This is not a vent board or any other kind of therapy. Before you hit the POST button, ask yourself if your contribution will add to the level of discussion going on.
Important notes on articles:
Analysis of Alabama's second drive. by Papa November
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-710250Mx8&feature=youtu.be
34:15 – 1 & 10 – Inside zone left – gain of 3
Playside DE #91 does a great job fighting the OT and coming off inside to make a play. NT #9 and both ILB do a great job taking on blocks and get in on the play. This is how it should look when stopping a zone run out of a base 3-4 look.
Good scheme. Good execution.
34:45 – 2 & 7 – Screen pass left – gain of 6
Only NT #9 and LB # 5 read and react to screen. This is LB #5’s play to make, and he misses what would have been a tackle for no gain. CB #6 does a good job recognizing screen and turning around to take on an OL. NT #9 makes a great hustle play.
Good scheme. Poor execution by LB #5.
35:30 – 3 & 1 – Zone left (surprise!) – Gain of 5
We are in a “Bear” front: a 0-tech (head up NT), two 3-techs (outside shoulder of OG’s), and two 5-techs (who happen to be standing up in this look). This is a run-stopping defense.
Bama wins at the point of attack with a great downblock on playside DE #55. He gets knocked 5 yards out of the play. To make matters worse, playside DT #89 inexplicably chooses to go inside the block of the OG. This is a fatal mistake in a bear front. Playside LB #44 does a poor job taking on the down block of the TE. Playside CB #6 does his best to take on a block and fight off to make a play.
This is the first time all game Alabama has looked physically superior. This alone can be the difference between ND and a NC caliber team. Alabama can line up and gain 1 or 2 yards at will to continue a drive.
Ok scheme (Bear front susceptible to a weak edge). Poor execution by playside DE #55, DT #89, and LB #44. All three get blocked badly.
36:15 – 1 & 10 – Play Action Pass – Incomplete
Bama QB finds and open receiver, but Motta has good enough coverage to make a big hit and force the ball out. No pass rush, perhaps because of the run fake.
Good scheme. Good execution.
37:00 – 2 & 10 – pitch sweep – gain of 5
Playside DE/OLB #11 bites hard inside on the snap, despite the TE stepping toward him. We lose the edge immediately. Bama pulls the front side guard as well, adding to the mismatch. If #11 had strung this play out as he should, there was plenty of flow from the back side to help.
Good scheme. Poor execution by DE #11.
37:40 – 3 & 5 – quick in pass – gain of 7
Simply great design and execution by Bama. They get an athlete in space on #22, he runs a sharp route, and the ball is delivered on time and with perfect placement. No pass rush, but the ball was delivered quickly anyway. This is the kind of high-percentage pass we don’t see much of in our offense.
Average scheme (soft approach). Average execution. (no one made a mistake, but no one made a play, either.)
38:20 – 1 & 10 – zone left – gain of 5
Good initially at point of attack, but DE #11 makes the critical mistake of peeking inside as the RB approaches the line. He must then give up several yards of ground in order to reestablish contain and make the tackle. But it probably didn’t matter, because playside DT #91 doesn’t fight across a downblock from the OT and gets walled off completely. LB #49 appears to be lined up out of position. When we shift out of our bear front, he should “plus” over to the strong side by one man. As it stands, at the snap we are heavily overloading the weak side of the formation. This was either poor scheme or misalignment by #49. If he is one man over, he’s in a perfect position to fill on the play. Instead, he fills too far behind.
Good scheme. Misalignment by LB #49.
39:08 – 2 & 5 – slip screen – gain of 4
We only rush 3, which is why we’re in a good position to make a play here. OLB #11 and LB #49 both recognize the play quickly and do a good job of getting by blocks to make the tackle. DE #91 also recognizes and retreats to be in a position to help. Safety #17 fills quickly and keeps the receiver from lunging for a 1st down. This is now the third 3rd down the defense has forced on this series.
39:45 – 3 & 1 – zone right w/ designed cutback – gain of lots
The OL shows zone right action, but again, the QB pivots and hands off a designed cutback to the left. Diaco has the perfect call on, with LB #44 and S #17 blitzing the backside A and B gaps. S #17 is in a perfect position to make a tackle for a 3 yard loss and end the drive, but he whiffs badly. At the second level, LB #5 cannot get off the block of the LG and S #41 takes a horrible angle and lunges at the RB. This is another big run by Bama that is anything but physical domination. I don’t chalk it up to any extraordinary effort by the RB either.
Great scheme. Poor execution by S #17.
40:25 – 1 & goal – Play Action pass – TD
Saban is in Diaco's and Te’o’s heads. The ball is on the 3 and we have every gap covered. There is no reason for Te’o to commit so hard.
Good scheme. Poor execution by LB #5.