The space on this play is to the outside on the boundary, but Purdue can’t attack (or even threaten to attack) the outside with AOC at quarterback. Horvath could attempt to bounce this outside, but that’s not his game either (and would have probably ended up with the same result). If AOC pulls the ball, he walks into the end zone (which, to be fair, could be a sprint for him). On this play Tennessee took away all the space. Defensive football is all about taking away space. Offensive football is all about creating space. I don’t care how big and strong your running back is (and Horvath is a big, strong dude), he’s not going to punch a hole in this mass of bodies. The boundary safety (black box) is able to stay inside, because AOC isn’t going to pull the ball. Tennessee is able to funnel all their resources to the ball. Brohm hasn’t shown any confidence in him as a goal line runner, and for good reason. The defense doesn’t respect AOC’s (yellow circle) running ability, because let’s face it, they shouldn’t respect his running ability. This is where things fall apart for Purdue. The field side linebacker (purple box) is setting the edge on the backside on the boundary safety (black box) is still flaking the defensive end. They’re still staring at Horvath, and looking for holes to fill. Tennessee, however, isn’t as bad off as they appear, because they haven’t committed their linebackers to the play yet. This is classic power goal line running (minus the quarterback in the shotgun and the running back in the pistol). The fullback (blue box) is about to slam into the line as well. The tight end (red box) is moving the edge. Look at the right side, the offensive line is getting a decent push. Purdue isn’t in a terrible position at this juncture. The defense line pushes and the linebackers fill gaps. Their job is to funnel everything inside. The boundary safety (black box) and the field linebacker (purple box) are important on this play because they set the edge for the Tennessee defense. They are not interested in anything else, because nothing else is threatening. They slam the fullback (blue circle) into the right side of the line and try and block down on the defensive end with the tight end (red circle). They line the running back (green circle) up in the pistol to give him a running start. Purdue is looking to force the ball over the goal line with pure muscle. That’s 4 down linemen, a boundary safety (black box), a field linebacker (purple box), 3 linebackers, a field safety, and a corner in man coverage. Tennessee counters with their goal line defense. Purdue lines up in their jumbo package featuring 6 offensive linemen, tight end (red circle), a fullback (blue circle), and a running back in the pistol (lined up behind the quarterback in shotgun). A’int but One Way Out Mama (lord I just can’t run through that wall) This is a quarterback and play calling problem. Horvath is off to San Diego to flex his muscle in the NFL, but it doesn’t matter who Purdue plugs in to replace him in this situation, because the running back isn’t the problem. You look at him and think “he should be able to gain 2 yards straight ahead, he’s build like a Greek God, but even Hercules would struggle to find the end zone in this situation. They are not interested in anything else, because if Purdue is running, Horvath is getting the ball. The run defense is only keying on Horvath. This is where AOC’s lack of mobility hurts Purdue (as I’ll show below). YOU CAN’T BEAT GOOD TEAMS KICKING FIELD GOALS IN THE RED ZONE (luckily Tennessee wasn’t a good team) ! I’m only showing the first play, because that’s all I can stomach, but Purdue kicks a field goal after starting 1st and goal from the two. I mentioned the remote thing in the intro because I chucked the remote after this drive. Green Circle: Running Back - Zander Horvath Yellow Circle: Quarterback - Aidan O’Connell The run game got stuffed at the line and Purdue kicked field goals instead of scoring touchdowns. When the field shrunk, Purdue’s offense has also shrunk (I’m using past tense to promote optimism). remote, and my wife will be upset (thanks for getting me in trouble Purdue). They have an equal chance (or at least it feels like an equal chance) to finish each of the drive with a touchdown, but if they don’t score from the 3, I’m going to have to buy yet another T.V. I would rather Purdue be 3rd and 10 from the 10 than First and Goal from the 2. There are plenty to choose from, but I’m starting off with my biggest complaint about this Purdue offense.namely short yardage and goal line situations. I had requests in the comments to give y’all an example of something that doesn’t/didn’t work. The film train continues to roll on down the tracks as football season rapidly approaches.
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