Five Plays: Smu Mustangs First Quarter

Louisville had their second-ranked matchup in three weeks on Saturday, and the game started off with a bang. The back-and-forth affair had tons of big plays as well as a lot of good defensive plays to stop the big plays. Unlike previous games, the Cards started fast, but the defense still had some struggles.

As usual, I did my best to break down some of the key plays on both sides of the ball.

The run defense started poorly from the very first play of the game. It seems to me that the goal of the game plan was to contain Kevin Jennings and eliminate big plays in the passing game. That led to a few plays like this where the Cards had a light box, and Kendrick Raphael found ample running room between the tackles.

There was also a sign of a theme for the day, which was SMU using double teams and pulling linemen and tight ends to clear space for Raphael. On this play, you can see the left guard and left tackle combine for a quick double team on the nose tackle before the left tackle climbs up to TJ Capers in the middle of the field. The center pulls around to wall off Micah Carter at the top of the screen. The tight end then pulls around to take out Stanquan Clark. Raphael is off to the races at that point.

Some of this is on the alignment of the defense. The line is spread out before the snap, so there is no real opportunity to gum up the blocking from the line. This play, quite literally, looks like it is drawn up on a whiteboard. Every block hits their mark, with no active resistance. The safeties need to be in better position on this play, but Raphael gets on them with a full head of steam, and he blows by them.

Anwar O’neal is back to being healthy, and he is starting at left tackle. That moves Lance Robinson to center, along with getting the Cards their initial starting offensive line from the first day of spring practice on the field together for the first time this season. This play was the first sign that they finally had their best five guys on the field together.

This play features the best double team I’ve seen from the offensive line so far this season. Robinson and Eryx Daughtery take on the defensive tackle on the left side of the formation and push him back four yards to clear out plenty of room for Keyjuan Brown to run through. This line had been giving up way too much penetration in the first two games; it was nice to see them get some push for a change.

I really liked this call by Jeff Brohm. Teams have been keying on Isaac Brown, and he’s been bottled up because of it. On this play, Brohm gets him to the outside by utilizing a counter look to the inside with the blocking, while the tight end to the wide side of the field gets outside to be a lead blocker.

The counter action pulls the edge defender inside while also slowing down the flow of the second level of the defense. You can see the backside linebacker pointing out where the play is going, but he still bites on the pulling guard before he tries to chase down the play. We finally get to see Isaac Brown get into open space due to a nice play design.

This was another very nice call by Brohm. He shrinks the field for Lincoln Kienholz on this play by getting him out of the pocket. It cuts down on the reads while also giving him an option to run if he needs to. He gets an excellent block from Isaac to allow him to break contain, which gives him a clear view of his options down the field. The linebacker responsible for the flat has no clue where to commit, and Linc puts the ball on the money to Jaleel Skinner for a first down.

SMU had a rough day on fourth downs, with this play being the first big moment of the game. I really liked the way Mark Ivey called the game in these short-yardage situations. He had an edge player getting up the field and staying wide to take away plays just like this one. Kevin Jennings prefers to bail to his right, so it was a savvy move to use Antonio Watts as a contain player like this.

Watts does a very good job of playing under control on this play. He gets up the field to immediately force action from Jennings. While doing so, he identifies the tight end getting out into the flat, so he stops his rush and looks to get big to make this throw much harder. He gets his hand on the ball, and TJ Capers closes quickly to make a strong tackle. Perfectly played.

It was disappointing to see Watts pick up a selfish penalty after this play. He has the opportunity to go celebrate with his teammates, and instead he chooses to talk trash. It’s as simple as that to me. The rest of the defense is running to each other. He should have joined in on that.

Here’s your weekly example of Lincoln Kienholz doing something we haven’t seen in years. This may be the most impressive play he has made so far. SMU comes with a blitz that throws off the initial reads on the play. Linc doesn’t like what he sees, so he looks backside. This is when things get interesting and debatable.

I don’t know if he sees the defender and he’s just quick enough to make him miss like this, or if he “felt” him coming and set him up to make him miss. Either way, it’s insane that he is able to avoid a free rushing defensive back so easily here. Then you throw in the perfect throw on the run right before he’s sacked. An insane play, all around, by Kienholz.

I believe this was the play that led to DJ Waller being benched. For three straight weeks now, the Louisville secondary has blown zone coverages that are very basic. This is Cover 3, so Waller is responsible for the deep third of the field at the bottom of the screen. TJ Capers is responsible for the flat to the bottom of the screen. For whatever reason, Waller steps up to take on the back out of the backfield and allows the tight end to run right past him. To add to the frustration, this is exactly how the SMU play call is supposed to work. It’s reliant on the corner to take the bait.

Waller and the defense as a whole really need to show trust in their teammates. Clev Lubin and Capers own this toss play if Jennings were to pitch it. Waller isn’t alone here either. Stanquan Clark bites on the fake as well and leaves his zone wide open. If the tight end is covered here, the crossing route in the middle of the field is there for the taking.

Micah Carter had the game of his career on Saturday, with plays just like this one. Look at how he takes on the block at the top of the screen. He’s lined up off the ball, and he gets wide as soon as he sees the play coming his way. He gets up the field aggressively, and he is absolutely violent with the way that he gets his hands on the tight end to gain control. He makes it impossible for the running back to turn up the field.

Kudos as well to Blake Ruffin. He starts out 8 or so yards deep on this play, but how he plays this is so great to see. He makes an intentional effort to contain this play by taking an angle to where the running back is heading. He then waits for the back to commit to where he is going to go before taking on the block, which clears the way for the rest of the defense to make the tackle. I also love that he gets in on the tackle by taking out the backs’ legs.