Film Study - Fixing PSU's Wide Zone/Mid Zone Run Game

[CaliLION79]

FILM STUDY - ZONE RUN GAME

See Link. Topic has been beaten more than a dead horse, but with a22 film coming in we wanted to dissect why this was such a disaster last year. Lot of blame to go around -- O-Linemen not knowing when to climb to the second level and other communication issues, O-Linemen (particularly Miranda and Wallace) failing to get proper leverage/head placement, and a few examples of running backs just making the wrong read and not taking the most advantageous path/hole.

Notice how none of the clips are from November...that's because PSU basically abandoned WZ and reverted back to Inside Zone and actually more gap-centric run plays than we've seen in with Franklin in charge. But considering how much of Yurcich's RPO concepts were based off Wide Zone, we suspect Penn State will try again and that this will be a huge focus of spring practice.

 

[Trose75]

Watched and it made me wonder, Have their been any whispers about what Franklin and Yurcich relationship is like? IDK why but It just feels like Franklin has had his thumbprints on the offenses of ciarrocca and Yurcich in Year 1 and muddied things up - like not fully committing to the outside/wide zone like we saw at yurcich's previous stops as OC...is it insecurity after Moorhead got so much praise in 16 and 17?

 

[The Spin Meister]

Watching this confirms what I said a year ago. Our line play is terrible.

Guys missing blocks. Huge issue is on the snap they go to where the defender is instead of knowing the flow of the play and going to where the defender will go. You have to anticipate his motion and adjust for it. Then get your head between the defender and the running back, making it harder for the defender to slide into the hole.

The other big problem is that linemen don’t attack linebackers.....”climb” as the narrator says.......because they don’t know if it is a run or pass. So defender LBs can slide either direction easily. Worse, the linemen supposed to block the linebackers then get tangled up with each other as they react to the linebacker motion.

Third is the confusion on double teams. If there are two double teams on one play the linebackers will roam free. And the linemen initiate a doubleteam and then one will peal off....but too late to block the LB.

Either piss poor coaching or really dumb players that can’t be coached.

 

[BBG65]

The RPO system is not advantageous for a strong running game. It limit's the aggressiveness of the OL. Remember when even the great Saquon Barkley was so frequently tackled for loss.

 

[Psugo823]

New coach.

 

[HartfordLlion]

FILM STUDY - ZONE RUN GAME

See Link. Topic has been beaten more than a dead horse, but with a22 film coming in we wanted to dissect why this was such a disaster last year. Lot of blame to go around -- O-Linemen not knowing when to climb to the second level and other communication issues, O-Linemen (particularly Miranda and Wallace) failing to get proper leverage/head placement, and a few examples of running backs just making the wrong read and not taking the most advantageous path/hole.

Notice how none of the clips are from November...that's because PSU basically abandoned WZ and reverted back to Inside Zone and actually more gap-centric run plays than we've seen in with Franklin in charge. But considering how much of Yurcich's RPO concepts were based off Wide Zone, we suspect Penn State will try again and that this will be a huge focus of spring practice.

i watched the film analysis. Wilson #68 was brutal, I think Coach actually said he sucked. Sad thing is he was better than the next guy on the depth chart.

 

[HartfordLlion]

The RPO system is not advantageous for a strong running game. It limit's the aggressiveness of the OL. Remember when even the great Saquon Barkley was so frequently tackled for loss.

I agree but these plays were wide zone, middle zone running plays.

 

[Steve G]

i watched the film analysis. Wilson #68 was brutal, I think Coach actually said he sucked. Sad thing is he was better than the next guy on the depth chart.

the whiff by Rasheed Walker on the one clip was epic face plant type of fail. That play alone should cost at least one round in the draft