SB Nation - Kevin Matthews

Thank You, Seniors - 2009

Beergut — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:42:40 -0000

Today marks the final game at Kyle Field for eighteen senior football players:

#2 Marcus Gold
#2 Jeff Wood
#4 Jamie McCoy
#5 Howard Morrow
#5 Jordan Peterson
#21 Justin McQueen
#25 Jordan Pugh
#27 Chevar Bryson
#36 Anthony Lewis
#38 Ryan O'Bryant
#46 Matt Featherston
#52 Corey Gibas
#53 Derek Dumas
#55 Matt Moss
#63 Kevin Matthews
#74 Lee Grimes
#75 Vincent Williams
#76 Michael Shumard

Thank you, seniors, for all you have done, and all you continue to do, for the Aggie football program.

Please close out your final game at Kyle Field by BEATING THE HELL OUTTA t.u.!!!!!!

Iowa State Game Review

Beergut — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:58:25 -0000

I haven't been able to watch the game online or on DVD yet, so most of my insight into the game is from looking at the stats and the play-by-play. Bullets, bullets, everyone loves bullets:

We have gone from giving up 6 sacks against Kansas State to one sack in each of the last two games. Ideally, you don't want to give up any sacks, but this constitutes an improvement for our offensive line. Before these last two games, we had given up 16 sacks, or 2.67 sacks per game. Our OL is basically shaving off two lost players per game; that is improvement.
The defense held the leading rusher in the Big 12 (Alexander Robinson) to 76 yards on 20 carries. Good job, defense.
After struggling to force interceptions in our first six games, the secondary now has 4 interceptions in our last two games. Another sign of improvement for our team.

Jeff Fuller's put on a nice show in his first game back at home since his return from injury. He scored our second TD of the first quarter, and had 5 receptions for 67 yards on the day.
The addition of Fuller to our receiving corps makes everyone better. As a defense, who do you double, Uzoma Nwachukwu or Jeff Fuller? Pick your poison.
Second straight game we go with a starting OL of LT Michael Shumard, LG Patrick Lewis, C Kevin Matthews, RG Evan Eike and RT Lee Grimes. Second straight game we rush for over 250 yards. Coincidence? I think not. Moving Grimes to the left side and starting Eike on the right seems to have really solidified the middle of our line.
We are currently in the top 5 in the nation in total offense, and we're two-thirds of the way through the regular season. I don't remember the last time we had an offense that was ranked so highly nationally this late in the year.
The 10 points Iowa State scored is the fewest points we've given up in Big 12 play since playing Baylor in 2007.
We have gone over 200 yards rushing in five of our eight games so far this season.
We have also exceeded 500 yards of total offense in five of eight games this season.
Iowa State is 4th in the Big 12 in scoring defense, giving up 23 points per game, so it isn't like we were playing little sisters of the poor on Saturday.
If we keep up our current production on offense we will set a new record for offensive production for Aggie football. The current record is held by the 1990 team, at 471.1 yards per game.

I've Watched The Game - Tech Review

Beergut — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:55:33 -0000

I finally had a chance to watch the game last night. For those who haven't watched the game yet, you can see it here; it is a feed from the jumbotron at Tech's game. You'll see a lot of Tech-centric advertising, but that is to be expected.

I'll just do this in bullets:

The key to the game was the play of Patrick Lewis, Kevin Matthews, and Evan Eike. They mauled the Tech DTs, which meant the middle of the defensive line was open for us all day.
Michael Shumard may have played his best game at LT in the last two years. His ability to pin the DEs outside made it easier for us to operate in the pocket, and for Jerrod to run the ball.
Our defense still needs a lot of work.
Screens were effective against us on the first offensive drive; we stuffed them in the second half. Good adjustments.
Christine Michael is a freaking animal.
Cyrus Gray is running with speed and power; he is running harder than I've ever seen him run. Tech was Cyrus' best game as an Aggie so far.
Patrick Lewis is already an accomplished mauler at LG, and he is only a true freshman. The future is very bright for him.

The need for Tech to keep two over the top in coverage of Uzoma Nwachukwu meant they couldn't spy anyone on Johnson when he started scrambling. EZ basically made for a dual-threat, because if you covered him, Jerrod would get you, and if you didn't double him, he'd beat you deep. Pick your poison, defense.
The running plays were fairly basic: power off-tackle, counter, trap. If this reflects a return-to-basics strategy to help the offensive line, I like it.
We still don't tackle well enough on defense. Too many arm/shoulder tackles. This is a fundamental issue we need to improve at.
Garrick Williams is very quietly becoming a very good player.
The one thing Seth Doege gave Tech when he entered the game was an improved tempo. He kept the offense in a rhythm.
There were a lot of holds that weren't called in this game, on both sides.
The refs need to do a better job of controlling the game. There were too many personal fouls, and they need to talk to the coaches to stop that.
I'd like it better if the Tech jumbotron showed the score occasionally.

For those who may not have seen it yet:

Has The Offensive Line Turned The Corner?

Beergut — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:42:12 -0000

In one week, we went from -13 yards rushing and 6 sacks given up to 321 yards rushing and 1 sack given up. We went from having a sieve standing in front of our quarterback and running backs to having a brick wall that moves down the field like a steamroller. We switched from a starting lineup of LT Michael Shumard, LG Matt Allen, C Kevin Matthews, RG Patrick Lewis, RT Lee Grimes to a starting lineup of Shumard at LT, Lewis at LG, Matthews at C, Evan Eike at RG, and Grimes at RT. Can shuffling around our guards really have that much of an impact? For one game, it sure seems to have worked.

I know Sherman challenged the masculinity of his team before this game. I know Sherman challenged the offensive line, in particular, because they haven't been getting it done this season. I am sure after a pathetic performance against Kansas State, the players were embarrassed, and anxious to prove themselves; Tech just happened to be the next opponent. However, Tech's defensive line is actually pretty decent. Heading into the game, they were in the top 10 in sacks in the nation, with 23 in only 7 games at that time. They had a decent pass rush. Whatever Sherman told our offensive line, it worked, as they protected Jerrod very well for the night, giving up only one sack. More importantly, they provided a good pocket for him to pass, as he was only hurried twice all game. Jerrod had enough time to scramble for 71 yards on 10 carries, which is counting the sack where he lost 11 yards; that is good protection and good blocking.

Iowa State, our upcoming opponent on Saturday, is 62nd in the nation in rushing defense, giving up a solid 137.5 yards per game; not terrific, but not bad, either. Tech was 24th in the nation in rushing defense before we faced them Saturday; our offensive line's performance pushed them all the way down to 57th in the rankings, and added another 27 yards to their per game average for rushing yards given up. That is a dominating performance by an offensive line. We will have to wait and see if our success continues against an Iowa State team that is on a little bit of a roll after beating Baylor and Nebraska in the past two weeks. The Cyclone's run defense has moved from 77 to 67 to 62 in the past two weeks, so they are improving against the running game as the season goes on. Iowa State will be a good challenge for our offensive line, and a way to gauge if our line has truly turned the corner.

A Few UNM Thoughts

miketag — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:32:36 -0000

Finally got a chance to sit down and watch the DVD of the game. Was mostly impressed with what I saw. Was pleasantly surprised by how well the OL played, compared to my perception of their play from the radio broadcast.

Overall what struck me was how lean our team looked. Obviously the time spent in Dave Kennedy's S&C program is having an effect. We definitely look quicker on defense, especially at the LB position. I was particularly impressed with how well Kyle Mangan and Sean Porter run. Mangan offers a quantum step up in play from last year at the MLB position. Ricky Cavanaugh looks bigger but can still run.

I love the effort I saw from Spencer Nealy. As I predicted after watching him in the All Star game, his motor will quickly make him a fan favorite. Still want to know why the son of an NBA basketball player, who is the San Antonio area POY, no less, received so little recruiting attention. I think Nealy and Matt Moss will provide adequate pressure opposite Von Miller. Miller obviously had a great game.

I was pleasantly surprised with how crisp our tackling was. We had a lot of gang tackling. We did not see any of the diving for the feet that we saw under Fran. That is because we are faster as a team. Our DBs play in run support was very impressive.

I was surprised by Danny Baker's play. It was not nearly as bad as I expected. The only OL's play that stood out to me as particularly bad was Kevin Matthews, who had a couple of bad plays in the second quarter. He rebounded and had some very nice blocks in the second half. Matt Allen was impressive when pulling in the second half. We are a noticably right handed team, and ran sweeps and QB keeps to the right side behind Allen and Grimes.

The freshmen do not look or play like freshmen. We may well end up with more wins than I expected, because the freshmen are playing like sophomores and juniors.

Jerrod Johnson had a tremendous game. If we can protect him, he should be one of the top QBs in the league without question.

UNM may not being a very good team, but I thought our execution and effort were very impressive, esp[ecially for the first game of the season.

Aggies Release Football Depth Chart

Beergut — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:17:19 -0000

We finally know who all of our starters on offense and defense are (at least until they hit the field, and we see what changes have been made) as the depth chart has been released:

Starting Offense

Line


LT Danny Baker	LG Michael Shumard	C Kevin Matthews	RG Matt Allen	RT Lee Grimes

Backs


QB Jerrod Johnson	TB Cyrus Gray	FB Anthony Veela

Receivers


TE Jamie McCoy	WR Terrence McCoy	WR Jeff Fuller

Thoughts: Since our main personnel groupings this season will be 10, 11, and 0 personnel, in that order, I don't thnk we'll be seeing much of Anthony Veela at the FB position, but he will play in short yardage. I expect to see Christine Michael and Bradley Stephens see plenty of time at TB as we share the load when running the ball. Likewise, I expect Uzoma "EZ" Nwachukwu, Kenric McNeal, and Ryan Swope to see plenty of playing time at WR. When we go to 10 personnel (11 is shown here), Howard Morrow will be the fourth WR. Our passing game will be as good as Danny Baker lets it be; our running game will progress with Matt Allen and Lee Grimes' maturation.

Starting Defense

Line


DE Matt Moss	NT Tony Jerod-Eddie	DT Lucas Patterson	Jack Von Miller

Linebackers


OLB Garrick Williams	MLB Kyle Mangan	OLB Ricky Cavanaugh

Defensive Backs


CB Justin McQueen	FS Jordan Pugh	SS Trent Hunter	CB Terrence Frederick

Thoughts: I expect Justin McQueen to move to second on the depth chart once Coryell Judie gets his feet under him, and learns the defense. I am hopeful that Ricky Cavanaugh and Garrick Williams will be more comfortable with their second season in the defense, and that experience will show on the field. Even though the DT position is listed as Patterson OR Eddie Brown, I think Brown should be starting. I just have never been impressed with Patterson as a 3-tech. I would be a lot happier if Matt Featherston was starting at the other DE spot opposite Von Miller rather than backing him up at the Jack position. I expect Spencer Nealy to receive significant playing time at the strongside DE spot behind Matt Moss.

Specialists


K Randy Bullock	P Ryan Epperson	H Ryan Tannehill


DS Corey Gibas	KR Christine Michael	PR Dustin Harris

Thoughts: I am happy we return Bullock at kicker; he was solid last season, 6-7 on FG attempts, 6-6 inside 40 yds. I expect Cyrus Gray to take over the KR duties before long, and wouldn't be surprised if this is a gambit by Sherman to start Michael there. I also expect to see Dustin Harris playing CB behind Terrence Frederick. He may struggle with bigger receivers because of his slight build, though.

What do you think of our starting lineup?

SB Nation 2009 Big 12 Preview: Texas A&M

Beergut — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:31:32 -0000

SB Nation Big 12 Preview: In conjunction with The Ralphie Report, all Big 12 blogs are previewing their teams. The conference preview will run over at The Ralphie Report tomorrow, but A&M's preview is running today.

Texas A&M Offense: A&M returns 8 starters on offense, with virtually all of their skill position talent returning. QB Jerrod Johnson will be leading the offense for his second season, and WRs Jeff Fuller, Ryan Tannehill, Terrence McCoy will lead our passing attack. Tight end Jamie McCoy also returns, as does offensive linemen Evan Eike, Kevin Matthews, and Lee Grimes. Top backup RB Cyrus Gray will be the starter in the offensive backfield next to Johnson, although he may share playing time with Christine Michael. The offense averaged 5.3 yds per play last season, and a poor 340.9 yds per game total offense. If A&M is to have a winning season and go to a bowl, those numbers have to improve.

The Running Game: A&M averaged a pathetic 2.9 yds per carry on the season, while averaging 88.5 yds rushing per game, good for last place in the Big 12 in rushing offense. On the season, A&M rushed for a total of 1062 yds; to put that in perspective, Oklahoma had two running backs (Chris Brown and Demarco Murray) who gained more yds rushing than that individually. The return of three starters on the offensive line would seem to be an advantage for our rushing attack in 2009, but when it was some of the same players who manned a poor line last season, you have to question how much of an advantage that returning experience is. Right now, the starting offensive line in Fall Camp is Lucas Patterson and Lee Grimes at tackle, Mike Shumard and Matt Allen at guard, and Kevin Matthews at center. There has been some movement of Patterson from let tackle to right tackle on different days in camp, so it is unknown yet exactly who will start where. With the return of Gray and redshirt sophomore Bradley Stephens, and the addition of true freshman Christine Michael, A&M has the talent at running back to have an effective rushing attack. The question is whether or not we will have the blocking up front to get the job done on the ground.

The Passing Game: A&M returns record-setting starting QB Jerrod Johnson, who currently holds the records for most TD passes in a season (21), and most passing yards in a game for an A&M QB (419 yards vs. Kansas State). A&M also returns two record-setting wide receivers in freshman Jeff Fuller (most TD receptions for an A&M WR, with 9) and Ryan Tannehill (freshman record for receptions in a season, with 55). With John Mackey Award candidate Jamie McCoy returning at TE (43 receptions, 500 yds, 5 TDs), and senior Howard Morrow, freshmen Kenric McNeal, and Uzome "EZ" Nwachukwu providing quality depth at WR, A&M's passing game looks to continue to excel in 2009. The Aggies averaged 252.4 yds passing per game last season, a number that should rise with the return of so much skill position talent, and the implementation of a no-huddle spread attack this season.

Texas A&M Defense: Texas A&M was horrific on defense last season, no other way to put it. If the Aggies can improve to just being an average defensive team this season, i.e. giving up an average of 250 yds per game passing and 150 yds per game rushing, so giving up right at 400 yds per game in total offense, we will win enough games to be in a bowl game. The defense returns only 5 starters, but that may not be a bad thing, considering we gave up an average of 462 yds and 37 points per game last season.

Defensive Line: The Aggies lost both defensive ends as Michael Bennett and Cyril Obiozor used up their eligibility. They will be replaced by junior college transfer Matt Moss on the strongside, and hybrid Jack linebacker Von Miller on the weakside. Walk-on defensive end Spencer Nealy may also see significant time this season. On the interior line, A&M returns two players who saw extenisve action in 2008, with Eddie Brown returning at defensive tackle, where he started two games, and Tony Jerod-Eddie returning at nose tackle, where he started seven games last season. Redshirt freshman Rod Davis will provide key depth inside. As I have noted before, the key to improvement on our defense starts up front.

Linebackers: Von Miller is expected to be the Aggies' biggest playmaker this season, coming from his Jack linebacker position. Former MLB Matt Featherston will back up Miller at the Jack position. The middle of our linebacking corps will be manned by freshman Kyle Mangan, nicknamed "Ice Cream" by his teammates. Garrick Williams and Ricky Cavanaugh are battling for the other outside linebacker position. Linebacker is one area where an infusion of young talent and speed can really help us.

Secondary: A&M returns safety Trent Hunter and cornerback Jordan Pugh in the secondary, although Pugh has now been moved to safety. Backup Justin McQueen is currently running first team at one cornerback, and Jordan Peterson has moved from free safety, where he started last season, to compete for the spot with McQueen. True sophomore Terrence Frederick is the starter at the other CB spot and has had a very strong camp. I would argue that we were actually okay in the secondary last season, because Trent Hunter is a difference-maker at safety. Considering the fact that our cornerbacks and safeties had to stop the run AND cover the opposing receivers all the time, they didn't do too badly last year. With the improvement in the front seven of our defense this season, there is reason for hope for a solid season from our secondary. I don't look for us to be world-beaters, but we should be okay, and Trent Hunter should receive serious consideration for some post-season awards.

Overall prediction for A&M: I think we'll finish 4th or 5th in the Big 12 South, going 6-6 or 7-5. Is that overly optimistic? Maybe. I am a fan, after all. I think wins over Iowa State, Colorado, Kansas State, and Baylor can be expected in conference. Swing games that will define our season are aganst Arkansas in Arlington, Texas Tech in Lubbock, and texas in College Station.

Texas Tech Opponent Prospectus // Texas A&M Aggies

Seth C — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:00:11 -0000

2009 Texas Tech Opponent Prospectus

Game 1: North Dakota Fighting Sioux // Game 2: Rice Owls // Game 3: Texas Longhorns // Game 4: Houston Cougars // Game 5: New Mexico Lobos // Game 6: Kansas State Wildcats // Game 7: Nebraska Cornhuskers // Game 8: Texas A&M Aggies

Head coach Mike Sherman is in year two of the rebuilding project that is the Texas A&M Aggies. After the past two years, there's no doubt in my mind that Dennis Franchionne left the program in complete shambles and now Sherman is left cleaning up the pieces.

Join me after the jump for a closer look at Texas A&M.

General Information

Opponent	Texas A&M University
Nickname	Aggies
Location	College Station, TX
Enrollment	38,430 (Undergraduates)
Conference	Big 12
Head Coach	Mike Sherman
2008 Record	4-8 (2-6)
Starters Returning/Lost	16/6
Blogs	I Am The 12th Man Texas A&M & Baseball In No Particular Order
Links	2009 Media Supplement (pdf) 2009 Spring Game Wrap-Up

Statistics


Statistic	Texas A&M	Texas Tech
Pass Offense	252.42 (27)	413.15 (1)
Rush Offense	88.50 (114)	117.84 (94)
Total Offense	340.92 (78)	531.00 (4)
Scoring Offense	25.00 (64)	43.77 (3)
Pass Efficiency	135.25 (35)	158.76 (9)
Sacks Allowed	3.25 (115)	1.00 (4)
Pass Defense	242.67 (95)	242.23 (94)
Rush Defense	219.25 (114)	140.38 (61)
Total Defense	461.92 (114)	382.62 (79)
Scoring Defense	37.42 (114)	27.85 (74)
Pass Efficiency Defense	144.41 (108)	130.56 (72)
Sacks	1.33 (100)	2.62 (18)
Tackles For Loss	4.83 (97)	4.85 (95)
Turnover Margin	-0.83 (104)	0.62 (22)

Top Returners

Category	Player
Rushing	Cyrus Gray (75 / 389 yds / 1 TD)
Passing	Jerrod Johnson (194-326 / 2,435 yds / 21 TD / 10 Int)
Receiving	Ryan Tannehill (55 rec. / 844 yds / 5 TD)
Tackles	Matt Featherston (94)
Sacks	Von Miller (3.5)
Interceptions	Trent Hunter (3)

A Few Things

Young Defense: The defense returns seven players, and although the Aggies weren't great defensively (a lot of teams were in the Big 12, including your Red Raiders) I think there's always something to be said for experience and as a team with good talent, that experience eventually pays off. The nice thing about the TAMU defense is that the Aggies aren't having to replace an entire unit (i.e. defensive line, linebacker, and secondary), which give the some consistency to this unit. Perhaps the biggest need for this unit is to force more turnovers. The offense could do a better job of holding onto the ball, but defensively, the Aggies probably need to force the issue a bit and with second year defensive coordinator, Joe Kines, I think that will eventually happen.
Rushing Duo: Returning running back Cyrus Gray and true freshman Christine Michael should prove to be a formidable rushing duo. Gray didn't necessarily light the world on fire last year (75/363/1 TD), behind incumbent Mike Goodson, but he did finish just under 5 yards per attempt. Michael is being touted as one of the top freshman in the country and despite the contempt for the Aggies, don't dismiss the fact that they do have talented players and Michael should be one of them.
Building a Line: The Aggies return four starters from last year, replacing their right tackle, and most of these guys were fairly young. Again, the concept that although the line wasn't very efficient last year, only 2.91 yards rushing and giving up 39 sacks (good for 115th in the nation) last year there's the potential for improvement. Of those players returning, OG Lee Grimes will be a senior, C Kevin Matthews will be a senior, OG Evan Eike will be a sophomore, and OT Michael Shumard will be a senior, so it appears that right now, TAMU will need to replace at least two starters next year.
Receiving Threats: TAMU returns their top three receiving threats from last year, and I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that I really like both of the Aggies' wideouts, Ryan Tannehill (55/844/5 TD) and Jeff Fuller (50/630/9 TD). Not to mention, TE Jamie McCoy had a pretty good year, catching 43 passes for 500 yards and 5 TD's.
Getting to the QB: Getting pressure on the quarterback, including sacks and tackles for a loss, is a big problem for the Aggies. TAMU only mustered 16 sacks for the year in 2008, which was good for 100th in the nation. The bad part is that the Aggies return Von Miller, but lose three of the top four pass rushers in Cyril Obiozor, Danny Gorrer and Johnathan Baston. That's 7 of TAMU's 16 sacks for the year gone due to graduation.
Pressure on Johnson: Personally, I like Jerrod Johnson at quarterback for the Aggies and think that he's a pretty good quarterback. When it was known that WR Ryan Tannehill was going to push Johnson at QB, I wasn't sure if this as the best use of Tannehill's talents, especially after seeing him catch 5 passes for 104 yards against Texas Tech. I don't know that I know Mike Sherman, but I can understand the concept of needing to push players at every position. This is something that Mike Leach often does, which is make it known that his starting quarterback is being pushed by the backup, although most of us know that there's little chance of the backup having much of a chance. It's artificial pressure, but I get the feeling that this can affect the player. In any event, I have no doubt that Tannehill is a talented QB, he seems like the kind of guy that is good at just about anything, but I think it would take a monumental push from Tannehill to unseat the incumbent, Jerrod Johnson.

Poll

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most worried and 1 being the least worried, how worried are you about the Texas A&M Aggies?

1

186 votes

2

136 votes

3

84 votes

4

21 votes

5

34 votes

461 votes | Poll has closed

Jake Matthews Commits!

miketag — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:55:28 -0000

Mike Sherman just landed the 20th and possibly most important pledge of the 2010 recruiting class. Elkins OT Jake Matthews 6'5 285 made a verbal commitment to the Ags today after visiting the school with his family. Matthews commitment puts an exclamation point on an OL haul that is as good as any for A&M in recent memory. Matthews is the brother of current A&M center Kevin Matthews. He is the top rated OL in the state and one of the top OTs in the nation. In landing Matthews (along with the recent commit of Corey Nelson) Mike Sherman has sent a message out to all of the top programs in the nation that A&M IS going to be a factor in recruiting at a national level.

Sherman beat out USC, OU, tu and pretty much every major program in the country for Matthews pledge. After coming in second on a lot of these guys during Slocum's waning years and the Frantastic era, it is nice to land a couple of top recruits. Recruiting rankings ultimately are meaningless, and they do not sign on the dotted line until February. It should also be noted that recruits on the offensive line are probably the hardest to evaluate. That said, Matthews is supposed to be the kind of can't-miss prospect who jumps out at you when you watch him play. I have not seen an OL like that in high school since Ofa Mohetau was playing for Euless Trinity. Could not tell you what he is doing these days as he was not able to break into the starting lineup at Tech after starting as a true freshman at BYU.

I still say that landing a recruit of this caliber matters for A&M even if he does not pan out on the field. By beating out the top programs in the nation while coming off a 4-8 season, Sherman is showing that he can excel in recruiting. Imagine how well he could do if he had a winning record to recruit with. I saw a quote from the Big 12 media days where Sherman wondered why Fran could not recruit to A&M because he thinks the school sells itself. Obviously, Sherman knows how to sell the school and his program because he is putting together an excellent class. I do not care what the rankings say, if Sherman thinks you can play OL then I believe you can play OL. Sherman has found five guys who he thinks can help us on the OL and that is enough for me.

Running Off-Tackle With 11 Personnel

Beergut — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:07:42 -0000

Back in January, I broke down A&M's Power play, where we used 22 personnel to bludgeon New Mexico's 3-4 defense. Today, we're going to look at how we can run off-tackle using those same power elements, but with 11 personnel.

Here the offense is lined up against Iowa State:

Texas A&M offense 11 personnel vs. Iowa State

Here we have Jerrod Johnson at QB, Cyrus Gray at TB, and Jamie McCoy (#4) on the line at TE. We have 1 back, 1 TE, and 3 WRs, so 11 personnel. Gray is aligned Far, on the opposite side of the TE. Iowa State is in a 4-3 Over front, with the NT and DT shaded to the strongside of the formation. I think the secondary is in a Cover 2 shell, but can't be certain since neither the image nor the game video shows the whole secondary.

Iowa State has their defensive personnel on the field to stop the run. Notice how strongside LB (Sam) is just off the LOS, shaded off the strongside DE. The MLB (Mike) is aligned right over the DT-DE gap on the strongside. Clearly, Iowa State is betting we're coming strongside, and they're in position with seven people on that side of the field to stop the play.

Now we're going to look at the play right at the snap:

Right as the ball is snapped.

Now you can begin to see what is going to happen on this play. LG Evan Eike is beginning to pull around to the strongside. #63 C Kevin Matthews is pinning Iowa State NT inside, forcing him to the backside away from the play. RG Joe Villavisencio and RT Lee Grimes are double-teaming the strongside DT. The table is set for the whole defensive front to be moved to the left, with Eike coming right to kickout the EMLOS (End Man on the Line of Scrimmage). Notice Gray is moving from left to right, going towards the strongside as he prepares to take the handoff. LT Michael Shumard ignores the weakside DE as he begins to move to the second level to take on the weakside (Will) LB.

As the ball is handed off the Gray, everything begins to come into focus.

Ball is handed off.

Jamie McCoy has pinned the SDE inside, and the Sam LB has come up to fill the gap. Evan Eike now knows who his EMLOS aiming point is. Notice how the backside DE is frozen, not coming upfield, trying to read if Johnson has given the ball to Gray, or is keeping it to go backside. This read is why Shumard is able to ignore him and go upfield. All Gray needs to do now is follow Eike, and slip under his block.

Now as Eike begins to hit his block, we have a new issue:

Eike kicks out the Sam LB

Notice how Lee Grimes and Joe Villvasencio are at the right of the picture, well into the second level and blocking downfield.However, the Mike LB has read the play well, and is now in position to tackle Gray for no gain. Gray is deftly cutting inside Eike's block, but Mike is right there to stop him. Two things happen here which partially explain why this play went from a no-gain/sure loss to a positve play.

Gray gets through the hole.

Gray gets through the hole and puts on a burst of speed, as Mike makes the mistake of lowering his head, anticipating the tackle. Gray blows inside and past him, making Mike overrun the play. Now Gray is free and in a foot race, with a phalanx of Aggie blockers ahead of him and the other ISU defenders at a bad angle to cut him off.

Gray breaking it free.

He reads his blocks, cuts to his right, protected by a wall of Aggies.

Gray cutting outside around his blockers.

Gray is now free to run for the endzone, which he does, for a 27 yd TD.

Here is what the play looks like in real time:

Cyrus Gray runs for a TD.

This off-tackle run with 11 personnel exemplifies the type of offense Mike Sherman wants to run; being able to run with power and overwhelm the defense with numbers at the point of attack, regardless of personnel on the field. The big challenge for our offense in the 2009 season will be duplicating this kind of play consistently. Proper execution will hinge on the offensive line, which hopefully will be improved over last season.