Has it been all the injuries? Is it Fitch's scheme? Is it Skip's play calling? J'Mar's QB play?
It might be something else.
I wrote earlier this week that the one thing I would steal from FAU's playbook was the fact they go up tempo inside the 10 yard line. They've had enormous success with it in conference play. They just don't give defenses time to set up and react when their backs are against the wall. At the same time, they rarely go up tempo outside of the red zone. They do something else.
I've gone back to look at their offense from a time perspective. It's very eye opening and perhaps sheds more light on why we've had so much trouble moving the football this year.
FAU isn't an up tempo team, but they are a faster paced team. By shaving just 5 to 7 seconds off of the play clock compared to their opponents they really do keep a defense on its heels. In other words it just doesn't give a defender quite enough time to get set properly, take a look at the offensive formation, determine where the play might be going, and then very quickly react when the ball is snapped.
As an offense if you can get just a couple of breakdowns from a defense on each play it adds up to a huge impact over the course of a particular drive and over the course of a game. It leads to long drives and big plays. At the same time it not so fast paced that it leaves a defense vulnerable. This is what happened in the FAU -North Texas game in Boca last month. At its core the FAU offense isn't all that different from Tech's. A lot of zone read. Simple stuff with a few trick plays mixed in. But the way they ran it left the Mean Green defense in shambles by the second quarter. FAU 41, North Texas 7. At the half.
In many ways this is what Tech was doing from 2014 through last season. It wasn't up tempo, but it was faster paced. By slowing things down and then simplifying the offense at the same time we've given defenses within the conference advantages they never had in past years. Defenders look like they know our playbook in part because they have time to understand what they're facing, line up correctly, and then properly react. That's also led to fewer major breakdowns on defense from our opponents. You just don't see defensive backs blowing coverages or linebackers out of place. They all have time to set up and then react properly to what we're doing. Receivers don't get separation. Blocks have to be on target every play. All of that has put enormous pressure on the offense to be perfect on plays and to limit penalties and turnovers. There is just no margin for error.
In theory, the advantage to such a slow pace is that it keeps the defense off the field and limits turnovers. The defense has improved this year. But I think much of that is thanks to a simplified scheme that's allowed the defensive backs, in particular, to play faster. Before the final drive in regulation against Southern Miss the defense had been on the field more than 80 plays and had only given up 19 points. I just don't think it's a factor.
This offense has enough talent, even with the injuries, to lead this team to a division title in Conference USA. Could the play calling and scheme be better? Of course. But a small difference in the way we run plays has had a big impact on the season.
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Originally Posted by Bone_afide_Dawg
