Why?

[Mullet]

I didn't understand a lot of things about that series. We dive on 1st down, throw on second, pretend to be Arkansas on 3rd, and then throw short again on 4th. After the 1st down play, I thought you might see Foster up the middle 3 more times, and if Cal could stop it, so be it, but instead we pretended we were Cal and got cute.

That series is really my only major complaint with our offensive performance. We forgot that we were Tennessee and they were Cal there for about 3 plays, and it cost us.

I totally 100% agree with this. That particular series really makes me question the type of leadership we have on the sidelines, and i'm a die hard company man. I don't believe Fulmer should be fired or anything radical like that at all, but that was poor play calling on that particular series. We're freaking TN, we DESERVE to lose if we can't score from the 3 yard line in 3 plays.

I think this is going to be one of those years where we get better and think back to this game and wish we had it over again.

 

[Ohio Vol]

It was a brilliant call, and I'll draw up a rudimentary file on Microsoft Paint to demonstrate what it SHOULD look like. There was a missed block that killed the play, plain and simple.

 

[Ohio Vol]

The top graphic shows what the blocking is supposed to look like. The blue X is #94, who is the read man. If he commits to the QB (Taylor, in this case), Taylor pitches. If he commits to the RB, Taylor keeps and gets behind that wall into the end zone.

The lower graphic shows what actually happened. The backside DT wasn't sealed off properly; he got to the heel's depth of the guard and center, then got to where Taylor was. #94 took Taylor from outside in, allowing the DT to get there and stop the play from scoring.

This is EXACTLY the play I would have called, and if it weren't for a missed block then no one on here would be complaining about it either.

 

[GAVol]

So it was the backside D-tackle that blew it up? I didn't notice that.

 

[Ohio Vol]

He didn't blow it up, but the way it's drawn he should have never advanced past where his stance is.

Backside D-linemen on any option play are enormously disruptive, regardless of whether they actually make the play or not.