1. Texas A&M football is playing its safeties in two high looks to start games so that opponents not only can't make any downfield throws but break off any long runs. It's working versus long runs as a last line of defense but the safeties also being caught in one high look or overcommitting to shorter routes so they're near the line of scrimmage anyway. As a result, they're last in the SEC in passes allowed over 30 yards and middle of the pack versus runs over ten yards.
2. You'll notice that A&M sometimes stems its front before the snap (they change alignment along the front four to a different gap or player) or they'll slant the front after it. Sometimes, this results in them crossing the face of an offensive lineman. This is supposed to give an offensive line a different look to the extent that someone comes free because people don't get, blocked. However, they don't always appear to know which gap they're now covering. In addition, instead of getting straight up the field, they're coming at an angle with less momentum and can be moved more easily.
3. One of A&M's favorite pass rush stunts is to bring an end down into a tackle and guard who frees up a rusher outside of them to crash inside of them into the guard. You see them do this with Cashius Howell and Rylan Kennedyoff the bench quite a bit since he has good get off and can leverage guards who outweigh him by 50 plus pounds. However, they don't do it that often with the starters. In addition, they use stunts in which a lineman on one side of the ball loops around all the way to the opposite tackle or end.
4. In either case, if the defender who is making initial contact doesn't really commit himself to tying up one or two blockers and create room for the looping defender to get to the outside, then it takes longer for the looping defender to get back up field. In addition, if the looping defender is a big end, he may not run well enough to redirect himself to get vertical again.
5. You can also have run stunts that are similar where a defender stunts into a gap and is supposed to occupy the two blockers adjoining the gap so that someone can loop around behind him into adjoining gap. However, if the stunting defender doesn't crash sufficiently had to make both the blockers attempt to account for him, then one of the blockers can backpedal and meet the looping defender.
6. Another thing is this: defenses usually slant away from the side of the back. However, offenses can hand the ball off on inside zone and cut the ball back over the inside or even to the backside against the grain. Your slants then work against you, especially if the backside end can't close down inside.
7. A&M's ends were criticized for their lack of numbers against Auburn but when you're facing an Art Briles offense with the zone read, the backside end has to stay in contain for the quarterback keeping the ball. Remember, Aggies' Marcel Reed was asked why he didn't have more carries when the Aggies played South Carolina, and he noted that the Gamecock ends didn't pursue the back off of the mesh. A&M played Mississippi State and the same thing happened as occurred versus Auburn…Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart had a combined three tackles with each having a tackle for loss. They played their assignments and, but the ball went away from them.
8. Overall, A&M's desire to put movement into its front and Auburn's tempo meant that they didn't get aligned like they always needed to. They stunted into gaps but if Auburn was able to redirect their charge, then this created other gaps to the backside. A&M's stunting players on the interior need to do a better job of tying down blockers when they crash so that the defenders looping around them have a better chance of being freed up. However, not moving around as much might enable them to keep things simple and get up the field better even if they're sacrificing the possibility of driving an offensive line to make fewer mistakes. This is especially true if since most offensive lines have 1) gotten more used to working together and 2) have gotten more film on A&M as the season has gone on.
2. You'll notice that A&M sometimes stems its front before the snap (they change alignment along the front four to a different gap or player) or they'll slant the front after it. Sometimes, this results in them crossing the face of an offensive lineman. This is supposed to give an offensive line a different look to the extent that someone comes free because people don't get, blocked. However, they don't always appear to know which gap they're now covering. In addition, instead of getting straight up the field, they're coming at an angle with less momentum and can be moved more easily.
3. One of A&M's favorite pass rush stunts is to bring an end down into a tackle and guard who frees up a rusher outside of them to crash inside of them into the guard. You see them do this with Cashius Howell and Rylan Kennedyoff the bench quite a bit since he has good get off and can leverage guards who outweigh him by 50 plus pounds. However, they don't do it that often with the starters. In addition, they use stunts in which a lineman on one side of the ball loops around all the way to the opposite tackle or end.
4. In either case, if the defender who is making initial contact doesn't really commit himself to tying up one or two blockers and create room for the looping defender to get to the outside, then it takes longer for the looping defender to get back up field. In addition, if the looping defender is a big end, he may not run well enough to redirect himself to get vertical again.
5. You can also have run stunts that are similar where a defender stunts into a gap and is supposed to occupy the two blockers adjoining the gap so that someone can loop around behind him into adjoining gap. However, if the stunting defender doesn't crash sufficiently had to make both the blockers attempt to account for him, then one of the blockers can backpedal and meet the looping defender.
6. Another thing is this: defenses usually slant away from the side of the back. However, offenses can hand the ball off on inside zone and cut the ball back over the inside or even to the backside against the grain. Your slants then work against you, especially if the backside end can't close down inside.
7. A&M's ends were criticized for their lack of numbers against Auburn but when you're facing an Art Briles offense with the zone read, the backside end has to stay in contain for the quarterback keeping the ball. Remember, Aggies' Marcel Reed was asked why he didn't have more carries when the Aggies played South Carolina, and he noted that the Gamecock ends didn't pursue the back off of the mesh. A&M played Mississippi State and the same thing happened as occurred versus Auburn…Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart had a combined three tackles with each having a tackle for loss. They played their assignments and, but the ball went away from them.
8. Overall, A&M's desire to put movement into its front and Auburn's tempo meant that they didn't get aligned like they always needed to. They stunted into gaps but if Auburn was able to redirect their charge, then this created other gaps to the backside. A&M's stunting players on the interior need to do a better job of tying down blockers when they crash so that the defenders looping around them have a better chance of being freed up. However, not moving around as much might enable them to keep things simple and get up the field better even if they're sacrificing the possibility of driving an offensive line to make fewer mistakes. This is especially true if since most offensive lines have 1) gotten more used to working together and 2) have gotten more film on A&M as the season has gone on.
