Here is this week's Messy offensive scheme breakdown against Nicholls. I had some notions going into the game about what we might do, and I have to admit that the early offense wasn't quite what I expected. Messingham is a script guy (he plans out the first 10-15 plays with slight adjustments based on down and distance) and its clear he wanted to a) give Nicholls a ton of formation and personnel packages and b) get the passing game established. Over the first 2 drives he definitely accomplished both. Here is a drive by drive breakdown featuring key plays from the first 7 drives before garbage time.
Drive 1
This first drive was the tone setter. 13 plays, 9 different formations. 7 single back formations, 5 two back, and 1 diamond. 3 spread (3+ receivers), 6 double tight (or TE-H back), 8 in shot gun. A couple of power sweeps, several inside zone plays, one QB run, a couple drop back passes, and a bunch of play action. Messingham through out a ton of offense in this first drive and most of it worked. The success rate was under 50% (one of the worst drives of the day), but the offense started the Klieman era with a bang.
Picking up 3rd down is always key and something K-State dominated in this game. Nicholls gave K-State a bunch of man coverage with 1 free all night and Thompson and his receivers took advantage over and over. On this first one, Thompson used a quick drop and found Thompson open on a curl route just past the sticks.
Play action pass was also big all night and set the tone early. Here an inside zone fake finds
Knowles open on another curl route.
Again, K-State converts a 3rd down on the first drive. Here Brown motions out into single coverage and once again a curl route is open at the sticks opposite the trips side of the formation.
Another play pass, this time out of split back gun with 3 receivers. A concept we saw from the NDSU clips was a sweep play pass into a wheel route, which is what we have here. The impressive thing is Thompson not forcing the ball into coverage and then waiting to hit his flair dump route with no one around him for a nice gain. Also, Trotter does a nice job chipping to help the offensive tackle and then flaring to his dump route.
Early in the game, K-State's running game focused on what looks like more traditional zone blocking concepts. Here the offensive line zone blocks to the right with a lead block from the fullback. Trotter has a two way go at the point of attack after the FB picks up the edge defender and he decides to bounce it. To be fair, bouncing a play like this may not fly against teams like Mississippi State or in the Big 12, but here Trotter uses great effort to basically break 3 tackles for the score.
Drive 2
The 2nd drive looks like a continuation of the diverse personnel and play calling from the first drive with two 1 back formations, one 2 back formation, and 2 from the diamond. K-State took advantage of the short field provided by the defense with two key scramble runs by Thompson. I noted leading up to this game that Messingham's past quarterbacks often looked for running lanes when routes were covered and this drive featued two huge QB runs on pass play calls, including a key 3rd down early in the drive.
This diamond formation sweep run fake even features a pulling guard. Again, Messinham is trying to get a back on the wheel route (there was a very similar play in the NDSU breakdown), but once again Nicholls takes the wheel route away. However, Thompson sees the opening in the middle of the field and takes advantage with the 17 yard TD run.
Drive 3
The funny thing about the running game is that after talking up A-gap power, Messingham seemed almost intent on establishing something else early in the game. While A-gap power will eventually come, this game also relied heavily on inside zone with a FB. Once again you see zone steps from the offensive line, an established line of scrimmage (note that the LOS is moved 2 yards by the time the back gets the ball), a FB kick out, and an inside crease found by the back.
Another thing that was talked about from the NDSU offense was shifting and motions. Previous plays highlighted motion, but here is a nice shift from the FB and TE to an unbalanced formation (the TE ends up on the 2 receiver side). Again, we see a zone run scheme (to the left) with a FB kick out and nice inside run by the back. This really highlights the need for FBs, H backs, and TEs to be interchangeable in the Messingham offense. It is also notable that this is the same shift and play call that K-State fails to convert on 4th down later in the game.
Here we see a 3 wide, 1 tight set with a shift, then a motion. Again, Messingham really likes to mess with the defense's eyes by using jet motion and running a back behind it. Once again we see a inside zone look while the shift and motion creates a numbers advantage for the back off of the left tackle. The LBs and safety get caught in the wash because they over compensate for the motion and then jet sweep action.
Nothing really substantial about this play, but it was the first A-gap power run of the Messingham era and it didn't occur until play 23. Again, get used to seeing this as K-State simply tries to get bodies to the point of attack in multiple ways. The ability to establish the zone running game and then go to this power football will only make this running game more potent.
Messingham is really getting into a groove by drive 3. Now he's going with more 2 back sets, more shifts, and more motions. After establishing the offense with the diverse set of calls from the script, now he's going with what K-State wants to be know for; power football and bludgeoning the defense. Here the Cats shift a TE to the backfield and run the overloaded A-gap power for a nice gain.
At this point Mess is just having fun. K-State goes to another typical Mess look with 3 wide, an H back, and 1 back gun. However, power football is still coming, this time in the form of the classic counter trey. This was the only counter trey run of the game, but note nice kick out from the guard, pull up from the tackle, and then read and run by Brown for the score. Also, the H back cleans up the back side of the play for the pullers.
Drives 4 through 7 coming later in the thread.
Drive 1
This first drive was the tone setter. 13 plays, 9 different formations. 7 single back formations, 5 two back, and 1 diamond. 3 spread (3+ receivers), 6 double tight (or TE-H back), 8 in shot gun. A couple of power sweeps, several inside zone plays, one QB run, a couple drop back passes, and a bunch of play action. Messingham through out a ton of offense in this first drive and most of it worked. The success rate was under 50% (one of the worst drives of the day), but the offense started the Klieman era with a bang.
Picking up 3rd down is always key and something K-State dominated in this game. Nicholls gave K-State a bunch of man coverage with 1 free all night and Thompson and his receivers took advantage over and over. On this first one, Thompson used a quick drop and found Thompson open on a curl route just past the sticks.
Play action pass was also big all night and set the tone early. Here an inside zone fake finds
Knowles open on another curl route.
Again, K-State converts a 3rd down on the first drive. Here Brown motions out into single coverage and once again a curl route is open at the sticks opposite the trips side of the formation.
Another play pass, this time out of split back gun with 3 receivers. A concept we saw from the NDSU clips was a sweep play pass into a wheel route, which is what we have here. The impressive thing is Thompson not forcing the ball into coverage and then waiting to hit his flair dump route with no one around him for a nice gain. Also, Trotter does a nice job chipping to help the offensive tackle and then flaring to his dump route.
Early in the game, K-State's running game focused on what looks like more traditional zone blocking concepts. Here the offensive line zone blocks to the right with a lead block from the fullback. Trotter has a two way go at the point of attack after the FB picks up the edge defender and he decides to bounce it. To be fair, bouncing a play like this may not fly against teams like Mississippi State or in the Big 12, but here Trotter uses great effort to basically break 3 tackles for the score.
Drive 2
The 2nd drive looks like a continuation of the diverse personnel and play calling from the first drive with two 1 back formations, one 2 back formation, and 2 from the diamond. K-State took advantage of the short field provided by the defense with two key scramble runs by Thompson. I noted leading up to this game that Messingham's past quarterbacks often looked for running lanes when routes were covered and this drive featued two huge QB runs on pass play calls, including a key 3rd down early in the drive.
This diamond formation sweep run fake even features a pulling guard. Again, Messinham is trying to get a back on the wheel route (there was a very similar play in the NDSU breakdown), but once again Nicholls takes the wheel route away. However, Thompson sees the opening in the middle of the field and takes advantage with the 17 yard TD run.
Drive 3
The funny thing about the running game is that after talking up A-gap power, Messingham seemed almost intent on establishing something else early in the game. While A-gap power will eventually come, this game also relied heavily on inside zone with a FB. Once again you see zone steps from the offensive line, an established line of scrimmage (note that the LOS is moved 2 yards by the time the back gets the ball), a FB kick out, and an inside crease found by the back.
Another thing that was talked about from the NDSU offense was shifting and motions. Previous plays highlighted motion, but here is a nice shift from the FB and TE to an unbalanced formation (the TE ends up on the 2 receiver side). Again, we see a zone run scheme (to the left) with a FB kick out and nice inside run by the back. This really highlights the need for FBs, H backs, and TEs to be interchangeable in the Messingham offense. It is also notable that this is the same shift and play call that K-State fails to convert on 4th down later in the game.
Here we see a 3 wide, 1 tight set with a shift, then a motion. Again, Messingham really likes to mess with the defense's eyes by using jet motion and running a back behind it. Once again we see a inside zone look while the shift and motion creates a numbers advantage for the back off of the left tackle. The LBs and safety get caught in the wash because they over compensate for the motion and then jet sweep action.
Nothing really substantial about this play, but it was the first A-gap power run of the Messingham era and it didn't occur until play 23. Again, get used to seeing this as K-State simply tries to get bodies to the point of attack in multiple ways. The ability to establish the zone running game and then go to this power football will only make this running game more potent.
Messingham is really getting into a groove by drive 3. Now he's going with more 2 back sets, more shifts, and more motions. After establishing the offense with the diverse set of calls from the script, now he's going with what K-State wants to be know for; power football and bludgeoning the defense. Here the Cats shift a TE to the backfield and run the overloaded A-gap power for a nice gain.
At this point Mess is just having fun. K-State goes to another typical Mess look with 3 wide, an H back, and 1 back gun. However, power football is still coming, this time in the form of the classic counter trey. This was the only counter trey run of the game, but note nice kick out from the guard, pull up from the tackle, and then read and run by Brown for the score. Also, the H back cleans up the back side of the play for the pullers.
Drives 4 through 7 coming later in the thread.
