I wanted to take a couple of minutes to highlight some things I noticed during (and after rewatching) the OU game. This further supports a lot of positive indications that Herman can now rely on base-line competence from the offense and, accordingly, can set up and install wrinkles to trip up opponents. Basically, as I’ve told a friend, Herman is smart enough and a good enough schemer that he can basically “create” an offensive touchdown or two a game just by scheming it (so long as everyone does their part). Don’t know what I mean? See below:
Play 1: Mesh/RB Wheel to Tre Watson
You all know this play. But let me set the scene:
Texas and OU are tied 10-10 at the beginning of the 2nd quarter. Texas is backed up at 3rd and 20, and Ehlinger completes an 18 yard pass to Andrew Beck, setting up a 4th and 2. Texas rushes to the line and sets up to run the QB sweep that Ehlinger would pound OU with, but OU calls timeout.
After the timeout, Texas comes out with its base 11 personnel, but OU puts in a heavy personnel package to try to stop the 4th down attempt. OU has three down linemen and four linebackers are on the field. Texas throws a swing pass to Tre Watson, who gets enough for the first on a lunge past the sticks.
After the first, Texas rushes to the line, keeping its same personnel package. OU doesn’t have time to substitute. The result? Here’s what the formation looks like pre-snap:
At the bottom of the screen, Collin Johnson and LJH are lined up, and they’re covered by OU cornerback Tre Brown and…. Defensive End Mark Jackson?
Herman immediately sees the gift he has been given and assumes that Jackson will have responsibility for whoever runs a route into the flat. He’s right. Jackson jumps Tre Watson’s flare route, looking like he almost thinks he can pick the pass off by jumping in front of it. Unfortunately for him, Watson isn’t running a flare; he’s running a wheel. Watson turns on the jets and runs by him. Jackson actually commits a pretty flagrant hold here, trying to prevent Watson from abso-fucking-lutely torching him.
But to no avail. Touchdown Good Guys.
This route combo is similar to one that Texas has had a ton of success on against OU in the past, although we’ve traditionally thrown the wheel to a slot receiver.
Think Marcus Johnson in 2013:
And Devin Duvernay in 2016:
Urban Meyer’s playbook calls the play “mesh sit,” and draws it up like this (the below is a carbon copy of what we actually ran):
I would still like to see this offense run the mesh/wheel more, because I think it could be a devastating route combo with Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay on the post/wheel portion, while big bodies Beck and LJH run crossing routes in the middle of the field. Something like this out of trips, maybe?
So this is what I mean when I say Herman “created” a touchdown. We’ve had this route combo in our back pocket all year, waiting for the right time to use it. Once we got OU to overextend itself by putting too many big defenders on the field, Herman immediately went in for the kill.
Play 2: Sam’s QB Stretch Play(s)
These, too, need no introduction. Sam hammered OU all day long with the QB stretch, rushing for three scores, even when OU was overloading the field, trying to prevent the runs. But how were they so successful? Why did OU have no answer?
The answer, my friends, lies in Herman’s QB Power/RPO package that Texas ran against TCU. Here’s the formation Texas ran repeatedly against OU:
Look familiar? That’s right. It’s the same pre-snap look as Herman’s QB Power/RPO package that we ran to great effect against TCU (pre-RB motion):
Why is that important? First, Stoops and Co. have seen this formation on film and they know that Texas can successfully run a WR bubble out of it. Here, that bubble would go to LJH. In fact, OU is in such a tizzy trying to get lined up that the bubble to LJH probably would’ve scored on this play. They also know that the package features a QB power look, meaning they have to keep enough bodies in the middle of the defense to prevent Sam from gashing them up the gut. And they know that the set features a WR tunnel screen, so they cannot just pin their ears back, hoping to stop the QB run.
What’s the result? OU has to play (pretty much) base defense against this look, because they know they can get hit anywhere across the field from it. What’s the result? Texas is able to repeatedly gash them with the QB stretch play, because (unlike TCU’s response to this formation), their defensive end is lined up INSIDE the tackle, and their outside linebacker is lined up just outside the tackle.
The result? They can all be reached by run blocks, leaving Keaontay Ingram to kick out the force defender.
Fucking touchdown.
I love this sequence, because it shows a lot of maturity from our offensive staff to remember what they put on film against TCU, to self-scout and analyze how other teams will react to it, and to come up with new and interesting wrinkles to use off the same formation for successful plays in the future.
The result of these QB stretch runs will likely be that the other portions of the RPO package open back up. And if teams start overloading the TE/RB side, a RB counter with Keaontay Ingram is definitely in the cards. But the coup de grace will be when we line up in this formation and run the “fake” stretch run with a pop pass to Beck. This would actually be the exact formation and play as LJH’s pop-pass to Collin Johnson on our first offensive series, but we’ll run it with Ehlinger to Beck. Excited to see it.
Conclusion:
Football is chess. Your opponents study your previous moves, so gambits you’ve successfully pulled off in the past will not work in the future. But knowing that your next opponent will watch what you’ve done previously and work to stop it can be put to your advantage, when you can exploit your opponent’s counters.
Mike Stoops fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is “Never get involved in a land war in Asia. But only slightly less well known is this: “Never go in against a Texas Longhorn, when the golden hat is on the line!”
Now let’s go whip the shit out of Baylor.