We have used the same strategy for KO since Urban has been here. It's normally been great. This year guys haven't made plays. When I rewatch the TD, PSU blocked well and we didn't get off of them or make them miss. It was execution not strategy.
If you go back several years Urban was one of the first to line up from one hash to sideline and kick to the corner the way we do. Now a ton of teams try to replicate what Urban started especially in high school. It is solid strategically.
This years guys just aren't consistently making plays.
It's hard to go 85 for scores, much harder than 75. I would love to see stats on scoring drives of 85 plus.
It's not just guys not making tackles, it's guys not doing their jobs. There are three glaring issues with this year's KO coverage team that continually gets them in trouble:
1. If they are going to continue doing directional kicking, guys have to stay in their lanes. Watch the tape. On Barkley's return and the other 60+ yarder later in the game, guys are all bunched up.
2. and with that same thought, if you kick it to one side, they can't continually let the ball carrier cross their face and lose the edge. You have to establish the right edge and force the runner back into traffic, make the runner slow down, hesitate, change direction, something. On both TD returns this year they have let the ball carrier take it from one side of the field to the other, breaking contain, where there isn't anyone to make a tackle and where the returner is at full speed, making him much tougher to tackle and then it's just a foot race.
3. Which brings me to #3. We have a lot of speed on the KO team. They are getting down there fast. That isn't the issue. Guys aren't getting off of blocks. And guys who aren't in the play are taking poor retreat angles eliminating them from being able to make a TD saving tackle down the field. Going to lose that foot race almost all the time if they are at full speed and aren't having to slow down to cut, juke, ect.... before they even get past the first wave of tacklers. I think Urban is going to re-evaluate his personnel and find a good mix of speed guys and tough guys.
This can't continue. Looks great when an offense starts at the 15, but risky when teams repetitively break contain and spring the big one.