The Gophers are pinned on their own 1-yard line with three minutes left in the half. We're gonna run Brooks up the middle to gain a little breathing room. On the right side of the line, T Daniel Faalele opens with a quick jab step to command the inside lane and be in position to counter an outside rush. But the DE counters by jabbing to the same side and exploding around the edge. Big Dan reaches out and loses contact …
This was an important play on what was a vital drive, where we drove the length of the field to go up 21-9 at the half. It was also among a handful of plays that beautifully illustrate the battles along the line of scrimmage that shape the game.
The Hoosiers were anticipating the run and had eight men in the box with a ninth dancing nervously on the edge. Just inside Faalele's postion, G Blaise Andries executed a solid double-team block with C Jared Weyler, chilling a defensive tackle on the line. But Andries alertly saw a linebacker blitzing free on his outside. He slid off the defensive lineman and engaged the LB at the line of scrimmage and took him five yards downfield … and was still pushing him around at the whistle.
A week or so ago, Coach PJ Fleck joked that at 6-foot-9, 400 lbs., Faalele is so big that even if he makes a mistake, it takes defenders so long to run around him that he can still be effective. This play showed it was more than a joke.
Faalele reached out and got a hand on the DE and forced him outside, but the DE was quick enough to run a lap all the way around Faalele and get in on the tackle … after a 2-yard gain.
On the next play, WR Tyler Johnson somehow managed to make his cut into a post route at what appeared to be top speed. QB Tanner Morgan hit him in stride and Johnson was off on a 52-yard sprint.
Then LG Connor Olson contributed his best play of the first half. The defensive tackle across from him got an impressive jump on an outside move. Olson not only stops him in his tracks, but catches sight of the defensive end looping around to the inside. Olson instantly hands off his man to T Donnell Greene and drills the end, using his momentum to take the end well past the hole.
Greene is left at a disadvantage because the DT already has inside postion. He engages with the crashing tackle, but the tackle still manages to get an arm on Brooks as he hits the hole … and Brooks runs through it for a 4-yard gain.
This is the third consecutive game I've re-watched (several times) in order to concentrate on our offensive line. I started just focusing on Faalele, then last week expanded to keep an eye on Andries, as well. This week, I added the third underclassman on the line, Olson. To be honest, Olson had caught my attention on a few plays in previous weeks, but not in a good way. (You've probably heard the old adage that the only time you notice an offensive lineman is when he screws up.) But since that's no way to evaluate a lineman …
I'm glad I added Olson to the “watch” list. Turns out he was the most effective of the three through the first half against Indiana. Here are my first-half scores:
Olson – 86% run blocking, 93% pass blocking
Faalele – 79% run blocking, 93% pass blocking
Andries – 86% run blocking, 86% pass blocking
I think this provides a glimpse of the impact Brooks brought to the running game. We were effective on the ground even though three of our linemen had low to middling performances run blocking.
More later.
JTG
This was an important play on what was a vital drive, where we drove the length of the field to go up 21-9 at the half. It was also among a handful of plays that beautifully illustrate the battles along the line of scrimmage that shape the game.
The Hoosiers were anticipating the run and had eight men in the box with a ninth dancing nervously on the edge. Just inside Faalele's postion, G Blaise Andries executed a solid double-team block with C Jared Weyler, chilling a defensive tackle on the line. But Andries alertly saw a linebacker blitzing free on his outside. He slid off the defensive lineman and engaged the LB at the line of scrimmage and took him five yards downfield … and was still pushing him around at the whistle.
A week or so ago, Coach PJ Fleck joked that at 6-foot-9, 400 lbs., Faalele is so big that even if he makes a mistake, it takes defenders so long to run around him that he can still be effective. This play showed it was more than a joke.
Faalele reached out and got a hand on the DE and forced him outside, but the DE was quick enough to run a lap all the way around Faalele and get in on the tackle … after a 2-yard gain.
On the next play, WR Tyler Johnson somehow managed to make his cut into a post route at what appeared to be top speed. QB Tanner Morgan hit him in stride and Johnson was off on a 52-yard sprint.
Then LG Connor Olson contributed his best play of the first half. The defensive tackle across from him got an impressive jump on an outside move. Olson not only stops him in his tracks, but catches sight of the defensive end looping around to the inside. Olson instantly hands off his man to T Donnell Greene and drills the end, using his momentum to take the end well past the hole.
Greene is left at a disadvantage because the DT already has inside postion. He engages with the crashing tackle, but the tackle still manages to get an arm on Brooks as he hits the hole … and Brooks runs through it for a 4-yard gain.
This is the third consecutive game I've re-watched (several times) in order to concentrate on our offensive line. I started just focusing on Faalele, then last week expanded to keep an eye on Andries, as well. This week, I added the third underclassman on the line, Olson. To be honest, Olson had caught my attention on a few plays in previous weeks, but not in a good way. (You've probably heard the old adage that the only time you notice an offensive lineman is when he screws up.) But since that's no way to evaluate a lineman …
I'm glad I added Olson to the “watch” list. Turns out he was the most effective of the three through the first half against Indiana. Here are my first-half scores:
Olson – 86% run blocking, 93% pass blocking
Faalele – 79% run blocking, 93% pass blocking
Andries – 86% run blocking, 86% pass blocking
I think this provides a glimpse of the impact Brooks brought to the running game. We were effective on the ground even though three of our linemen had low to middling performances run blocking.
More later.
JTG