Football is a game with dozens of mini matchups that interact over the course of 60 minutes. Those can be player-to-player or even coach-to-coach. So, there are multiple reasons why Alabama was able to jump out to a 30-7 halftime lead over Georgia, and there are many more explaining how the Bulldogs erased that deficit and even took a short-lived lead. However, The Monday Read was particularly taken with something the Crimson Tide did on Carson Beck’s first interception of the game, and unpacking it shows just one of many chess matches that evolved throughout the game.
Before the snap, Alabama shows a defensive alignment with no safeties deep, and they run a coverage called Cover 0. It’s seemingly about as straightforward as defensive football can get: seven men on the line of scrimmage, four DBs playing man coverage standing on the line to gain on third-and-8.
Before the snap, the Tide actually rotated into this look with a late change in alignment by their defenders. That prompted Beck to make a check at the line of scrimmage, communicating something to the rest of his offense. Up front, it’s a math problem for Beck. There are seven rushers and (at maximum) six blockers. Someone will come free, and Beck has to get the ball out quickly. It’s a way for the defense to dictate terms to the offense. In a perfect world you get a sack, but if not, the ball’s out and the routes aren’t far enough down field for the first down. The DB just has to make a tackle short of the sticks, and the offense has to punt.
This game of cat and mouse began because Alabama had basically not shown this on film to date this season at all. You might recall a certain defensive-minded coach retired from Alabama in January, and Kane Wommack is now the team’s defensive…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/the-monday-read-jalen-milroe-and-ryan-williams-shined-but-defense-was-alabamas-unsung-hero-vs-georgia/
Author : Richard Johnson
Publish date : 2024-09-30 17:02:51
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