Cluck U wrote:Mvemjsunpx wrote:
Also, Villanova's offense isn't really "smashmouth". They run a spread option and never leave the shotgun. It's all about running around the end for them.
Revisionist history. nova ran wide AND they ran up the gut...for big yardage. Frankly, they ran wherever and whenever they wanted to.
Sorry, but you're flat wrong on that one. By my calculation (looking at the play-by-play in the box score), 287 of Villanova's 351 rushing yards were outside (or 287 of 370 if you take out the botched snap). The Wildcats only had one 20+ yard run inside, and that was a QB draw. Villanova's three longest runs were all outside runs (50, 40, 31) and none of them were by running backs (2 by Szczur and 1 by Whitney).
I think you also have a misunderstanding of what "smashmouth" is. Smashmouth is when you line up in a power formation (i.e. I-Form) and hand it off, usually up the middle. That was basically the offense that used to be run by App State and Northwestern St. before the middle of this decade. That's also what JMU essentially did in the '04 title game, which is totally different than what Nova did last week.
Lesser team? No way. nova was clearly better on both lines, had the better RB and LBs. The QBs were both good but different...but the Griz QB could not run. The nova DBs shut down the Griz receivers with the coverage adjustment and it was all over.
Who said Nova was a lesser team? I certainly didn't. They were definitely the better team on Friday, hence why they won. They weren't the better team by much, since they won by just 2, but they were clearly better.
Nova's O-Line clearly dominated UM's D-Line. I would dispute that they dominated the other side, though. The Griz had
plenty of time to throw most every dropback.
Cripes, the Griz KNEW nova would run and still couldn't not stop them.
As I've said in other threads, this is where the Griz coaching staff deserves blame. Despite not being able to stop the run, Montana still lined up all their DBs (including corners) 10 yards off the line and refused to bring extra people in the box. Kraig Paulson has a history of being stubborn in these situations & refusing to adjust (the Wofford game in '07 and the Southern Utah game in '98 come to mind). Nova only threw one pass in the 4th. quarter (and it was a WR screen), yet the Griz D still acted like that's what they were most worried about.
and hardly missed a pass in the 2nd half.
I needed to check my facts first. I was wrong when I wrote that Whitney "hardly missed a pass in the 2nd half". 
