FSU Defensive Formation

WracerX

WracerX

Dr. Dunkingstein
Joined
Feb 24, 2004
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I haven't seen a thread on this.

What was the point of the defensive formation FSU ran on Dwyer's two big TD runs? They had 3 guys inside the hash marks. Both defensive linemen looked like they were trying to cut our center's feet.

The best I can figure is that they thought their linebackers could catch Dwyer, so they cheated to the outside to stop Nesbitt and the A-backs. Maybe they thought the saftey could take Dwyer 1 on 1.

Either way, Dwyer ran for 102 yards without being touched on those two plays. The only thing that stopped him on the second run was that the crossing signal on North Avenue was red.
 
Not only that, but when they were in the 2 DT on the center formation, it looked to me as if both DT's "submarined" on the plays and Voss pinned both of them to the ground--it looked like they were trying to get lower than voss and ended up shooting themselves in the foot. Kinda similar to the criticism here on the board on a prior game about our O-line trying to get so low that the defense just kept pushing us down and then going over us. It appeared to me (at least on replays) that the 2 DT's went too low on Voss and he turned the tables.
 
Yeah it was obvious they were trying to shoot the A gaps like VT did so well against us on some plays when we played them.
 
That is exactly what they were doing is try to stop the pitch. The problem was the safety and LB on the inside were out of position on both plays.
 
You know, the point could be made that the idea for that crazy defensive line set cost them the game. I haven't watched a replay to determine if Voss did most of the damage or exactly how it worked, but it allowed us to block the play so well both times that Dwyer was hardly touched.
 
76tornados said:
That is exactly what they were doing is try to stop the pitch. The problem was the safety and LB on the inside were out of position on both plays.
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Correct....the safety went for the pitch on both long TD's by Dwyer....his head was spinning.
 
76tornados said:
That is exactly what they were doing is try to stop the pitch. The problem was the safety and LB on the inside were out of position on both plays.
Click to expand...

That is selling out on the pitch with a vengeance. I swear they had 2 guys inside the box.
 
On one of the long runs (maybe both), we put the left AB in motion to the right so that it would look like an option right, then ran the dive to the left. The MLB flowed to the right with the AB motion, while the safety flowed to the left with the dive action, and looked to be trying to get outside to cover the pitch, which makes sense for a safety. It looked like the red sea parted. It was a good play design by the offensive staff which must've recognized that the MLB was flowing with the motion.
 
MY SPECULATION:

I assume some of yall heard what FSU did to practice this week - they put their scout team together and ran option all week without a ball so they'd focus on their assignments and nothing else. That way they always knew who they were supposed to tackle, as long as they were in man-to-man.

Well..

..we came out and lined up in the 3 wide set with only 1 Aback, a set we'd only thrown out of all season to date, and they didn't know where their assignments were supposed to be. Notice how they had a much easier time stopping our option when we ran it out of the double slot than the 3 wide formation. When we lined up in 3 wide, one of their linebackers had to man up on the slot receiver, which meant he couldn't take his option responsibility. My moving the playside A back out of the pattern and to the other side, their linebacker was essentially "automatically blocked" because he had to leave the play as well.

That's what we abused them on.

At least I think so. I need to watch the TV replay - I was a little sauced and way up in the upper north, surrounded by the enemy, so I can't be sure.
 
On one of those plays (maybe both, I'm not sure), they had two linemen right in front of Voss. Right on the snap they both just fell down and Voss just jumped on top of them - TD. It was hilarious.
 
The first few times they went with that formation, it stopped us. However, two key missed reads by the LB and one by a safety led to two long TD runs against that defensive formation later in the game. I tend to agree with BJ that CPJ changed our formation to a single A back to confuse their reads, and it worked to perfrection on those two plays. I'd love for someone to ask CPJ about this formation and get his response....
 
The guys on the FSU boards were saying their DTs got owned.

I don't doubt it.
 
That 2 DTs on the center formation by FSU was almost as baffling as that formation Clemson busted out once on a 3rd/4th and short situation. They put the DTs right next to the ends and left the tackles and center uncovered. Nesbitt just sneaked right up with the middle with no effort. The Clemson fans near me just looked stunned, and I think one of them said something along the lines of "my grandmother could've gotten that first down".
 
Strange Clemson defensive formation

ASimPerson said:
That 2 DTs on the center formation by FSU was almost as baffling as that formation Clemson busted out once on a 3rd/4th and short situation. They put the DTs right next to the ends and left the tackles and center uncovered. Nesbitt just sneaked right up with the middle with no effort. The Clemson fans near me just looked stunned, and I think one of them said something along the lines of "my grandmother could've gotten that first down".
Click to expand...

You're right, Asim! Maybe the set looked different from the sidelines or on the field. Like you and the Clem fan, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The way the defensive players were spaced there was no way in hell any defensive player could get to JN before he made 2-3 yards. I've never seen a play more sure to get the first down yardage.
 
Rodzilla said:
On one of those plays (maybe both, I'm not sure), they had two linemen right in front of Voss. Right on the snap they both just fell down and Voss just jumped on top of them - TD. It was hilarious.
Click to expand...

The logic behind that is to use the DT's to create a giant pile where the dive is supposed to go - they were trying to block the dive by putting a big wall there - but the dive was going over the guard's butt instead, not the gap. With Cox lined up in the slot on the weak side of the play, their LBs were out of position and the alignment completely backfired.

People use DT alignments like that when they face the option and their DTs aren't quick enough to disrupt the first option.
 
I'm positive his "two DTs on the center" formation was intended for one DT to mug our center, and the other to burst through and ruin the mesh. It was intended to be a fumble-generator.

Voss cut one guy, and the 2nd guy fell over the first.

Pretty awesome.
 
ASimPerson said:
That 2 DTs on the center formation by FSU was almost as baffling as that formation Clemson busted out once on a 3rd/4th and short situation. They put the DTs right next to the ends and left the tackles and center uncovered. Nesbitt just sneaked right up with the middle with no effort. The Clemson fans near me just looked stunned, and I think one of them said something along the lines of "my grandmother could've gotten that first down".
Click to expand...

I forgot about that Clemson alignment. Line up over the center and then outside the tackle to the left. Hope that the huge gapping hole will disorient the running back and he'll just fall down.
 
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