The Sock 'Em, Bust 'Em Board

You are looking live at an excerpt of a transcript of a coaching clinic West Virginia defensive coordinator Tony Gibson spoke at in the offseason between the 2014 and 2015 seasons. This is not to be confused with his famous appearance on the circuit before the 2013 season, when he spoke about multiple fronts and never so much as approached the topic of bringing back the 3-3-5.

Anyhow, I’m pretty sure Gibson does not want to let the opponent make hay on the ground. Maybe I need to read that a few more times, but it would appear that’s the gist.

This is noteworthy today because:

WVU’s run defense has not been good
Kansas State is, we are told, a reasonable facsimile to BYU

How ineffective have the Mountaineers been? It’s been almost historic. WVU has allowed 180, 185 and 280 yards on the ground. That’s 215 yards per game, and that’s not great. It’s not the worst defense of all time, but it is No. 105 out of No. 128 teams in the country.

More importantly, it’s one of a few instances since the start of the Rich Rodriguez Era in which the defense allowed 180-plus in three straight games. The last time WVU allowed 180-plus in four straight games in the same season? That’d be 2001 — there’s an instance that bridged seasons, and that seems unfair to count — and the famed Phil Elmassian defense finished No. 104 out of 115 teams against the run … and No. 8 in pass efficiency defense!

Could today be the day? Kansas State sure hopes so, and the Wildcats will try. They’re No. 47 nationally and average 197.7 yards per game, and we have to mention last week’s game was halted at halftime on account of bad weather. They had 165 yards in the first half of that one, so they were on their way.

But … how about Kansas State’s totals against WVU since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12?

So in Gibson’s two seasons as the defensive coordinator, his defense has allowed 99 total rushing yards against the Wildcats. What Kansas State does doesn’t change much. The coaches recruit to a system and focus on what they’re supposed to do. They might run the quarterback more one year or ask him to throw to a receiver more in another, but the principles in place are in place for a reason.

And WVU’s done pretty well against that, especially under Gibson, who has his own system and principles.

The concern, though, is that this defense might not be equipped properly or performing optimally. WVU’s pretty light up front. The defense has faced 249 plays and recorded nine tackles for a loss. Two (only two) of those seven are sacks, so they’ve stopped seven runs or passes that went live behind the line of scrimmage. The average of three TFLs a game is No. 126, and this is a big, big reason WVU’s allowing 5.04 yards per carry, which ranks No. 108.

“The way I used to be able to control that, or at least slow it down a little bit, was with the blitz,” Gibson said. “There were times in the game I dialed up some good things, but then it got to a point in the game I was almost afraid to blitz to leave our guys out there 1-on-1 on an island.”

Gibson likes to chop up blocking schemes with blitzes and the games the defensive line can play with twists and stunts. But if the Mountaineers aren’t getting into the backfield, it’s fair to assume the blitzes and the games aren’t working as intended. So there’s a chess match to consider with what plays Gibson calls.

There’s another to consider on the other sideline. WVU anticipates vintage Kansas State, which means using a big offensive line with fullbacks and tight ends facilitating the run game. But the quarterback runs power plays and draws, and the Mountaineers saw some option on film and figure they’ll see that today after struggling with it against Youngstown State.

Beware the pop pass, though. It’s cheeky stuff you’ve seen before, and though it’s not the featured part of the offense, it is used and used wisely. The quarterback has a run-pass option, and he has options for the run and the pass. Sometimes he takes the snap and can chose to run or throw. If it’s a read play, he can choose to keep the ball or give it to the running back. If he keeps it, he has the option to throw to a receiver on a slant, a tight end in the seam or a fullback who runs a short curl route.

The whole time, receivers are running routes, because they could be targets or blockers, and offensive linemen are blocking down the field, because they can be run blockers or illegal men downfield even if the officials never, ever call it. (They nearly changed this rule in the offseason, by the way.) Keep an eye on that today. If they’re more than 3 yards down the field, it’s illegal. WVU can’t be concerned with that but will nevertheless keep an eye on everything and everyone that moves.

“They’re going to have to have their eyes in the right spots a lot because of the [run-pass option] stuff,” Gibson said. “The quarterback does a great job hiding the ball and carrying out his fake and pulling it out of the belly of the back and throwing it to [the receiver] on the slant.

“We’re going to have to be disciplined with our eyes in the right spots to make sure we’re finding it.”

Oftentimes, Ertz will take a snap and read the defense and make a decision to hand the ball off or to keep it. When he keeps it, he can run it himself or throw a quick pass to a receiver, a tight end or even a fullback.

“Those are really difficult,” Arndt said. “You have pulling guards and they’re working down the field, so as a linebacker, you have to play the run. You can’t do anything about that. The guys in the secondary have to read the pass because they see receivers running and we can’t help them all the time because we have to play run first.”

A reminder: These guys won. You could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. In the moment, you had to suspect this was going to end badly. In retrospect, well, this is still foreboding.

There’s 2:36 left in Saturday’s game, and to say the wheels are coming off is not accurate. The wheels are off and rolling down the Beltway. West Virginia, once up 35-19 with 11:27 to go, is now ahead by three points and stumbling off the field after a blooper turnover, a shocking error by either the most reliable player or the most reliable tandem on the team. It’s probably both. The Mountaineers were four yards and one or two plays away from putting away BYU.

Then WVU calls a freeze play, which is designed to make the defense, aggressive in the protection of its end zone, show its hand. A receiver motions from left to right, the quarterback throws out a hand gesture in the shotgun to trigger the defense and BYU shows something. That’s an if-then scenario. If the defense shows something, then quarterback Skyler Howard has a play he knows to call. So he saw the defender on his right dart toward the line and knew he had to execute the plan.

WVU does this all the time. You’ve seen it. You have. Near as we can tell, center Tyler Orlosky thought BYU jumped offsides and that a shrewd snap would get his team a free play.

Whoops.

Howard looks speechless. Orlosky is incensed. Dana Holgorsen, yeesh. When I was re-watching the game, I saw that look and audibly apologized to him. It’s a violent momentum swing. Remember, the Mountaineers were up 16 points and floundered and then recovered with what seemed like a game-clinching interception. They were 144 inches away from getting on the bus with a win.

Now that happens and the defense has to go against a percolating offense. It’s a quick change, WVU plays a Charmin quality zone and that surrenders the easiest 29-yard pass up the rail. Couldn’t even use the shadow of the goal posts as an ally.

A false start follows, and it’s first-and-15, but seconds later it’s third-and-4, and that’s followed by a 23-yard play, again to the right after quarterback Taysom Hill broke outside.

This is bad, gang. Howard and Orlosky are still carrying on on the sideline. Hill is on a roll. Momentum is wearing white. The ball is on WVU’s 28-yard line, but a 45-yard field goal is anything but certain given that BYU’s starting kicker was out and replaced by the original starter who lost his job. But who’s thinking field goal when you’ve got 1:09 left?

And then Hill makes, frankly, a risky decision. It’s the sort of chance you might take earlier in the quarter, when you’re trailing and rallying and need to force the issue a little bit, or earlier in the game, when the outcome is not on the line.

WVU played zone at the start of the drive and only went to man-to-man on the aforementioned third-down play when Hill rolled right and found a receiver on the sideline. It’s man-to-man again here, which is a bit of good fortune. Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said he knew this play was coming. In fact, he tried to get his deep safety, Jeremy Tyler, to slide over to his right before the snap. That doesn’t happen, at least not to the degree Gibson wanted, probably because the order arrived so late in the period before the snap. But since it is man-to-man, the defenders are running with receivers, and that not only means Nana Kyeremeh is in position to tip the pass but that Maurice Fleming has to be on the lookout for the ball and that he’s in the vicinity to step off his receiver and catch the tip.

If it’s zone, maybe Hill drops that pass in a bucket. Maybe defenders aren’t around to tip or intercept the pass. (Aside: I do wonder if the outside receiver was supposed to be where he was. If he runs his route deeper, or if he doesn’t go as deep, Fleming isn’t in the area. Then again, it’s hard to fault the receiver him for seeing the pass and going to the ball. Being near the ball is, like, the key to sports.)

And then it was over. All the worrying was assuaged. All the writing on the wall was erased. WVU is 3-0 for the second straight season but dodged a wrecking ball for the first time in a long time. How did we get here? Let’s find out by taking a look at the Good and the Bad of WVU v. BYU.

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