The Varying Views of Stoops’/Hamdans’ Offense

[The-Hack]

Read all of our summary threads and a dichotomy emerges: some think this was the same-old, same-old Stoops Big Ten West, grind-it-out, boring football, and/or his overbearing control of his offensive coordinator(s).

Others (me included) left scratching our heads that we threw long, so often, to no effect.

I suspect that if you added up all the long pass attempts by Big10 West offenses from the weekend, we would easily have more unsuccessful, long passing attempts than any from that division. Maybe more than all of them.

Maybe perspective makes no real difference, as from either, that was an extraordinarily weak passing effort against a MAC secondary.

By the 4th or 5th unsuccessful long-shot down the field, I was longing for some traditional smash-mouth football to see if we could rest our D more and sustain some productive drives.

When we broke the 79 yard TD rush, I joked with folks near me that Toledo had tricked us into scoring too fast, to get the ball back. When they lined up for their onsides kick attempt with 1:34 to go, my joke had become a scary reality.

So our offense emerged from the game looking like one that wants to be a long-pass-happy offense, but failing that, has only the running game to fall back in when the Chips are down.

If this continues, as others have suggested, Eddie Gran is still on the sidelines. In 2016, he took an unknown, journey-man QB and a lightly recruited frosh named Snell, and crafted an effective running game behind a big O-line that earned a pretty cool nickname.

[BlueHeaven]

Gran got a lot of flack from some fans but he proved he could shift on the fly and field a respectable offense. He can't be any worse than Hamdan IMO. Still, you need a good passing game today and the 85 yards we passed for is going to have to take a big leap starting next week. I don't mind smashmouth football, but you have to have a decent enough passing game. I thought we looked good enough in 3.5 phases yesterday.

[The-Hack]

Gran got a lot of flack from some fans but he proved he could shift on the fly and field a respectable offense. He can't be any worse than Hamdan IMO. Still, you need a good passing game today and the 85 yards we passed for is going to have to take a big leap starting next week. I don't mind smashmouth football, but you have to have a decent enough passing game. I thought we looked good enough in 3.5 phases yesterday.

And, again, in 2019, Gran had two injured QB’s by the 4th game, and had to craft a freaky offense with a WR who (ultimately) came within 9 yards of establishing the SEC single-season QB rushing record set by Cam Newton, and LBJ had only 8 games at QB. In our bowl game in Charlotte, ironically, he completed a 4th down pass for 7 yards that sustained the winning drive, then hit the same receiver with a 13 yard pass in the final 15 seconds of the game for the win.

Gran himself seemed agreeable that a new direction was needed, when replaced as OC, but I had some doubts.

With the exception of Liam Coen’s first interation, we have continued to sputter on offense, never really escaping the reputation as a run-heavy offense.

[Helix]

One wonders what history might have been written had Barker not injured his back. For a brief glorious moment, we looked like a well oiled machine. Gran’s Bearcat offense had been replicated — we were effectively throwing the ball all over the yard that first half — and then, it was never the same.

[Jaxcat]

I may be in the minority, but I believe Hamdan is way over his head and does not have what it takes to be a good OC. The reliance on the long passes, which are almost always incomplete, shows me he doesn't adapt to in-game situations. In the postgame, he said that they'd been successful in practice hitting long passes. Well, Bush, here's the thing: 1) this is not practice, this is a real game - big difference; 2) in practice, you're throwing against UK's secondary - on Saturday, we played Toledo; again, big difference. When it didn't work the third or 4th time, why continue to try to force it? Why not shorten the route trees, let the WRs attempt to get open for intermediate catches and move the ball that way? Did we ever run the play that Rodriguez gained >20 yards on again (I know he fumbled, but that's not the OC's fault)? I sure didn't see it. Wouldn't almost any other OC at least try that same play again later to see if Toledo had adjusted? Not ours.

The LSU OC called the same WR screen play 3 times in a row against Clemson because Clemson wasn't covering it correctly. Would Hamdan even recognize that situation and, if so, would he call the exact same play 3 times in a row until the defense adjusted? IMO, No and No. Hence, the problem.

I believe almost any scheme can work if the execution is good and the play called is based on down and distance, matchups, game situation, knowing the defense's tendencies, etc. Randomly pulling plays out of a hat, which seems to be Hamdan's method, will not ever work.