- E.J. Smith is a damn good running back who's patient when he needs to be and has a burst when it's time to go. He also has very good wide vision, can spot the secondary running lanes, and make quick decisions.
- Stanford's offensive linemen are very solid.
- We do need to recruit more impactful players up front (no question).
- Stanford has a good scheme and executed it well.
- That slow mesh is not necessarily a "new offense;" it's a tactic that's specifically designed to counter USC's twists and stunts up front. It seems as if you delay that hand-off mesh point long enough, you can watch USC's defensive front twist into bad positions that expose running lanes. (We open up the running lanes ourselves.) What's unfathomable to me is seeing some of this happen in a goal-line situation.
- A lot of our defensive players seem to have very poor situational awareness and have tunnel vision; they zone in on the ball carrier but don't seem to see the blockers right in front of them in a lot of cases. Just like a QB, a defender in the box should keep wide vision and his head on a swivel.
- Ultimately, I think the scheme worked. Grinch wanted to steal Christmas from Tanner McKee (not let him beat us), and I think our defense accomplished that mission (1 TD, 2 INTs).
- Gentry definitely gives opposing QBs some pause and impacts the trajectory of some throws.
- A turnover margin of +8 over two games is just what the doctor ordered to put an efficient offense over the top.
Here are some random clips with observations:
The USC defensive front coalesces into a single point, opening up wide running lanes in the process:
Height and Lee both wash themselves out to the same side, creating the lane:
Linebacker alignment seems strange. Isn't it obvious based upon down-and-distance Stanford will run it here?
Pili inexplicably doing a stunt at the goal line:
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