Louisville got off to another slow start this past weekend. I clipped some plays and added my thoughts.
I’ve clipped a handful of plays this season where Lincoln Kienholz appears to be hunting the big play instead of taking the easy throw. This is another instance as he starts with his eyes downfield and never looks for a shorter option. He has Isaac Brown running freely across the field on this play with a linebacker chasing him. It’s likely that he picks up this first down, or at the very least gets them into a manageable third down.
As time goes on, I’m beginning to wonder if Kienholz has a complete grasp of all of the plays in the playbook. I don’t mean that as a knock on him, even though it definitely sounds like it. I don’t know if anyone can completely digest Jeff Brohm’s playbook in one offseason. Learning it and mastering it are very different things, and Linc’s inability to know where his open guys will be begs some questions.
Then again, this may just be the inexperience showing up. He has not played a lot of games at this level, and I think we all can be a little blinded by how well he has played. That includes just how comfortable he looks when he’s pressured and when he has to throw on the move. I’ve questioned Brohm’s comments about how Linc needs to grow as a pocket passer. This interception lends to his point.
You won’t hear me complain about Louisville playing more man coverage because it is absolutely needed. But they are going to get beat at times. On the first drive, Tayon Holloway fell down in coverage, which led to an explosive play. This is a very different situation.
Brycen Scott displays really poor technique on this play. You can’t play man coverage without your hands. You definitely can’t let a receiver eat up space like this and then avoid getting a jam on him. Scott has his hands at his side when Umari Hatcher gets to him, which allows Hatcher to use his hands to pull down on Scott’s shoulder pads, and he’s off to the races.
Louisville couldn’t run the ball at all on Saturday, but I was happy to see them still use play action to get Kienholz on the move. This is where he is at his best, and the Orange defense was selling out to stop the run. The offensive line does a good job of selling this, with Cason Henry taking care of the backside player to give Linc time.
It’s been really nice to see TreyShun Hurry develop into a true third option for this offense. He looked out of place and timid last season in his limited opportunities, but he came back this year and took a major step forward as a reliable target to convert first downs while also showing off good speed as he does here.
Brian Brohm called QB Power on the play before this to the right side, and it got stuffed. He followed it up with a fake power run into a deep shot. The line holds up well here to provide enough time for Kienholz to get his feet set. He delivers a dime to Lawayne McCoy for an explosive play.
I really liked McCoy’s route on this play. He gets off with great speed to beat the safety to the middle of the field. That allows him to put the safety on his back hip so that he can run away from him. He provides a very nice target for the pass.
This is a two-man route by Syracuse, and yet a receiver is wide open, somehow. I should have started a counter this season for defensive plays where I can’t figure out the coverage.
You would think that the star of this play would be Lincoln Kienholz. Or maybe Isaac Brown. You would be wrong.
The star of this play is Johnnie Brown, who explodes off the ball to get to the playside linebacker to create this alley for Kienholz. This is Syracuse’s best defensive player, who Brown seals off. He had 12 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and a sack in this game, but Brown takes him out of the play to give Kienholz a clear path to get into the open field.
I’m not going to blow by Isaac, absolutely destroying this safety. A decent number of fans questioned his effort and dedication early on this season. Eating crow is part of the deal.
Sometimes it’s very simple to figure out how a big play happens, and on this play, it comes down to Stanquan Clark having bad eyes. He bites on this dummy screen action from Malachi Nelson and the receiver, and his false step to the outside is all that is needed to get this running back right past him. Kaleb Beasley also needs to be more under control as he fills in run support. He’d be better off “catching” the runner here than allowing him to run through his arm tackle.
I’m fairly certain that I haven’t seen Louisville call a corner blitz this year until this very moment on Saturday. Why was it called for the player defending the receiver who had already amassed over 100 yards receiving? I don’t know that answer.
With that being said, this is poor execution from Koen Entringer. He is on the hash to start the play, which is where you want him. The issue is that he stays on the hash instead of immediately angling to the receiver. I doubt he would be able to make a play on this pass, but it would have been good to see him closer to the play, with the hopes of dislodging the ball with a hit on the receiver.