Lessons for BYU: UCLA vs. Tennessee
12 September 2008You know the old joke: You: “Doc, it hurts when I do this!” Doc: “Then don’t do that!”
That’s how UCLA offensive coordinator Norm Chow made the adjustments that allowed the Bruins to beat Tennessee in their opener.
UCLA QB Kevin Craft threw four interceptions in the first half. He especially had trouble lofting the ball over the first level of defenders to drop it in to receivers running routes at middle distances. He hung the ball up too high, giving the safetys time to close the distance and make the play.
So at halftime, instead of trying to get Craft to make those throws better, Chow simply stopped asking him to make them at all. In the second half, almost every pass was a straight shot, with no defenders between QB and receiver.
Craft then looked like an All American, hitting one short throw after another, with very few attempts farther down the field.
The obvious counter from Tennessee would have been to walk the secondary up closer to the line, to take away the short passing lanes. But the Vols never adjusted, and it cost them the game.
UCLA plays BYU tomorrow, and I expect the Cougars to learn from Tennessee’s mistakes. Look for them to smother the line of scrimmage, and force Craft to prove he’s fixed the problem of hang time on longer throws.
2 Responses to ' Lessons for BYU: UCLA vs. Tennessee '
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
on September 14th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Can’t wait to read your thoughts on the “game” — it was a game, right? Just like the good ol’ days…
on August 16th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Casino 1250244671…
Casino 1250244671…