MTDozzer wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 10:53 pm
The Jackal wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 10:16 pm
FUDude wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 6:21 pm
Let them run their wide splits, our quickness will negate it.
Key to that is our 0 tech and 5 tech guys need to be gap sound, anchor the middle and set the edge. Everyone needs to focus on gap control but its crucial at those two spots DT and DE. Let the LBs spill and seal up the running lanes, then make sound one on one tackles. We cannot let them play with leverage and space Need to jam up the A and B gaps mix it up between safety and LB so they cannot throw us out of that. It only takes one player free in the backfield to blow up protection and make it a scramble drill. Speed on the DL kills wide splits. Line up our corners and jam receivers at the line while pressuring with speed at DL will throw timing off and make a QB who does not seems to process quickly make forced errors.
I agree with you. I found this play against Wofford that may be a good indicator of what we'll see Furman try to do.
Man coverage across the board. Sirod Cook, at NG, looks to line head up on guard and ends up crossing the center. Braden Gilby blitzes the A gap. Puts center in position where he can't block both guys.
Jeremiah Jackson forces a double team. Evan Dimaggio brings a weak side blitz. OT can't recover.
With those wide splits, Montana is going to be trying to win a lot of one on one matchups with their offensive line. I think we'll see Furman try to use man coverage a good bit and try to mix up their protection with our quick interior linemen. Best I can tell, the way to stop their offense is to disrupt #17.
Is there really a feeling about Montana having wide OL splits? I have watched FB for decades and this is the most I have seen discussed about wide OL splits.
The focus on #17 is correct, this point in the season the teams with the best overall team play and QB play advance.
One problem with any blitz is multiple types of screens. Any over aggression can play right into a solid offense’s hand.
UD seems to be able to pressure without much blitzing.
My personal observation is UD looks solid on defense and more willing to play conservative offense. UD fans may be surprised physical the Griz defense is. Both defenses are the strength of each team IMHO…I would’t put much weight on size and weight on paper and more weight on production of each player. With two experienced coaching staffs they will both be looking to exploit a weakness. Friday will show which one was effective in finding the best matchups.
One mistake with a few Delaware players is they came into the pregame giving the crowd the business. They may have had better results focusing on their responsibilities and personal play over trying to make a statement with antics towards the crowd.
UD HC and the players I have seen, seem to be more about executing their play than being too emotionally driven. I complement that. The attempt to play the over looked underdog by the HC is a smart approach. The Griz coaches are not overlooking UD or underestimating their talent.
I don't think you'll see pre-game theatrics from Furman. Furman is one of, if not the, most experienced teams in the post-season. They'll be about business.
From what I've seen this year, Furman will be better than Delaware. UD finished 8-3 in the CAA, but as it happens in that conference, they didn't play Albany. They didn't play Richmond. They didn't play William & Mary. They didn't play Rhode Island.
In my view, UD had an artificially inflated record helped in part by their conference schedule, which had them avoiding half the good teams in their own conference. They were then exposed by the Patriot League champs in the first round and finished off by the first really good team they had faced in months.
In Furman, Montana will see a bigger more physical and experienced team than they saw with Delaware.
I think you'll see a lot of similarities in Furman and Montana, especially on defense. Furman is unique in that nearly the entire defensive unit "two platoons." From drive to drive, Furman will have almost an entirely new cast on the field. There's no drop off in production, and for that reason, they are a hard group to wear down. Like Montana, the linebackers are old school thumpers.
Furman's defense does three things really well: (1) stop the run, (2) pressure the QB, and (3) force turnovers. They'll need to do all three Friday.
As I've noted, I think the game will come down to which team can run the ball and which team can hit on a few of their shots over the course of the game.