I said on the, painfully average, podcast From Here It’s Podible that we were going to learn a lot about Zach Kittley this week. I said that because the offense has been average to below average all season and is to blame for the last two losses. His mentor and play calling leader, Kliff Kingsbury, had trouble adjusting and responding positively to a bad run of form. Going into last week, I expected the same out of Kittley, especially with Shough starting. Double and triple down on what he knows and what’s got him to this point, however, that is not what happened. Kittley adjusted to his personnel, the strengths, and weaknesses of this offense, and put together a gameplan to attack Kansas’ weaknesses.
It’s worth noting this Kansas defense is bad, but that doesn’t really impact what we saw in the obvious changes in the gameplan. Kittley ran the ball early and often, leaned on Shough’s ability to run, and did not put him in situations where we’ve seen him struggle. I don’t care how bad Kansas’ defense is, it’s tough to get out of an offensive rut against anyone with a pulse, plus, they shut down a struggling OSU offense last week.
First thing I noticed Saturday night was the return of the RPOs, it’s not like they have gone anywhere with Morton starting, but they haven’t been called quite as much. I would bet it’s because Morton is better at making multiple reads, but it was wise of Kittley to bring these back to help Shough get back into the groove.
In the first play, Shough knows he’s going to throw it before the snap just based off the way the safeties react to Baylor Cupp’s motion. He comes down into the box, leaving one high safety and opening up the middle of the field. Shough is looking at the backside end like he might pull the ball on the counter, but he pulls the ball, rises up, and delivers a well-placed ball to Price. This type of RPO takes slightly longer to develop, and Tech got away with several lineman down field, I’m sure Iowa State will have addressed this with the officials beforehand, so they need to be more careful or get the ball out sooner.
In the second play, you can see #4 dropping into coverage which closes the middle of the field, so Shough hands the ball off and Rod makes a great run for a TD. This is blocked really well, especially by Jackson and Cupp.
Speaking of good blocking, watch the first play in this clip. It might be the best blocked play of the season, especially impressive from Mills, Tahj, and the much-maligned Tharp. Some variation of this is really all I want from the Donovan packages. We saw the pass concept out of this later, which I liked, but it’s got to be set up better to work, can’t run that just the second time.
The next three plays are ones of Shough scrambling, not designed, but still an incredible weapon for the last two games. The two elements of these plays that I cannot get over are 1) Shough’s ability to see the escape routes from the pocket. This is more difficult than it seems, and he’s not always taking the obvious route, but his ability to get skinny, step up, and take off is not something I thought he had in his bag. 2) Shough’s got moves, several times defenders have him dead to rights, and he just… wriggles past them. It’s nothing fancy or highlight reel stuff, but his hips are so fluid he leaves defenders lunging and guessing. Again, not something I thought he had.
The last play in this clip is very similar to the one Donovan scored on, but it it’s probably an RPO and hits in a different gap. Plays like this can absolutely win games against the ISU defense, just gotta keep Shough’s collarbone from exploding. I love the misdirection from everyone by Wright who pulls playside, even Tharp and Tahj take a couple of counter steps to set up their blocks. Great play design.
This 4th and 2 is why several people thought the TEs had trouble blocking this game, but I see this more as why we’ve seen so many gap concepts from the coaching staff. It’s so much easier to block down and pull around than it is to zone block. The obvious difference is Tharp, but even if that guy isn’t there, are we sure he’s getting the first down anyway? Not much movement.
Wanted to highlight this play before the half because I think it was critical to the flow of the game that was starting to lean KU and is a much more difficult catch and throw than I think it gets credit for at the time. I love seeing Shough go through his reads, that’s been my biggest criticism, finally finds Cleveland, who has not beat his man, but Shough throws a perfectly placed back shoulder ball that Cleveland expertly adjusts to… luckily, he stepped out of bounds immediately after. Also, shoutout to the Oline, KU knew we were passing, but couldn’t get any pressure.
Speaking of potential difference makers against an ISU defense… Valdez falls right into that category. I could not have been more impressed with what we saw out of him Saturday night. I didn’t really believe that we would see more of him, despite what the coaches said, but I was wrong, he played a ton… and rightfully so. As much as I hate to give Golan credit, he’s been saying Valdez could be a difference maker all year, and this run shows exactly why. He patiently finds a hole, steps on the gas and accelerates through it, runs through arm tackles, and finishes with physicality. Add that to some speed that this offense is missing, and we’ve got quite a player on our hands.
This defense is so fun to watch, obviously they weren’t perfect against a very good Kansas offense, but they were finally rewarded with a little offensive help and continued to play well.
This first play in this clip is one of KU’s bread and butter triple option looks. This is not easy to stop, especially when you don’t see it but one time a year, but our guys looked extremely well prepared for it. Tyree takes the dive, Muddy is right there to force Bean into a decision, and Rabbit is there to clean up the pitch. Perfectly execute option defense.
When the ball was snapped on the next play I leaned over to 409 and said “they have it.” Just based off the way our defense was aligned (and playing cover 2), the corner route was there, and Bean saw it. Luckily for us, Rabbit wears the red and black and makes a really good play to undercut that ball and get a hand on it. That is 6 against most safeties in that position.
My one complaint from Saturday was the lack of pressure on Bean, especially since we saw what he would do facing pressure, but I also get it. Kansas does a lot of eye candy and misdirection to slow down the rush. On this play though, Bean is pressured by Hutchings who just sprints past a double team, and lofts an ill-advised pass to… no one? Two tech players would have come down with that before any Jayhawk, regardless, a really good play by Kosi, a LB in coverage, that directly results in 3 points. I attached the replays too to show how well he read and moved with the play.
This last play is pretty ridiculous by Kansas, but not out of the ordinary for them, they go wildcat, hand it to Bean, fake a reverse, and try to hit a fade on Rayshad. A lot of places for a defense to fall into a trap of being undisciplined, but the Tech defense did not. Great coverage by Rayshad, and a great read/hit by Rabbit to force the incompletion.
This last clip is just a couple of things I’m keeping my eye on for the last two games because I hope it’s not something ISU or OU can take advantage of. The first play was the first fourth down where they scored that ridiculous touchdown. I respect the hell out of Leipold and his staff, but I’m really a fan of their OC. To quote the great Creed Bratton “this guy don’t give an eff about nothin!” To throw a go route to your large H back on fourth and one from your side of the field is just something to be admired. Anyway, they get Tech with what has plagued them all year, being overly aggressive. They are sure this is a run, and it’s not. Pearson, Rabbit, and Kosi all commit to the run while their men run smooth past them. Again, the lack of pressure on Bean here is also concerning.
Next play, notice the graphic on the screen… 4th in yards per play… amazing. Anyway, Kansas pulls a man to the right, has a RB run to the left, QB roll right, all while giving a TE enough time to fake a block and leak out for a throwback. This is Krishon’s man, and he just decides that he is blocking, but he wasn’t. Can’t give away cheap ones like that. Also, the fact that that play had so much time to develop… concerning.
Finally, we get some pressure on Bean on the final play here, but he has just enough time to deliver a strike to his receiver. That sucks, but it happens, but what cannot happen in letting a 10 yard gain turn into 30 because of a bad angle. Dunlap needs to secure that tackle, make KU keep driving.
That may seem like nitpicking for a unit that has been playing extremely well, and guys like Krishon and Dunlap who have made a lot of impact plays, but I’m trying to get bowl eligible and have a winning conference record, so these plays matter.
That win felt good, it was the type of performance that gave me hope for the next two games because it reaffirmed the belief that this program is going in the right direction and in good hands. Bring on the cold and bring on the Cyclones.
It’s worth noting this Kansas defense is bad, but that doesn’t really impact what we saw in the obvious changes in the gameplan. Kittley ran the ball early and often, leaned on Shough’s ability to run, and did not put him in situations where we’ve seen him struggle. I don’t care how bad Kansas’ defense is, it’s tough to get out of an offensive rut against anyone with a pulse, plus, they shut down a struggling OSU offense last week.
First thing I noticed Saturday night was the return of the RPOs, it’s not like they have gone anywhere with Morton starting, but they haven’t been called quite as much. I would bet it’s because Morton is better at making multiple reads, but it was wise of Kittley to bring these back to help Shough get back into the groove.
In the first play, Shough knows he’s going to throw it before the snap just based off the way the safeties react to Baylor Cupp’s motion. He comes down into the box, leaving one high safety and opening up the middle of the field. Shough is looking at the backside end like he might pull the ball on the counter, but he pulls the ball, rises up, and delivers a well-placed ball to Price. This type of RPO takes slightly longer to develop, and Tech got away with several lineman down field, I’m sure Iowa State will have addressed this with the officials beforehand, so they need to be more careful or get the ball out sooner.
In the second play, you can see #4 dropping into coverage which closes the middle of the field, so Shough hands the ball off and Rod makes a great run for a TD. This is blocked really well, especially by Jackson and Cupp.
Speaking of good blocking, watch the first play in this clip. It might be the best blocked play of the season, especially impressive from Mills, Tahj, and the much-maligned Tharp. Some variation of this is really all I want from the Donovan packages. We saw the pass concept out of this later, which I liked, but it’s got to be set up better to work, can’t run that just the second time.
The next three plays are ones of Shough scrambling, not designed, but still an incredible weapon for the last two games. The two elements of these plays that I cannot get over are 1) Shough’s ability to see the escape routes from the pocket. This is more difficult than it seems, and he’s not always taking the obvious route, but his ability to get skinny, step up, and take off is not something I thought he had in his bag. 2) Shough’s got moves, several times defenders have him dead to rights, and he just… wriggles past them. It’s nothing fancy or highlight reel stuff, but his hips are so fluid he leaves defenders lunging and guessing. Again, not something I thought he had.
The last play in this clip is very similar to the one Donovan scored on, but it it’s probably an RPO and hits in a different gap. Plays like this can absolutely win games against the ISU defense, just gotta keep Shough’s collarbone from exploding. I love the misdirection from everyone by Wright who pulls playside, even Tharp and Tahj take a couple of counter steps to set up their blocks. Great play design.
This 4th and 2 is why several people thought the TEs had trouble blocking this game, but I see this more as why we’ve seen so many gap concepts from the coaching staff. It’s so much easier to block down and pull around than it is to zone block. The obvious difference is Tharp, but even if that guy isn’t there, are we sure he’s getting the first down anyway? Not much movement.
Wanted to highlight this play before the half because I think it was critical to the flow of the game that was starting to lean KU and is a much more difficult catch and throw than I think it gets credit for at the time. I love seeing Shough go through his reads, that’s been my biggest criticism, finally finds Cleveland, who has not beat his man, but Shough throws a perfectly placed back shoulder ball that Cleveland expertly adjusts to… luckily, he stepped out of bounds immediately after. Also, shoutout to the Oline, KU knew we were passing, but couldn’t get any pressure.
Speaking of potential difference makers against an ISU defense… Valdez falls right into that category. I could not have been more impressed with what we saw out of him Saturday night. I didn’t really believe that we would see more of him, despite what the coaches said, but I was wrong, he played a ton… and rightfully so. As much as I hate to give Golan credit, he’s been saying Valdez could be a difference maker all year, and this run shows exactly why. He patiently finds a hole, steps on the gas and accelerates through it, runs through arm tackles, and finishes with physicality. Add that to some speed that this offense is missing, and we’ve got quite a player on our hands.
This defense is so fun to watch, obviously they weren’t perfect against a very good Kansas offense, but they were finally rewarded with a little offensive help and continued to play well.
This first play in this clip is one of KU’s bread and butter triple option looks. This is not easy to stop, especially when you don’t see it but one time a year, but our guys looked extremely well prepared for it. Tyree takes the dive, Muddy is right there to force Bean into a decision, and Rabbit is there to clean up the pitch. Perfectly execute option defense.
When the ball was snapped on the next play I leaned over to 409 and said “they have it.” Just based off the way our defense was aligned (and playing cover 2), the corner route was there, and Bean saw it. Luckily for us, Rabbit wears the red and black and makes a really good play to undercut that ball and get a hand on it. That is 6 against most safeties in that position.
My one complaint from Saturday was the lack of pressure on Bean, especially since we saw what he would do facing pressure, but I also get it. Kansas does a lot of eye candy and misdirection to slow down the rush. On this play though, Bean is pressured by Hutchings who just sprints past a double team, and lofts an ill-advised pass to… no one? Two tech players would have come down with that before any Jayhawk, regardless, a really good play by Kosi, a LB in coverage, that directly results in 3 points. I attached the replays too to show how well he read and moved with the play.
This last play is pretty ridiculous by Kansas, but not out of the ordinary for them, they go wildcat, hand it to Bean, fake a reverse, and try to hit a fade on Rayshad. A lot of places for a defense to fall into a trap of being undisciplined, but the Tech defense did not. Great coverage by Rayshad, and a great read/hit by Rabbit to force the incompletion.
This last clip is just a couple of things I’m keeping my eye on for the last two games because I hope it’s not something ISU or OU can take advantage of. The first play was the first fourth down where they scored that ridiculous touchdown. I respect the hell out of Leipold and his staff, but I’m really a fan of their OC. To quote the great Creed Bratton “this guy don’t give an eff about nothin!” To throw a go route to your large H back on fourth and one from your side of the field is just something to be admired. Anyway, they get Tech with what has plagued them all year, being overly aggressive. They are sure this is a run, and it’s not. Pearson, Rabbit, and Kosi all commit to the run while their men run smooth past them. Again, the lack of pressure on Bean here is also concerning.
Next play, notice the graphic on the screen… 4th in yards per play… amazing. Anyway, Kansas pulls a man to the right, has a RB run to the left, QB roll right, all while giving a TE enough time to fake a block and leak out for a throwback. This is Krishon’s man, and he just decides that he is blocking, but he wasn’t. Can’t give away cheap ones like that. Also, the fact that that play had so much time to develop… concerning.
Finally, we get some pressure on Bean on the final play here, but he has just enough time to deliver a strike to his receiver. That sucks, but it happens, but what cannot happen in letting a 10 yard gain turn into 30 because of a bad angle. Dunlap needs to secure that tackle, make KU keep driving.
That may seem like nitpicking for a unit that has been playing extremely well, and guys like Krishon and Dunlap who have made a lot of impact plays, but I’m trying to get bowl eligible and have a winning conference record, so these plays matter.
That win felt good, it was the type of performance that gave me hope for the next two games because it reaffirmed the belief that this program is going in the right direction and in good hands. Bring on the cold and bring on the Cyclones.
