Skip to ** if you dont want a background on me. Believe I have done some background before on here but not entirely sure. I am someone who is trying to learn more about football. As such I try not to make accusations about what our fb team needs to do/not do. I am patient with our team and have learned that changes do not happen over a short period of time. I do expect 2015 to be a year where we should be in the top 25 and in 2016 (barring major injury, off-field issues, etc.) we could really be a special group.
** Red Zone Offense
We ranked 110th in Red Zone Offense
3rd Down Conversion
110th in 3rd Down Conversion Offense
Time of Possession
8th in Time of possession
3rd Down % Def
3rd in 3rd Down % Def
I am truly amazed at the disparity in this. Correct me if I am wrong but this seems to tell me that our defense played at such a high level that they constantly got our offense on the field. So much so that our ToP was in the top in the whole nation. It is probably our highest ranked stat outside of defensive numbers.
Sorry if these statistics have been brought up on here I just havent had the time to backtrack through the forums.
I figure this was a combination of the passes being dropped early in the season, lack of a bruising and dominant running game, and our kicking woes. If you were going to predict an aspect of our team that is going to improve next year what would it be? Do you believe our special teams will improve? Will our WRs be able to HELP our new starting QB like LT3's first year?
Comments
First off - very nice thread starter and very legit question.
I think in order for our QB (whoever it may be) to be successful, and our offense as a whole to be successful, we have to establish our run game. RB's coming in next spring/summer should greatly help that cause.
To coincide with your stats: if I'm Bud Foster, I would DEMAND an offense that can produce. We had an ACC Championship caliber defense (for most of the season until injuries got a hold of us)
Secondly, most of our WR's will return which will help facilitate the QB's progression in the 2nd year of Loefflers offense
To piggyback off the RB situation; if you can't run the ball inside the 20 then you are set up for failure as the field shrinks big time hence the past 2 years abysmal numbers in the redzone and a lot of stalled drives.
Our running game HAS to improve. There is simply no option. 118 yards per game is not acceptable and can't happen again. Loeffler has a job to do...(as do the players)
We need 180 yds per game minimum and we can have a big turnaround.
I'm a believer that loeffler and grimes are the real deal and have made HUGE strides with the running game's foundation.
Just a matter of experience on the line and explosive backs and we've got a hell of a chance at a great running game.
I think we need to just score more points than the other team.
Seriously though, the running game and the red zone production/3rd down conversion go hand-in-hand. If we have 1st and goal from the 3 or 3rd/4th and short, we should be able to punch it in, no problem. We saw against Duke, BC, MD and UVA (just selecting plays from memory off the top of my head) that we just couldn't do that. In Grimes we trust to get that fixed.
I would say that there is a talent drop off from the WR's whom helped out LT (Coale and Boykins) and this group. I think the Paper Boy is certainly a solid possession receiver that any QB will be better for having. I thought he made the leap from Homeless-man-Danny-Coale to Poor-Mans-Danny Coale. Stanford showed flashes and he could be another huge asset, but I don't know if Knowles is going to give us anymore than we've already scene from him in terms of his ceiling. I have no stats to back this up, I am just going off my eye test.
They can help, but if we are going to rely on airing it out, we lose a lot of what kept the chains moving over the last two years (LT's battering ram style runs from anywhere from 4 yards away). We are going to need to be able to move the chains in other ways and the biggest help would be a much improved ability to run the ball.
It's hard not to draw that conclusion with such a high TOP ranking, with the 110th spot in 3rd Down Conversion Offense combined with being ranked 3rd in 3rd Down % Def. Good point, albeit kinda hard to swallow. We got the ball back A LOT and then gave it back and then got it back some more.
So we were pretty much the anti-Oregon.
I laughed...then got sad
So you are saying our defense is hurting our offense?
If they would stop being so damn good then the offense might have a chance to get some rest!
I think third down conversions is a driver of success because it demonstrates the ability to pick up both short and long yardage with the assumption tough grind it out type plays and explosive type plays.
The run game has to be the strength of the team next year, not because of the weakness that it has been the past two seasons, but because of the quarterback for next season. We don't have a Logan Thomas to bail us out on 3rd and 2. We won't be able to pass for 250 yards any given Saturday against a decent defense. We have to utilize as many of our 429762 RBs as possible to improve the run game and allow more opportunities for whoever the quarterback will be.
Luther Maddy
Tight ends will be one of the biggest factors. With the run game, TE blocking is the springboard to turn a 3 yard gain into a 15 yard gain around the edge. With a full stable of blocking tight ends, the power I will return. In passing, the tight end is an easy pass for a new starting qb. Malleck, Hodges, Cline and Co needs to do all of this. Spring ball will be very interesting. How will Malleck be back from injury? Will Cline continue progressing? Will Hodges be a tight end?
I believe in #punterswag.
But really, I do think our special teams will improve. I think that's the unit where you see the earliest returns with this new infusion of talent we've recruited.
Run Offense and Red zone conversions have to get better (110th says they can't get worse.) TEs will help, but the O coaches better start getting creative. I think these numbers show that "3rd-and-Logan" was not a good idea. Before you downvote me for the last statement, think back to the LOLUVA games of the last two years.
I was surprised at the NCAA rankings of some of our competition this year on offense; we played 5 teams in the top 20 in 3rd down conversion %, beating three and losing to two. To me that shows just how good the defense was to be facing top offenses and still getting off the field.
If we can just manufacture a run game (by misdirection, spread, power, chop-blocking, or voodoo) we would have an ACC-caliber team.
More time and hoes from the O line to open up the running game. Isaiah Ford and Javon Harrison wouldn't hurt either.
"More time and hoes...."
What man wouldn't wish for that?
(sarcastika)
I didn't even catch that! What, no legs?
Easiest impact improvement is in the 3 point game.
We were abysmal last season. I have faith the young guys will pick up this game.
Run game, and I'm not joking on this point, our FB showed some nice lead blocking for the TD at the Sun Bowl. There's been some improvement that comes with experience. With the desire that guy shows coupled with the new year of bulk and technique training. I can see our FB leading through holes to lead block a power game. We also saw some success with sweeps, our FB might be fast enough to help TE's tack down the end of the D-line.
Kick returns. Our returns have not been good. It means that's another point where immediate success would have impact. It would also tie into CFB's strategic goal of field position gamesmanship.
Kicking - same thing. Some discipline in lanes and not getting over aggressive will shrink the opponent return average and assist in the point previous. I expect to se a bunch of this in Spring Practice.
Route running for WRs. A WR route is a manner of communication between the WR and QB. We didn't do it beginning of last year and is arguably one reason Thomas appeared to be bad early on. The WRs are going to have to be good at running the routes because a new QB is generally not going to be good at recognizing when the WRs are running lazy routes and adjust his target accordingly. If the WRs run better routes, which they did towards the end of the season, and catch with their fingertips instead of their chest, the short fast passing game will take some pressure off the new QB and running game which opens up the play action.
I think these are the easiest and fastest impacts we can make and are attainable.
You know, something just occurred to me. Loeffler said that Malleck was a huge part of the offense and it was a blow to lose him before the season. I'm wondering if Loeffler was going to use Malleck as more of an H-Back like he used Lutzenkirchen at Auburn instead of up on the line more often than not. Lutzy was the lead blocker on the way to Mason running for 5+ YPC and 1000 yards when Auburn's offense was absolutely dreadful. I know we have Rogers to fill in at H-Back, but it wouldn't surprise me if Loeffler planned to use Malleck because he was a better technical blocker. That line of reasoning makes a lot of sense to me, as he had considerable success when using a good H-Back lead blocker at Auburn.
On a similar note, this year Malleck could be used similarly. Use Malleck at H-Back ad lead blocker from the backfield, then use Cline and/or Hodges on the line (depending who becomes the better blocking TE).
PLAY MAKING WIDE RECEIVERS... YES I AM YELLING :-)