- Oct 8, 2017
- 2,169
- 5,581
I thought this deserved its own thread. In the game thread, there is a lot of discussion about UT/Heupel choosing to run the ball so much, run clock, or not trusting Milton. I think it was something else that "forced" the run. It was a Muhammed Ali level rope-a-dope strategy by Austin Armstrong that simply knew UT did not have tendencies, they had dogmatic rules of how they will call plays.
While I was initial perplexed by Princely bailing from the box playing out wide in coverage so much early, AA seemed to know something that dictated the game. If he played a 5 or 6 man box, UT would run. Period. Their count the box formula was immovable. So, the entire game, but particularly the second half, AA just baited Heupel into running over and over again to the point of UT having a drive of about 6 minutes to open the half. He had to be laughing that Heuple just could not move off his formula. It was not until their last two drives of the game that they started to move away from their "rules". Even in the penultimate drive, they still ran it some.
To bait them that way, though was a huge risk. It absolutely required that our DT's held their own and our LB's filed holes so that even if we gave up yards with a frequent 5 man box (typically an insane approach to a team averaging 200+ ypg rushing). And, we did give up yards, but it baited UT into giving up the game.
Our DT's and Etienne deserve steak and lobster all week, as they were the story of the game to me. Everyone else played well, but that group were the unquestioned stars in my mind that allowed AA and his great Heupel rope-a-dope to succeed.
While I was initial perplexed by Princely bailing from the box playing out wide in coverage so much early, AA seemed to know something that dictated the game. If he played a 5 or 6 man box, UT would run. Period. Their count the box formula was immovable. So, the entire game, but particularly the second half, AA just baited Heupel into running over and over again to the point of UT having a drive of about 6 minutes to open the half. He had to be laughing that Heuple just could not move off his formula. It was not until their last two drives of the game that they started to move away from their "rules". Even in the penultimate drive, they still ran it some.
To bait them that way, though was a huge risk. It absolutely required that our DT's held their own and our LB's filed holes so that even if we gave up yards with a frequent 5 man box (typically an insane approach to a team averaging 200+ ypg rushing). And, we did give up yards, but it baited UT into giving up the game.
Our DT's and Etienne deserve steak and lobster all week, as they were the story of the game to me. Everyone else played well, but that group were the unquestioned stars in my mind that allowed AA and his great Heupel rope-a-dope to succeed.
