Michigan's Butt says MN QB sneak wasn't best call, given Michigan's tough defense

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BleedGopher

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per Butt's BTN Q&A:

Q: Were you surprised Minnesota went for the win Saturday night?
A: No. I think that is what you have to do at that point when you are that close to the goal line. You have to go for the win in that situation. But you don’t know if it’s the best call going with the quarterback sneak against into the teeth of our defense.

Q: What were your emotions when you saw the defense stopped Minnesota?
A: We talked about how bad it felt last year when they ran over and took the Jug. So we wanted to the same thing to them. When we saw we stopped them, we ran over there as fast as we could.

http://btn.com/2015/11/03/jake-butt-qa-on-jim-harbaugh-the-little-brown-jug-more/

Go Gophers!!
 

Wish we could have spiked to stop the clock and get 3 plays into the endzone.
 


Sneak might have worked on 1st down had we been lined up and ready to go right when ball put in play after review. No way after that.
 

Absolutely what I was thinking we were going to do. Quick snap and QB sneak on 1st down. Then still time for TO, pass play, and FG. I'm still in shock. In spite of the painful and inexcusable ending, I'm very encouraged overall by the play-calling and execution against a very good defense. There is hope for what appeared to be a dead offense.
 


LesBolstad said:
Sneak might have worked on 1st down had we been lined up and ready to go right when ball put in play after review. No way after that.
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agreed. Also, a play that seems to always work is to bring someone in motion with Mitch in the gun to run under center and sneak it. Any reason we couldn't have one of our meatier WRs do that play? It would probably even work with KJ.
 

Bordergopher said:
Absolutely what I was thinking we were going to do. Quick snap and QB sneak on 1st down. Then still time for TO, pass play, and FG. I'm still in shock. In spite of the painful and inexcusable ending, I'm very encouraged overall by the play-calling and execution against a very good defense. There is hope for what appeared to be a dead offense.
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This is exactly the sequence we should have followed, with the timeout used to stop the clock for the FG if the plays had failed. What a shame the kids didn't get an overtime.
 

if the delayed/drawn out pass play would have worked it would have been genius. football version of the ropeadope. it didnt work and the hoodie wearing frog face avatar is not smiling.
 

I watched the failed pass again yesterday. We haven't talked about it much. The Michigan end just sits there. Must have been coached to do it. If he rushes Mitch it's a TD for sure. Bummer.
 



Bordergopher said:
Absolutely what I was thinking we were going to do. Quick snap and QB sneak on 1st down. Then still time for TO, pass play, and FG. I'm still in shock. In spite of the painful and inexcusable ending, I'm very encouraged overall by the play-calling and execution against a very good defense. There is hope for what appeared to be a dead offense.
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I think everyone in the stadium, with the exception of our OC, had the same thoughts.
 


wait!what? said:
if the delayed/drawn out pass play would have worked it would have been genius. football version of the ropeadope. it didnt work and the hoodie wearing frog face avatar is not smiling.
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You do kind of have a point.....Les Miles does the exact same thing & everyone says "Awwww, that's just the Mad Hatter doing what he does!"
 

Great Plains Gopher said:
This is exactly the sequence we should have followed, with the timeout used to stop the clock for the FG if the plays had failed. What a shame the kids didn't get an overtime.
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Why do people keep wishing that we would've had time for a field goal after two plays? We were going for the win. If we had a third play, it would've been to score a touchdown. What would've changed Claey's mind on that?

For what it's worth, going for the win was the right call. Much better chance to win with two (or three) tries from 18 inches than having both teams start from the 25 and take turns.
 




No problem with the sneak and the call to go for it. However, when I saw how tight the Gophers lined up, I started to prepare myself. Forcing defensive players to line up away from the ball makes more sense to me than letting them jam in tight. Am I missing something?
 

Here we go. Everyone on GH knew the sneak wouldn't work.
 

To me that is the only time you can try the sneak

LesBolstad said:
Sneak might have worked on 1st down had we been lined up and ready to go right when ball put in play after review. No way after that.
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I think based on everything, the only time to try the QB sneak is when they set the ball and then it is a mad dash time to hike the ball. This has to be a quick count play.
Barely allow enough time to set the ball, and the line and hike and either go low and burry in, or try and move off center and dive high. Any play after the first one and the defense is geared up and chomping at the bit to stop any kind of short yardage play especially a sneak. It was clear Michigan was expecting this play, so your expecting your QB to beat the two defensive tackles and the two linebackers right behind them. They were stacked about as tight to the line as can be, both lines and sides, so in that situation a sneak call has less chance of working because a lot less room, and the total number of defenders in the box, and how tight to the line they were at all positions.
I didn't disagree with play calls at all, just the sequence of calls. The only thing I wish about the shifting call is there was a natural pick by another tight end rubbing away the defender off Lingen on a shallow cross. Either way the Michigan defense made the plays on the last two. Nothing we say about it will change the outcome. I liked the fact that they played for the win and not the tie, and it is the same call to go for the win, a lot of people I know disagree with that but I liked going for the win.
 

LesBolstad said:
Sneak might have worked on 1st down had we been lined up and ready to go right when ball put in play after review. No way after that.
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That was my thought too but michigan had time to get set then too. Hand off to rb and either go over or bounce around the end may have been better.
 

love that they played for the win. that tie crap ended with mason.
 

Spoofin said:
Here we go. Everyone on GH knew the sneak wouldn't work.
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We should have run that Seahawks pass play that worked so well in the Super Bowl!
 

Mitch could have just jumped over the top and extended the ball. Would have liked to have seen a spread out formation as well. Even if you come out in tight formation and then shift (one time shift, not 3).


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Some Day...Is Coming! said:
Mitch could have just jumped over the top
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a bit surprised he didn't do this. his feet were on the two yard line, if he leans forward and up then its not much of a stretch. Plus the refs can see the ball.

to MI's credit, their D Line won the battle on that play
 

Mitch touchdown sneaks in the past almost always come from him lowering his head and driving his 250 pound body between cracks. Why would you change something that worked in the past?
 

monk10 said:
Mitch touchdown sneaks in the past almost always come from him lowering his head and driving his 250 pound body between cracks. Why would you change something that worked in the past?
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Yeah say whatever about Mitch, he's proven a pretty good QB sneaker in his career. It's kinda funny actually how good he is at it.
Tyler Moore got blown the F up on that play, he ends up about 3 yards behind the pile. From what people have said about his personality, I'm thinking that play is a valuable lesson for the young center who could end up a 4 year starter for us.
 

monk10 said:
Mitch touchdown sneaks in the past almost always come from him lowering his head and driving his 250 pound body between cracks. Why would you change something that worked in the past?
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Because the Michigan defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage all night long, to assume that would change for one play is a bit of wish full thinking, like others have said if there was some element of surprise it might have worked but with one play left and the formation that was used there was no doubt about what was going to happen.

Woszniak is 6'10", I wonder why they don't just post him up like a basketball center and run a play like you are lobbing it into the post in that situation. You'd have to work on it a bit but defensive backs tend to be in the 6'0" - 6'1" range.
 


jovs said:
Because the Michigan defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage all night long, to assume that would change for one play is a bit of wish full thinking, like others have said if there was some element of surprise it might have worked but with one play left and the formation that was used there was no doubt about what was going to happen.
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That is not just Michigan. That is nearly every team we have played against. It has been a long time that I can remember where we say, "Yup we controlled the line of scrimmage all night long". Despite that we still sneak the way we did and were successful.
 

jovs said:
Because the Michigan defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage all night long, to assume that would change for one play is a bit of wish full thinking, like others have said if there was some element of surprise it might have worked but with one play left and the formation that was used there was no doubt about what was going to happen.
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Somebody with more experience with O-line play chime in please. Are you almost better off running a sneak out of a spread formation with wider lineman splits so there is actually a nook/cranny for Leidner. Let's say on first down we came out in something like our "diamond" formation. And Leidner was in the gun. Wide splits. Then Leidner just sort of runs up under center and boom.
 

Wedge, everyone step toward the ball, was the common pattern when I was at coaching clinics b/c defenses are trying to get penetration as a number one priority. T
 

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