Official College Football Week 1 thread

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Over the history of the game the defense has had the ability to substitute for 80-90% of the plays. Now teams have figured out they can run a tempo for the entire game that greatly limits the ability of the defense to substitute. That changes the nature of the game whether or not new rules need to be added to allow it.

I'm struck by an enormous "so what" here.

I'm not sure that the trend toward defenses employing the equivalent of LOOGY's was ever a good thing in the first place. And that's really what this is limiting, situational substitutions more than anything else.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

At one point the offense was limited by how fast they could get the plays into the huddle. Without radio communication, you had hand signals. Before hand signals (or for teams that couldn't master them), you had rotating guards (or WR or whomever).

You do realize the discussion is about college and that the NCAA doesn't allow helmet communication like the NFL right?

Not trying to be snarky, but really I agree with your point, and would be fine with removing the ear pieces from all helmets...but changing or dictating when the offense can snap the ball is crazy fundamentally.

If the offense snaps it too quick does the defense get a do over?

[RedKingGold]

I'm quickly getting sold on Jameis Winston. Sometimes, guys just have it.

[mauchow]

17/18 3 touchdowns isn't that good....

[JPhillips]

The only thing I really don't like about a lot of these fast tempo offenses is how they rush to the line then all turn to the coaching staff. That is less about tempo and more about gaming the system to allow coaches to call audibles.

[TroyF]

OK, is it just me, or has anyone else noticed Florida State players carry the ball away from their body A LOT. I'm not just talking one or two guys, about the only guy I've seen carry the ball correctly is Wilder.

I'm not trying to pick on them, they have been dominant and the Frosh at QB looks like an absolute stud, but you carry the ball like that against better competition and it will get ugly fast.

[Atocep]

I think I understand why Clint Trickett transferred.

[Julio Riddols]

25 for 27 for 356 and 4 TD's? Someone installed the BELCO offense this offseason.

Edit: Fuck me, I see he ran for a TD too.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

You do realize the discussion is about college and that the NCAA doesn't allow helmet communication like the NFL right?

Not trying to be snarky, but really I agree with your point, and would be fine with removing the ear pieces from all helmets...but changing or dictating when the offense can snap the ball is crazy fundamentally.

If the offense snaps it too quick does the defense get a do over?

Actually, I didn't realize that college didn't allow that. I guess I just assumed that a number of conventions from the NFL wind up trickling down and that would have been one.

Either way, the pace issue is starting to bubble up into the NFL too, with P. Manning and especially now with Chip Kelly in Philly. Very curious to see how that goes. Even though I'm an Eagles fan, I don't think an extreme up-tempo is really all that fair to the defense, given that they have to react to what an offense is doing (offense has the directive) and that defending (especially for lineman) is more demanding. Never mind the advantages offenses have already gotten from rule changes (don't touch WR, don't touch QB, etc).

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by Julio Riddols

25 for 27 for 356 and 4 TD's? Someone installed the BELCO offense this offseason.

Edit: Fuck me, I see he ran for a TD too.

Pitt's pass defense might be terrible as well.

[cuervo72]

WHAT? I thought Pitt was a huge quality add for the ACC, how can they be in any way terrible??

[Solecismic]

I remember the yelling about gamesmanship when hurry-up was first introduced as a strategy. But it was hard to do well with it because the old system of playcalling didn't give the coaches and the quarterbacks many options.

Now, thinking through the problem, any coach and quarterback can put in a rather sophisticated play network. Having Peyton Manning's football brain doesn't even matter - you sit at the line for ten seconds and everyone's looking at the sidelines for a signal.

The running clock makes it difficult because there are end-half situations where hurry-up is an essential part of the game. But I think there needs to be a rule allowing the defense a few seconds to react to personnel if there's more than two minutes, let's say, left in a half.

[Atocep]

Even teams that don't run a no huddle sit at the line and look at coaches. Big East teams would do it and it annoyed the hell out of me. They'd call a play in the huddle, get under center, and the QB would stare over at the coaches for 10-15 seconds waiting to see if there was an audible call.

I have no problem with true hurry up, no huddle offenses. What I don't like to see is a "hurry up" offense where the team rushes to the line to prevent defensive substitutions and then sits on the ball reading the defense for 20 seconds. I think simply going back to the 25 second play clock would help alleviate a lot of these issues.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by RedKingGold

I'm quickly getting sold on Jameis Winston. Sometimes, guys just have it.

Originally Posted by mauchow

17/18 3 touchdowns isn't that good....

I watched 3 plays and texted every single football fan I know that Cam Newton 2.0 had arrived. I suppose time will tell on that point, but wow... even that incompletion should have counted with that receiver's right toe tapping in.

[clemsonfan]

Georgia player makes sure he's on the field to stop play - YouTube

UGA player scoots over to make sure he is on the field in order to stop play.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Matthean

Pitt's pass defense might be terrible as well.

I think it's a combination. I think Pitt's pass defense is terrible. But even against a terrible defense, to go 25/27 is pretty god damn good, considering one of those two incompletions was actually probably a completion.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

The running clock makes it difficult because there are end-half situations where hurry-up is an essential part of the game. But I think there needs to be a rule allowing the defense a few seconds to react to personnel if there's more than two minutes, let's say, left in a half.

If the offense substitutes, by rule the defense has time to match, doesn't matter how much time is left. You'll see the officials do the "iron cross" which tells the referee that there are offensive substitutes entering the game. The Referee then mirrors the iron cross to tell the umpire to come up over the ball to not allow the offense to snap until the defense has had ample time (usually 3 to 5 seconds) to declare if they want to sub or not.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Mizzou and Murray State both ran their offenses at an extremely high pace and both teams were subbing nearly every play. It was a blast to watch the game.

I did notice that Mizzou has gone away from the 'rush up to the line of scrimmage and then stare at the sideline with no subs' offense. I think it actually helped their tempo quite a bit just to keep pushing the throttle while not worrying about keeping the other team's players on the field.

[Lathum]

Washington also ran at a blistering pace and I don't recall Boise trying stuff like this. Herbstreit even pointed it out at one point.

[CU Tiger]

Yeah Herbstreit wrote a piece last week where he said three separate coaches had told him they had practiced faking injuries in order to get a timeout.
Surprisingly all three were from the SEC.
Now to be fair, since he works for ESPN he may not have talked to any coaches other than SEC coaches but....

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Yeah Herbstreit wrote a piece last week where he said three separate coaches had told him they had practiced faking injuries in order to get a timeout.
Surprisingly all three were from the SEC.
Now to be fair, since he works for ESPN he may not have talked to any coaches other than SEC coaches but....

One has to be Richt. We saw it multiple times in Columbia in last year's game and I'm sure we'll see it in Athens this year.

[CU Tiger]

Yeah Richt gets this reputation as this holier than thou individual, but its starting to seem pretty thin.

From attempting to block the bottom of the Hill, to faking injuries, to refusing to shake hands after the game...coupled with the end zone debacle in the cocktail party a coulee years ago. Really starting to dislike him.

Dr Sak - Is there not a rule that intentionally faking an injury is unsportsmanlike? In something like the basics of the game verbage?