For a little nostalgia …

takethepoints

Helluva Engineer
Messages
5,909
Feeling a bit nostalgic? For the spread option? Want to see how it works under the new, supposedly option-killing NCAA rules? Here you go.



This is the Armed Forces Bowl highlights. The Air Force spread option against the best rushing D in the FBS at James Madison. And, of course, when you have the right combo of QB and BB, the results are a foregone conclusion: 351 yards rushing (JMU averaged giving up 62), 45 passing (including one of those post routes for a TD we used to see), and 13 more minutes possession. One thing: you would have to watch the whole game to see the death marches that won it; no "highlights" for a drive that took 9 minutes to go 75 yards, you know.

Well, watching us win yesterday was a lot like watching this so I was happy about both bowls. Plow "em under, I say.
 

g0lftime

Helluva Engineer
Messages
5,424
Feeling a bit nostalgic? For the spread option? Want to see how it works under the new, supposedly option-killing NCAA rules? Here you go.



This is the Armed Forces Bowl highlights. The Air Force spread option against the best rushing D in the FBS at James Madison. And, of course, when you have the right combo of QB and BB, the results are a foregone conclusion: 351 yards rushing (JMU averaged giving up 62), 45 passing (including one of those post routes for a TD we used to see), and 13 more minutes possession. One thing: you would have to watch the whole game to see the death marches that won it; no "highlights" for a drive that took 9 minutes to go 75 yards, you know.

Well, watching us win yesterday was a lot like watching this so I was happy about both bowls. Plow "em under, I say.

If you aren't a totally dominant defensive team against that offense, it will eat you alive. Very difficult to prepare for it too. Duke would schedule Army before they played us to help them prepare for our spread option when Cutcliffe was there and he was more successful than most against us.
 

5277hike

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
208
If you aren't a totally dominant defensive team against that offense, it will eat you alive. Very difficult to prepare for it too. Duke would schedule Army before they played us to help them prepare for our spread option when Cutcliffe was there and he was more successful than most against us.
Sounds like there must have been some collusion with the ACC schedulers since out of conference games are usually booked before the conference schedule comes out.
 

g0lftime

Helluva Engineer
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5,424
Sounds like there must have been some collusion with the ACC schedulers since out of conference games are usually booked before the conference schedule comes out.
I looked it up. Around 2010 2011 they played us late and had both navy and army the same year before us. They did play us later years before army when they moved us to earlier in their schedule. Pretty smart move by Cutcliffe to prepare for more than one team with that offense. He definitely had a lot of success against PJ. He had figured something out.
 

takethepoints

Helluva Engineer
Messages
5,909
I looked it up. Around 2010 2011 they played us late and had both navy and army the same year before us. They did play us later years before army when they moved us to earlier in their schedule. Pretty smart move by Cutcliffe to prepare for more than one team with that offense. He definitely had a lot of success against PJ. He had figured something out.
I htink what Cut figured pout was a) practice makes perfect and b) finding a good QB for his O was vital. Running the D against live spread option teams was risky, but not as risky as going into a game with Paul without prior preparation. Also, since possessions were likely to be limited against the spread option, it was imperative that you score when you had the chance. This did work. Unless Tech had the QB?BB combo to maker it irrelevant. Like, say, 2016 when Thomas beat Puke pretty much single-handed.
 

1979jacket

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
571
I htink what Cut figured pout was a) practice makes perfect and b) finding a good QB for his O was vital. Running the D against live spread option teams was risky, but not as risky as going into a game with Paul without prior preparation. Also, since possessions were likely to be limited against the spread option, it was imperative that you score when you had the chance. This did work. Unless Tech had the QB?BB combo to maker it irrelevant. Like, say, 2016 when Thomas beat Puke pretty much single-handed.
in 16 Thomas avoided a sack and ran 70 yards from the end zone - he was unreal that day.
 

Root4GT

Helluva Engineer
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2,455
ACC collusion is well-documented concerning schools scheduling byes before facing CPJ. Of course, the ACC denies...
Not collusion. It was allowed for teams to request bye weeks. Some teams were smart and used the rule to their advantage. After CJP raised a stink the ACC changed the rule. No collusion.
 

YoungSting

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
250
Not collusion. It was allowed for teams to request bye weeks. Some teams were smart and used the rule to their advantage. After CJP raised a stink the ACC changed the rule. No collusion.

I know schools were allowed to request certain bye weeks during the year, but they are allowed to decide who they play after the bye week? Or did tech just run into a hilariously long streak of bad scheduling luck?
 

Root4GT

Helluva Engineer
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2,455
I know schools were allowed to request certain bye weeks during the year, but they are allowed to decide who they play after the bye week? Or did tech just run into a hilariously long streak of bad scheduling luck?
Theam specifically asked for their bye prior to GT. As that was allowed the league tried to accommodate. That’s not collusion. It’s smart coaching. Really only 2 or 3 teams did it regularly. UNC did it the most
 

roadkill

Helluva Engineer
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1,111
Not collusion. It was allowed for teams to request bye weeks. Some teams were smart and used the rule to their advantage. After CJP raised a stink the ACC changed the rule. No collusion.

Sure, any school can request bye weeks. However, the league office has to grant them when determining schedules. I guess CPJ was incorrect when he accused the league office of always granting favorable schedules to the Carolina schools, despite frequently denying our bye requests. That's collusion. Funny that they changed the rule after he complained.

One extreme example of the opposite behavior from the league office was when we had a game out west, and then had to return to Miami for a Thursday game. CPJ requested a bye (who wouldn't?), but naturally, it wasn't granted.
 

Root4GT

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2,455

Sure, any school can request bye weeks. However, the league office has to grant them when determining schedules. I guess CPJ was incorrect when he accused the league office of always granting favorable schedules to the Carolina schools, despite frequently denying our bye requests. That's collusion. Funny that they changed the rule after he complained.

One extreme example of the opposite behavior from the league office was when we had a game out west, and then had to return to Miami for a Thursday game. CPJ requested a bye (who wouldn't?), but naturally, it wasn't granted.
Sounds like ADTS was sleeping on the job
 

GT33

Helluva Engineer
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1,786
I know schools were allowed to request certain bye weeks during the year, but they are allowed to decide who they play after the bye week? Or did tech just run into a hilariously long streak of bad scheduling luck?
The odds of it happening were something like 10 billion to 1. Coincidental and not impossible, but yeah really long odds.
 
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