Matt Wyatt Interview on ESPN Huntsville: Get Ready For Zone D

[ShotgunDawg]

If LSU can't cover MSU WRs 1 on 1 then virtually nobody can.

Matt says that Arkansas and others will back up and give MSU underneath routes.

Said KJ's completion percentage will go up but the big plays will go down and MSU will have to drive the field with more plays to score.

I'm sure Leach has to be joyous that one week into his SEC tenure he's already destroyed the traditional SEC blue blood defense of choice.

What does all this mean?

How do we attack zone and what does this mean for our offense?

[Commercecomet24]

It means death by a thousand cuts for the other team. Leach has seen teams zone before so he knows how to attack it. Also means some more opportunities for running the ball.

[FISHDAWG]

sounds pretty spot on ... I was thinking the same thing - man to man didn't work so Arky and others will play zone against us so we put longer drives together ..... I also wonder if Leach counters with more runs / draws ....but instead of a 10 yard pass on 3rd & 8 the opposing defenses can't forget that Leach might go for it all on that call

[smootness]

If LSU can't cover MSU WRs 1 on 1 then virtually nobody can.

Matt says that Arkansas and others will back up and give MSU underneath routes.

Said KJ's completion percentage will go up but the big plays will go down and MSU will have to drive the field with more plays to score.

I'm sure Leach has to be joyous that one week into his SEC tenure he's already destroyed the traditional SEC blue blood defense of choice.

What does all this mean?

How do we attack zone and what does this mean for our offense?

It means Leach attacks defenses the way he's always had to attack defenses. His offense doesn't usually put up close to 20 yards per reception and over 10 per attempt. He was shocked LSU was in man because he's used to everyone playing zone.

So it will just be business as usual for Leach.

[the_real_MSU_is_us]

Zone is hard to play without having 5 men boxes... will be interesting to see of we run the ball and how effective we are of we do

[ShotgunDawg]

It means death by a thousand cuts for the other team. Leach has seen teams zone before so he knows how to attack it. Also means some more opportunities for running the ball.

Why can you run the ball better vs zone?

[Commercecomet24]

The only way to really stop Leachs offense is to mix coverage and disguise coverage. You can't play just man(as lsu did) or just zone cause you will get picked apart.

[Commercecomet24]

Why can you run the ball better vs zone?

Because most will play a 3 man front and drop 8 the box will be lighter.

[Commercecomet24]

Zone is hard to play without having 5 men boxes... will be interesting to see of we run the ball and how effective we are of we do

This.

[ShotgunDawg]

It means Leach attacks defenses the way he's always had to attack defenses. His offense doesn't usually put up close to 20 yards per reception and over 10 per attempt. He was shocked LSU was in man because he's used to everyone playing zone.

So it will just be business as usual for Leach.

I'm not sure he's seen man to man in years and LSU was just arrogant enough to try it. Not sure anyone else will do that.

Agree. Now he's back to playing against what he accustomed to.

[CowtownDawg]

Why can you run the ball better vs zone?

It's not that it is just zone, it is if our opponents go to a 3 down 8 coverage zone. Hill will get 5 yds a pop against an 8 man coverage zone. It will force our opponents to bring another man or two into the box to try to contain Hill. Bringing 1 to 2 players out of zone into run support opens up that many more holes in the zone for receivers.

[ShotgunDawg]

To add: Matt said he wasn't surprised by Costello. Said practice is unbelievable and they pass and catch like that easily everyday.

He said the reps these kids are unreal and the execution is off the charts in practice.

Matt did say he was surprised by our run defense. He didn't expect that.

[CowtownDawg]

To add: Matt said he wasn't surprised by Costello. Said practice is unbelievable and they pass and catch like that easily everyday.

He said the reps these kids are unreal and the execution is off the charts in practice.

Have to say, I'm super wooly after the LSU game, mainly because we were so hot and cold on offense....i.e. 4 turnovers. You cut that just in half and we win by 20. I know LSU isn't the gold standard that they were last year, but the results we had in 1st game of a new coach and a new system with no spring practice were mind blowing to me. Plenty to work on and clean up on offense which means we have the potential to be a lot more lethal on offense this year. Add to that the D looked very solid and disciplined and I think we are in for a pleasant year. After this weekend, I think 7 wins is very doable and 8 wins is not out of the realm of possibility. IF, IF we had UGA at home, I think we would have a chance to clip them too.

I know, I am wooly, but I saw a TON to like about this team and saw a ton of room to grow and improve as well, which I think will happen over the course of the season with coaching and game experience for the young guys, especially on D.

[HailStateSZN19]

To add: Matt said he wasn't surprised by Costello. Said practice is unbelievable and they pass and catch like that easily everyday.

He said the reps these kids are unreal and the execution is off the charts in practice.

Matt did say he was surprised by our run defense. He didn't expect that.

There's no way to overshadow what KJ and the offense did Saturday but damn, the defense is what has me changing my outlook on the season.

Sure, there's no denying what LSU lost on offense. But all offseason, we've heard from national media and LSU media how Brennan was looking unreal and completing a ton of passes and the offense looked explosive and that they still had plenty of weapons to pick us apart. And sure, he put up some good stats but our defense played a whole hell of a lot better than I thought they would in game 1. They gave up 27 points to LSU's offense and that's with an INT (minus the pick 6) and 2 fumbles. We gave up 80 yards to a couple 4-stars and a 5-star RB. If we can avoid injuries, this defense could wind up what I predicted to C34 and exactly what we need with this offense & that's a middle of the pack SEC defense inside the Top 10 in the SEC. That's all we need with this offense to win some games this season.

[Ari Gold]

And what I was told by a head coach is already happening... and it’s just week 2
The week I dreaded the most was the week before we played Wash State..

[Walkerhill]

If LSU can't cover MSU WRs 1 on 1 then virtually nobody can.

Matt says that Arkansas and others will back up and give MSU underneath routes.

Said KJ's completion percentage will go up but the big plays will go down and MSU will have to drive the field with more plays to score.

I'm sure Leach has to be joyous that one week into his SEC tenure he's already destroyed the traditional SEC blue blood defense of choice.

What does all this mean?

How do we attack zone and what does this mean for our offense?

This is what Leach was expecting from LSU as well. He said they went over the top more because they had to because LSU was compressing the space more and more underneath. The game plan will not change at all then.

[SheltonChoked]

If LSU can't cover MSU WRs 1 on 1 then virtually nobody can.

Matt says that Arkansas and others will back up and give MSU underneath routes.

Said KJ's completion percentage will go up but the big plays will go down and MSU will have to drive the field with more plays to score.

I'm sure Leach has to be joyous that one week into his SEC tenure he's already destroyed the traditional SEC blue blood defense of choice.

What does all this mean?

How do we attack zone and what does this mean for our offense?

Depends on what kind of zone. But the air raid plays work very well vs zone too. You either overload the zone, or find the seams.

Mesh vs zone

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2343611/Mesh_Triangle_medium.png

Y cross vs cover 2 zone
http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2490285/YCross_holes_medium.png

4 verts vs cover 2
http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2480219/FourVerts_Cover2_medium.png

4 verts vs cover 3
http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2480227/FourVerts_Cover3_medium.png

[Cowbell]

The only way to really stop Leachs offense is to mix coverage and disguise coverage. You can't play just man(as lsu did) or just zone cause you will get picked apart.

This is exactly right. This is what caused the pic 6 on Saturday - they baited Costello into that. This will continue to happen but I think something that is key is the more a defense wears down late in a game, the less disciplined and polished they will be to pull off these Disguises. And leach will be ready for this.

[KOdawg1]

Bring on the zone. We'll dink and dunk you to death and it'll force them to make open field tackles in space.

[Commercecomet24]

This is exactly right. This is what caused the pic 6 on Saturday - they baited Costello into that. This will continue to happen but I think something that is key is the more a defense wears down late in a game, the less disciplined and polished they will be to pull off these Disguises. And leach will be ready for this.

Absolutely, the tired defense came into play big from the end of the 3rd quarter til the end of the game. Costello was at 335 yards with about 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. So he threw for almost another 300 in the last quarter and half. Tired legs on that lsu defense. Without the int and fumble in the 4th quarter we would've had this game put away much sooner cause lsu defense was done.

[Cowbell]

Absolutely, the tired defense came into play big from the end of the 3rd quarter til the end of the game. Costello was at 335 yards with about 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. So he threw for almost another 300 in the last quarter and half. Tired legs on that lsu defense. Without the int and fumble in the 4th quarter we would've had this game put away much sooner cause lsu defense was done.

Yes this is scary as a DC because we can rotate more WR than you can CB. Alabama and Georgia will be the only teams with enough depth to keep up with us.

[Walkerhill]

Bring on the zone. We'll dink and dunk you to death and it'll force them to make open field tackles in space.

Looking for info from you knowledgeable football folks - if we dink and dunk into the red zone, does the Air Raid start to struggle with the reduced space? How does air raid efficiency in the red zone compare to other schemes?

[bulldawg28]

Why can you run the ball better vs zone?

Zone doesn't mean you can run the ball better. Truthfully it's more difficult in my opinion. Zone allows all 11 defenders to have their eyes on the Quarterback and the entire field versus man coverage where players eyes are locked on whom their guarding. It takes more discipline in Zone. However, zone turns into man coverage after 12 yards into a route pretty much. At that point responsibilities of whose covering who has developed.

[bulldawg28]

Looking for info from you knowledgeable football folks - if we dink and dunk into the red zone, does the Air Raid start to struggle with the reduced space? How does air raid efficiency in the red zone compare to other schemes?

It depends on what type of zone a team is running.

[ShotgunDawg]

Zone doesn't mean you can run the ball better. Truthfully it's more difficult in my opinion. Zone allows all 11 defenders to have their eyes on the Quarterback and the entire field versus man coverage where players eyes are locked on whom their guarding. It takes more discipline in Zone. However, zone turns into man coverage after 12 yards into a route pretty much. At that point responsibilities of whose covering who has developed.

Either way, I think Leach knows what to do since this is what he saw 98% of the time in other conferences

[bulldawg28]

Either way, I think Leach knows what to do since this is what he saw 98% of the time in other conferences

I agree. Leach is well prepared. He'll teach the WR's how to attack a zone and He'll put in plays to exploit it.

[Really Clark?]

Looking for info from you knowledgeable football folks - if we dink and dunk into the red zone, does the Air Raid start to struggle with the reduced space? How does air raid efficiency in the red zone compare to other schemes?

To me it’s a wash, what I mean is that it can bog down a little in the red zone causing the success rate to look average but the volume of attempts and successful scores with Leach will still have you Top 10-15 nationally a lot of years in actual attempts and scores. In other words, if you are not in the red zone as much you have to execute at a higher rate. Still he is usually around 85% I believe last few years.

[SheltonChoked]

I agree. Leach is well prepared. He'll teach the WR's how to attack a zone and He'll put in plays to exploit it.

The philosophy is the same for man or zone. Run to grass. In zone it's a spot or area. vs man, well you saw what that looks like Saturday.

[Commercecomet24]

The philosophy is the same for man or zone. Run to grass. In zone it's a spot or area. vs man, well you saw what that looks like Saturday.

Yes, that's the simplicity of this offense. So many option routes that let the receivers find open windows in coverage. This offense is quite sublime in it's simplicity, and it's why offensive players pick it up so easily. Compare to the apparent complexity and hard to learn system of jomo.

[turkish]

Longer drives, more rest for the defense??

[Jack Lambert]

How do we attack zone and what does this mean for our offense?

Screens to Hill. Doesn't matter Arky not going to shut the offense down. Their only hope is covid hit our team and a few of them on thier message board has said that.

[msudawglb]

I'm very sure that we played zone against Freeze and Ole Miss all those times they beat us with deep passes. Leach will just sprinkle in some crossing routes that will confuse the safeties. Our WR's will not be able to just run down the sidelines. And Kylin will be our leading WR.

[BeardoMSU]

I'm very sure that we played zone against Freeze and Ole Miss all those times they beat us with deep passes.

And that was with 2 NFL cornerbacks, lol. We're not going to face that every Saturday.

[bulldawg28]

The philosophy is the same for man or zone. Run to grass. In zone it's a spot or area. vs man, well you saw what that looks like Saturday.

Maybe but routes are generally different. An open WR can run into coverage and cause ints if he doesn't settle within the zone. That's unless the routes are flooding the zone.

[Hot Rock]

I can't wait to see what's next.. That's all I know!

[SheltonChoked]

Maybe but routes are generally different. An open WR can run into coverage and cause ints if he doesn't settle within the zone. That's unless the routes are flooding the zone.

Not really. But if there is a defender there, it's not grass. You run to grass and stop. If the defender is next to/behind you, grass is in front and you keep running.

It's the simplicity of the air raid.

See Y cross vs zone Same routes, just cut off for zone vs man.

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2490285/YCross_holes_medium.png

[Cooterpoot]

Well, we will certainly see some zone, but DC's are going to run their schemes and do what they like to do to. It won't simply be zone coverage.

[Dawgology]

If LSU can't cover MSU WRs 1 on 1 then virtually nobody can.

Matt says that Arkansas and others will back up and give MSU underneath routes.

Said KJ's completion percentage will go up but the big plays will go down and MSU will have to drive the field with more plays to score.

I'm sure Leach has to be joyous that one week into his SEC tenure he's already destroyed the traditional SEC blue blood defense of choice.

What does all this mean?

How do we attack zone and what does this mean for our offense?

If they do that then their 3rd string D will be sucking wind by the 3rd quarter.

[Bdawg]

Looking for info from you knowledgeable football folks - if we dink and dunk into the red zone, does the Air Raid start to struggle with the reduced space? How does air raid efficiency in the red zone compare to other schemes?

I think you can also look for match ups in the red zone. We got some big guys that could be targets close to the endzone.

[Percho]

And about 3 times a game motion the back out QB pause and take off up the open middle of the field.

[bulldawg28]

Not really. But if there is a defender there, it's not grass. You run to grass and stop. If the defender is next to/behind you, grass is in front and you keep running.

It's the simplicity of the air raid.

See Y cross vs zone Same routes, just cut off for zone vs man.

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2490285/YCross_holes_medium.png

I said the routes are different. You just described the routes being different. Converting a route or cutting off a route ultimately is a different route than before. It's called option routes which is what you use in zone coverages. It's multiple built-in routes for certain coverages.

[smootness]

The Air Raid isn't magic, and it can't be 'figured out' or shut down as a scheme. It's a scheme like any other. It is designed to exploit mismatches, find open space, and improve execution. The last of those is the real key and where I think Leach gets it more than most. He simplifies so that his players can master it rather than trying to beat people with any brilliant play calls.

Still, like any other scheme, it is more difficult when you have less talent or when the opponent has more. Like any other scheme, it becomes more difficult in tighter space. And like any other scheme, certain defenses are better than others.

[SheltonChoked]

I said the routes are different. You just described the routes being different. Converting a route or cutting off a route ultimately is a different route than before. It's called option routes which is what you use in zone coverages. It's multiple built-in routes for certain coverages.

Semantically, yes. It's a 7 yard post stop instead of a 7 yard post. But it's not a 5 yard out or a 20 yard post or a 10 yard dig different route. You and i have a disagreement in the meaning of "different route"

It's the difference in jomo's offense and leach's. Both have you running "different routes" vs different coverages. But in leach's, you always run the same base route. You just stop for grass.

With Jomo, you might run a completely different pattern. I.e. a 5 yard curl, a 20 yard flag, or a 7 yard dig.

[Commercecomet24]

Semantically, yes. It's a 7 yard post stop instead of a 7 yard post. But it's not a 5 yard out or a 20 yard post or a 10 yard dig different route. You and i have a disagreement in the meaning of "different route"

It's the difference in jomo's offense and leach's. Both have you running "different routes" vs different coverages. But in leach's, you always run the same base route. You just stop for grass.

With Jomo, you might run a completely different pattern. I.e. a 5 yard curl, a 20 yard flag, or a 7 yard dig.

Man I'm still not sure anyone knows what was supposed to happen in jomo offense!

[SheltonChoked]

Man I'm still not sure anyone knows what was supposed to happen in jomo offense!

Including Joe.

[Commercecomet24]

Including Joe.

No doubt 😂

[bulldawg28]

Semantically, yes. It's a 7 yard post stop instead of a 7 yard post. But it's not a 5 yard out or a 20 yard post or a 10 yard dig different route. You and i have a disagreement in the meaning of "different route"

It's the difference in jomo's offense and leach's. Both have you running "different routes" vs different coverages. But in leach's, you always run the same base route. You just stop for grass.

With Jomo, you might run a completely different pattern. I.e. a 5 yard curl, a 20 yard flag, or a 7 yard dig.

All good we're on the same page.

[MedDawg]

Bring on the zone. We'll dink and dunk you to death and it'll force them to make open field tackles in space.

So our games won't be 4 hours and 20 minutes anymore?