Alligator Alley

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Thomas Goldkamp said...

Because I think Solomon Patton is going to play a pretty big role this year, I wanted to take a closer look at his reverse in the spring game to see ways Florida could potentially use the play or improve on it in the future. Here's what I've got. Two clips included below, the first is Patton's reverse, the second is a reverse Auburn ran in its spring game that's a little different.

On Patton's reverse, which starts at 6:36 in the video posted, the defense appears to be playing a Cover 3. The offense is lined up in an offset I, with the fullback offset to the weak side of the formation. It's a two wide receiver set, one in the slot on the left, one wide on the right (Patton) to the strong side.

Before the snap, Patton begins motioning toward the backfield. The ball is snapped and Jeff Driskel hands off to Patton passing him toward the weak side of the formation with his right hand and his back to the defense, before faking a handoff to the RB going to the strong side.

From a blocking standpoint, the offense recognizes it's a Cover 3 with the cornerback dropping back at the snap, so the slot receiver on the weak side then identifies the strong safety whose key is the fullback (Joyer). The slot receiver cuts inside to block the strong safety on the weak side. At the snap, Joyer is running outside as the lead blocker, and he takes on the cornerback on the outside once the cornerback realizes it's a reverse. Joyer's block and the slot receiver's block form the hole for Patton, who is now in the open field with only the safety covering the middle third (Showers) and any trailing linebackers who haven't been blocked left to beat.

Patchan, playing left tackle on the play, had immediately left the weak-side defensive end to block the weak-side linebacker at the second level. Now, the advantage to this is if Patton beats the weak-side defensive end (as he does here), everyone should be blocked but the free safety and the middle linebacker. The weak-side defensive end here has a chance at Patton, but it's a walk-on and he recognizes the reverse too slow to make a play. Thus, Patton is outside and gets his hole from Joyer blocking the CB covering the deep left side and the slot receiver walling off the strong safety (Gorman) to the inside.

The fake to the RB going strong side after the handoff to Patton was just enough to freeze the weak-side linebacker and the mike for a split second -- long enough for Patchan to engage the will (Morrison) for a brief second and give Patchan the extra step to put the mike (Taylor) in a chasing position.

The free safety covering the deep middle eventually gets over to slow Patton enough for the mike (Taylor) to make the tackle, but not before a huge gain.

Here's why I don't like the design. That defensive end is going to stop that play in the backfield at least a third of the time in SEC play, if you ask me.

In the second post, I'll take a look at an Auburn reverse that is much more effective, in my opinion.

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Thomas Goldkamp said...

Exactly right. That's why I like the Auburn play design better, though. Because of the misdirection Auburn built into the play and the angles they're taking and forcing that backside defensive end to take, he ends up farther out of position to take out the reverse than the one Florida ran.

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