close ..... being a DC against us is a nightmare now.

This is a fun ride being a GT fan. Savor it while we can since you never know (teaser for 110 years of GT football I'm working on!)

 

[BainbridgeJacket]

Wonder how Devine would have faired vs Grady Jarrett?

Probably worse. Jarrett was winning by being quicker than the scoop block which Braun has been better at then devine.

 

[stylee]

It's harder to block good athletes. That's whether they're at defensive line or in the secondary.
The Clemson safeties and corners are skilled athletes, ergo it's tougher to get them on the ground.

Boomer's analysis is spot on. Bainbridge is right that Braun's quicker off the ball than Devine, making him a little more suited for backside scooping.

Nuke's right that JT's ability as a passer and Smelter/Waller sure hands has made us a really tough matchup.


I'm currently breaking down FSU v. The Citadel. Would it be better for me to post the breakdown after we beat UGA?

 

[LibertyTurns]

Would it be better for me to post the breakdown after we beat UGA?

Silly question. Everything's better after beating the Mutts. Even eating crap is better after beating the Mutts.

 

[Ggee87]

No chance they will line up like Miami's though. We will have to earn our yards this week. No doubt.

UGag has some talented LBs. So did Miami. Their D lines are also similar. The only matchup that worries me is Ugags Oline and RBs .VS. our DLINE and backers.

 

[Ggee87]

Thanks Boomer.

Kudos to Chamberlain! Maybe our coaches and he know what they are doing (tic). And we have him for another year!

My principal observations match yours I think
1) The other team generally wants to win and will play hard and motivated. Clemson D was tough all day and other than two big runs by Snoddy and JT, kept the running game bottled up effectively. We were fortunate that we got that pick 6 and weren't down two scores, Clemson would have been more aggressive if they had a two score lead. Or do you think they would have stayed the same?

2) If you can't win the blocks on the one on one level scheme is not relevant. Clemson does have the best D we have seen in years to my naked eye (no slo mo replay). VT was good too, but not the speed and size and tackling efficiency of Clemson. Even though Clemson was the best D we have seen, we were able to execute enough (only one punt). One measure of that is the number of FGs we attempted .... The VT D forced us to try 4 FGs and VT and Duke were next in forcing us to attempt 3. (and we have only attempted 16 all year in 11 games).

3) We can now pass and are going to the true spread offense, e.g. spread the field vertically and not just horizontally like we have. JT passing efficiency is insane over the last five games averaging a QBR of about 185. http://www.cfbstats.com/2014/player/255/1047228/passing/gamelog.html I think that comes from better blocking as well as Smelter and Waller catching everything that's close ..... being a DC against us is a nightmare now.

This is a fun ride being a GT fan. Savor it while we can since you never know (teaser for 110 years of GT football I'm working on!)

I hate to be that guy who corrects people but... if im not mistaken. QBR is on a scale of 0-100. The old ratings were weird and hard to understand. Hince the 185 number you listed.

 

[Boomergump]

I hate to be that guy who corrects people but... if im not mistaken. QBR is on a scale of 0-100. The old ratings were weird and hard to understand. Hince the 185 number you listed.

You might be thinking of NFL

 

[AE 87]

Silly question. Everything's better after beating the Mutts. Even eating crap is better after beating the Mutts.

I actually laughed out loud, well chuckled. Well done sir.

 

[alaguy]

To tell you the truth, I was a bit skeptical about all the hype surrounding the Clemson defense this season. After watching each play several times, I am a believer. There is a ton of speed for them on that side of the ball, at every position, including the interior of the DL. I mean, their DTs would chase plays down field like nobody else. When have you ever seen a DT get within an eyelash of getting a hand on JT 30 plus yards down file on a breakaway? Well, it happened last game. On the interior though, they are quick, and I mean really quick. That guy, #50, is a very stout 300 pounder, who plays incredibly low and just out-quicks everybody. He completely destroyed any blocking plans we may have had for plays. We just could not keep him off the ball carrier. We gave up trying to scoop him on the back side and started just pushing him inside (since he was beating us there anyway) and tried to run the dive behind him. It is not just him though. We already know about Beasley #3, but their #99 and #93 are pretty darned good players too. As good as our OL has looked against pretty much everybody, we looked pretty darned ordinary Saturday. I think you have to give Venables credit too. He had them really well schooled with a ton of little shifts right before the snap that blew up our blocking calls. Plus, when we tried Midline as a counter to their dominant DT, they were totally unfazed and waiting for it. Mason usually dominates inside and gets a lot of movement out of his guy, but you could see, he had met his match against Climpsum. He had all he could handle, as did the rest of our guys. Burden and Braun just didn't get it done at the first level. Having said all that, our guys held up well in pass protection most of the time, well enough for JT to make a ton of good throws. I want to stop for a moment and give Chamberlain some props. I have been tough on him for a long time. Well, he drew a tough assignment in Beasley and I thought he held his own all day. He never really got burned too bad. We didn't hear #3 being called much for Clemson. Bryan kept his feet moving and stayed in front of him pretty well. I thought that was a terrible match up for us, but it didn't turn out bad at all.

For the most part, we were terrible blocking the edge. Time and time again blocks were defeated out there and defensive plays made behind our line or for minimal gain. Smelter continued to crush people, but besides him, it was a clown show. Half the time, we wouldn't even touch guys, let alone get them on the ground. All in all a terrible day for ABs or pulling OLs. The big plays we did break had nothing to do with good blocks and more to do with assignment break downs or desperation late pitches where the defense had committed.

JT had a good day in that he made the throws he had to make and protected the football despite being placed under a good deal of duress. The one fumble on the first drive was a perfectly good pitch. The play was going nowhere, but the pitch was on the money. Zenon took his eyes off the ball and just plain dropped it. I think JT missed some reads, but let's face it, he was pushed outside his normal comfort zone timing-wise. He had a crap sandwich handed to him, and personally, I think he did about all we could reasonably expect him to do with it.

In the end, we gained yards on big run plays and passes, but we failed to SUSTAIN our normal offense. For the first time in a while, we get to thank our defense for a win. To tell you the truth, it actually feels kind of good to do so.

Yep, I didn't hear much from Beasley which told me chamberlain was doing it.In fact,he may be the poster boy for un-noticed reasons for Off improvement.Instead of a weakness,he is is almost a strength.
I knew it would be a Off struggle and it was .A def that is a HELP.What a amazing concept compared with most of the last few yrs.

 

[GT_B]

I really have no fear in UGA's defense, they have alright talent over there but we will move the ball like always against them.

Their OL is by far the best talent they have, don't get me wrong, chubb and gurley are good RBs but they are benefitied greatly by haVing fantastic run blocking OL and fullbacks. Half of their runs they go untouched 8-10 yards before they even get 1st contact. Very easy to break a long run when you only have to beat 1 guy 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. Florida was able to control their OL and that's why they struggled because no one has plugged their OL like that all year. Chubb and girly look average when they arent getting great blocking.

 

[Squints]

I hate to be that guy who corrects people but... if im not mistaken. QBR is on a scale of 0-100. The old ratings were weird and hard to understand. Hince the 185 number you listed.

You're confusing QBR and QB Rating. I think @GTNavyNuke was talking about QB Rating. QBR is a stat created and promoted by ESPN that's really better left ignored.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

I hate to be that guy who corrects people but... if im not mistaken. QBR is on a scale of 0-100. The old ratings were weird and hard to understand. Hince the 185 number you listed.

If the scale is 0- 100, a 185 is really good like I said!

Here's the rating I was referring to. There are probably a bunch floating around. I think the absolute max is like {400 edit*} http://www.cfbstats.com/2014/player/255/1047228/passing/gamelog.html

*Byerly had two passes and one was a TD. He got a 360. http://www.cfbstats.com/2014/player/255/1047227/passing/gamelog.html

 

[Ggee87]

If the scale is 0- 100, a 185 is really good like I said!

Here's the rating I was referring to. There are probably a bunch floating around. I think the absolute max is like {400 edit*} http://www.cfbstats.com/2014/player/255/1047228/passing/gamelog.html

*Byerly had two passes and one was a TD. He got a 360. http://www.cfbstats.com/2014/player/255/1047227/passing/gamelog.html

I definitely understood what you were referring to. I just thought the ESPN Total QBR thing was different from the QB rating. Didnt think they were called the same thing for some reason. Also... i thought i saw them using Total QBR for college players also. JeT may score even higher in that rating system. I just kind of liked the total QBR thing due to it being easier to comprehend.

 

[bcaff]

Usually the two names I hear are QBR (Quarter Back Rating) and passing efficiency. Passing efficiency or passer rating (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passer_rating) has been around forever and it only takes in passing stats. In the NFL, the max number is 158.3. In college, the formula is slightly different and the number tends to be higher; the number also isn't capped like the NFL stat.

QBR is a stat that was invented by ESPN that takes into account everything the quarterback does including passing, running, penalties, and sacks. It ranges from 0-100 and the average quarterback has a 50. It takes into account every play individually and rates the performance based on the situation. For instance, throwing a pass for 3 yards on 3rd and 2 will be rated higher than an 8 yard pass on 3rd and 10. ESPN hasn't released the specific formula for it.

I like the QBR because it takes into account more than just passing, and with our offense, the running abilities are so important. Currently, JT is 5th in the NCAA in QBR with a rating of 83.8. http://espn.go.com/college-football/qbr

 

[swampsting]

I really have no fear in UGA's defense, they have alright talent over there but we will move the ball like always against them.

I agree. I haven't been that impressed with Georgia's defense, you know, the one the DC said "we expect dominate." They were good against Auburn, but I also think Marshall played an awful game. I think their secondary in particular is vulnerable, and not just through the air. They will have to help in run support and I don't think they're experienced enough or good enough to force the issue. We've already played some stout front 7s - Va Tech, Miami, Clemson - and came away OK. I think we'll be better than OK this Saturday. A lot better.

 

[Fatmike91]

Very little discussion about Smelter so far in this thread. He made a difference. In the first series, right at the start of the game he made a big play (and almost a catch for a TD). He demonstrated that Clemson needs to fear him. Clemson made an adjustment and moved the safety over the top (out of the TV screen!). Then we made a run on the opposite sideline. Then they re-adjusted that safety...

He caught the TD in the second half. But the real play to watch is the play immediately before the TD (after JT's long run). He completely crushes the Clemson defender. I think one of the hardest hits I have ever seen. Who was it? The Clemson star defensive back who had to sit out the first half. Welcome to the game...

I will go on record to say that both Snoddy and JT would have scored on their long runs if they had went down the sideline and trusted Smelter to make the block.

/

 

[johncu]

As much hype as Vic Beasley gets (and rightfully so), Grady Jarrett is a better player. He was Aaron Donald-like in how he would blow up the interior play after play and still manage to chase and affect plays on the perimeter. The rest of the DL is every bit as good as advertised, too. The only game where they had a hiccup was UGA, but that was because they were on the field the entire 2nd half when Cole "Three-and-Stoudt" was leading the offense just started running through tired arm-tacklers.

As a Clemson grad I will hate to see that DL go, but as GT fan I'm pretty happy!

 

[ibeattetris]

As much hype as Vic Beasley gets (and rightfully so), Grady Jarrett is a better player. He was Aaron Donald-like in how he would blow up the interior play after play and still manage to chase and affect plays on the perimeter. The rest of the DL is every bit as good as advertised, too. The only game where they had a hiccup was UGA, but that was because they were on the field the entire 2nd half when Cole "Three-and-Stoudt" was leading the offense just started running through tired arm-tacklers.

As a Clemson grad I will hate to see that DL go, but as GT fan I'm pretty happy!

Jarrett was everywhere and completely unstoppable. He took one series off during the clemson game to "get a breather" and our offense looked unstoppable. He single handedly was limiting our O.