Leach and the running game.....

[thekimmer]

The one part about leach's philosophy I will never understand is the absolute aversion to run the football. I am not suggesting that he ever embrace a run based offense. But every offense at any level recognizes you have to at least run the ball enough to keep the defense honest. If not you become so one dimensional that it allows the defense to be one dimensional and it just stands to reason that is problematic. The few times we do run the football it almost seems like a half hearted, perfunctory effort. Like we have resorted to something beneath him.

But then what do I know, perhaps leach will get it figured out here and we will have a good run with him, no pun intended.

 

[BlueRidgeMtns]

He's running it less at state than ever before. There's got to be a reason why he's so against it right now.

 

[Seinfeld]

The last part of your first paragraph is what concerns me. I’m cool with a limited number of designed runs if they’re effective when called, and we all know that the quick dump downs to Marks/Johnson are basically runs in this offense.

However, 9 games in we are averaging 23 yds/gm on the ground and 1.4 yds/carry. 1.4 yards... In addition to that, Marks and DJ are both averaging right around 4 yds/catch out of the backfield, so it’s not as if we’re tearing it up with misdirection and screen passes. It’s completely embarrassing, and I don’t see how any offense can be effective with those numbers on the ground. Like you said, it’s as if Leach just calls a quick run every now and then because he feels like he has to, but ZERO effort is put into it.

 

[MSUDC11]

The YPC number is a tad misleading because of sacks, and we are one of the worst teams in the country in terms of sacks allowed. If you adjust it for sack yardage our number is closer to 3.6 YPC. Still not good though.

I think a part of it is definitely our o-line. This group just isn't good, and I don't know that Leach trusts them yet. We've also been playing from behind A LOT, so that doesn't help. And then of course we were never gong to run it a ton to begin with in this offense.

This season is well beyond his career average for passing/rushing splits and his better teams have been a bit more balanced, but I feel certain that Leach knows that. We have some definite limitations this year and while our playcalling could be better, I'm not ready to declare that Mike Leach has decided that he never has to run the ball again, we are only two years removed from him having an 11 win team where they ran the ball 30% of the time versus the roughly 20% or less rate we are this year.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

The problem with the quick dump downs is that they aren't quick. I know it will take time for the runningbacks and Rogers to get comfortable with faster passes, but right now they are slowing down and Rogers floats the ball a little too much and the defenders can close the gap quickly. The flat routes have been very flat and we seem to have abandoned the RB wheel route. The only time I can remember us running the RB wheel route successfully was against LSU.

 

[PartTimeGenius]

It was either on the pregame radio show with Leach or maybe an announcer talking about a conversation with Leach. Leach said he's not confident the current O-Line would be able to get the push needed to effectively run as much as he would like.

 

[patdog]

We're actually not that bad at all in terms of sacks allowed. We're allowing a sack on 5.4% of our passing attempts. That's tied for 5th best in the SEC. The OL is the best position group on the offensive side of the ball. Granted, that's not saying much.

 

[The Peeper]

There is precedent of a pass happy team existing w/ a great running game. 1989 Houston Cougars, I'm old enough to remember this team. I saw them that year play AR in Little Rock, toughest ticket to buy at the game I've ever seen. AR had 1 loss going in and Houston was undefeated. Houston had Andre Ware as a Heisman Trophy candidate and eventually winner of it. John Jenkins (former MSU coach under Bellard) was on staff and took over as HC after this season at UH. He drove a huge red Cadillac Eldorado while here at MSU when I was here too, but I digress.

Chuck Weatherspoon was a beast at running back. Ware would throw it, throw it and throw it some more and then they would run Weatherspoon up the middle and he would rip off serious yardage.

The numbers were staggering: 365 completions, 578 pass attempts, 4,699 passing yards and 46 touchdowns. Ware completed 63.1 percent of his passes in the '89 season and tied or broke 27 NCAA records. Houston receiver Manny Hazard set the NCAA record for most receptions in a season (142) that year. Running back Chuck Weatherspoon set the record for highest yards per carry (9.6) in a season. The 1989 Cougars were the first FBS team to have a 4,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver in the same season.

He (Weatherspoon) played for the Houston Cougars of the University of Houston from 1987 to 1990. He recorded career totals of 3,247 yards and 27 touchdowns on 395 rushing attempts. He also accumulated 1,375 yards and eight touchdowns on 117 receptions. Weatherspoon led NCAA Division I-A in rushing yards per attempt in 1988 with an 8.5 average and again led Division I-A with a 9.6 average in 1989.[SUP][2][/SUP] His career average of 8.2 yards per carry is tied with Darrell Henderson of Memphis as the best in college football history.

It can be done, if your coach is open minded enough to embrace it.


https://www.espn.com/college-footba.../houston-andre-ware-changed-game-25-years-ago

 

[8dog]

The dump down is not even a dump down. Its a 10-15 yd pass that gives the defense way too much time to react.

It also doesnt help that this is the worst collection of backs in my lifetime

 

[johnson86-1]

The YPC number is a tad misleading because of sacks, and we are one of the worst teams in the country in terms of sacks allowed. If you adjust it for sack yardage our number is closer to 3.6 YPC. Still not good though.

That is depressing and perplexing. I don't understand how we pass as much as we do and it doesn't seem to help our run game at all.

 

[8dog]

Thats bc we see a 3 man rush most of the time. If every team saw a 3 man rush 95% of the time Im sure we would be last.

 

[messageboardsuperhero]

We definitely should have run the ball more this past weekend. Both backs were getting 6+ yards per carry. It also would have kept the Auburn DEs from pinning their ears back so much.

 

[57stratdawg]

I agree on the 'collection' comment. My guess is that 2020 MSU is one of the worse rushing teams in SEC history. We were averaging roughly 1.5 YPC entering last week. That was by far the fewest since 2009; only one other team was below 2.5 YPC.

I wonder how many tackles our backs have broken this year. It cannot be many.

 

[Seinfeld]

Hate to say it, but I’ve seen next to nothing out of either of our RBs to make me think they’re the future for our backfield. On the plus side, they’ve been forced into SEC roles as true freshmen, and it’s not as if they’re making a lot of mistakes out there. That’s about where the positive comments end, though

Any time that the ball is in their hands, they just duck and steamroll right towards the closest defender before being brought down for a 3-5 yd gain. Zero elusiveness, zero vision, zero “wow” moments. Digsby showed us all on Sat what you need out of an SEC back, and there are absolutely no similarities between him and only of our backs

 

[BlueRidgeMtns]

Rogers should tuck it and go a few more times a game as well. He picked up a little yardage on Saturday but could've gotten more.

 

[Cooterpoot]

We're about to sign a WR for the RB position. That should tell you all you need to know about running the ball.

 

[Ralph Cramden]

We will typically be prone to having more sacks than other teams due to the fact we are passing the ball 90% of the time. QB rarely get sacked when he is handing the ball off to his running back. And at 1.6 yards per carry I am a staunch supporter of running the ball more. Thats exactly how we fix this offense. True, these backs are not very elusive. I actually think Dillon is the better back. But still

 

[olblue.sixpack]

The dump down is not even a dump down. Its a 10-15 yd pass that gives the defense way too much time to react.

It also doesnt help that this is the worst collection of backs in my lifetime

Of all the over sold components of the Air Raid, that short pass is a substitute for the run BS is the worst. Its like every swing pass in the flat is a kamikaze mission for the RB.

 

[patdog]

A swing pass is blocked differently and defended differently than a run. Not even close to being a substitute for a running game. I don't know why Leach has been so adamant about not running the ball this year. That's going to have to change if he wants any chance to succeed here.

 

[gwadSIG]

This same ****, again? Go listen to his former QB's and how he installs the offense. The passing game is taught first and then the run game. We haven't gotten to the point of executing the passing game, much less mastering it.

 

[Maroonthirteen]

This same ****, again? Go listen to his former QB's and how he installs the offense. The passing game is taught first and then the run game. We haven't gotten to the point of executing the passing game, much less mastering it.

Yeah. I can't remember if it was OOB show, maybe one of their interviews. Leach has said he has to "rep" his offense as much as possible in the beginning. 2020 is one long practice season, unfortunately.