Wildcat Stats from UMASS game

[Carl Spackler]

I am mostly concerned about the ball control with the wildcat. The snaps are erratic. McCummings is always juggling the ball around and sometimes he loses it. I have not seen that get any better. Even when he scored it looked like the ball was a hair away from getting knocked out. It always seems like Every time he is in the game I'm thinking "please don't fumble it". 5 good wildcat plays in a row mean nothing to me if the 6th is a botched exchange for a fumble

That's a legitimate gripe that I agree with. RIght now, the fact that McCummings was out of camp for a long time, is an explanation. Fumbles on center QB, or QB, RB excchanges I was worried too.

 

[Waquoit]

WHitmer hasn't proved himself to be our best asset on O yet.

Baloney.

 

[Kgun7]

Metsfan2323 - Thanks for doing this! I've read opinions for or against the wildcat, but you've at least taken the time and put in the effort to quantify. You have my vote for Offensive Quality Control Statistician!

I think I've seen enough to think that the wildcat, as it is being implemented, deserves to continue for at least a few more weeks.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Baloney.

Just read this.

http://journalinquirer.com/articles...40d6150cb69833225820.txt#.UEDasAJJwJs.twitter


It answers all the quesitons.

It's not plays....it's play-ers.

THat offensive package puts the ball in our play-ers hands, among many other things. Get used to it.

 

[Doggie Style]

What about the fact that the PA guy announcing that "Whitmer is at wide receiver". Am I the only person to find that ridiculous?

There were about 1500 things that were ridiculous in last nights game. That was just one of them. The fact that our good friend the dj and our pa guy missed like 45% of the 3rd down calls was another. Along w/ the fact that we didn't start ringing the bell til the 3rd qtr, and on and on...... I hope Warde was taking notes!

 

[Waquoit]

The fact that our good friend the dj and our pa guy missed like 45% of the 3rd down calls was another.

True, that was bad.

 

[Waquoit]

Just read this.

http://journalinquirer.com/articles...40d6150cb69833225820.txt#.UEDasAJJwJs.twitter

It answers all the quesitons.

It's not plays....it's play-ers.

THat offensive package puts the ball in our play-ers hands, among many other things. Get used to it.

Well, the only play the "play-ers" made in the Wildcat against UMass happened when the ball came back to Whitmer. The formation may show "potential", but Whitmer is showing "performance" - right out of the gate. Like I said, I'm not ready to chuck the Wildcat; but like exotic ingrediants in cooking, it's best used sparingly.

 

[metsfan2323]

Thank you for doing the research that verifies my initial impression, that the Wildcat being used after a nice Whitmer pass killed momentum. You posted 7 drives where UConn did not score a touchdown. In five of those drives, a gain of 10 yards or more resulted in Whitmer heading to the bench. To take it a step further, when Whitmer came back to the field in those five instances, only once was the result a decent gain. Add to this the previously mentioned fact that both his picks came after the Wildcat and you have to wonder if it's worth the trouble. I'm not saying discard it, but we have a D-1 QB now and we don't need the gimmicks like we did last year. The fact is, when we are in the Wildcat, our best asset on O is off the field.

I don't really see what you are seeing. Can you be more specific? I agree on drive number 7, you see 4 other drives negatively effected by the wildcat, which ones? And don't forget I left out the two TD drives which both utilized the Wildcat. Here they are: (God I love Excel)

BTW I agree that our best offense is on the bench when the wildcat is in. I doubt anyone would argue with that.

Drive # QB Description Yardage.
1 Whitmer McCombs run 5
1 McCummings Nick Williams run 15
1 Whitmer McCombs run 3
1 Whitmer Completion to Osiecki 17
1 McCummings McCombs run 3
1 Whitmer Whitmer desparate scramble 2
1 Whitmer Completion to Davis 6
1 Whitmer McCombs run 3
1 McCummings McCummings run 2
1 Whitmer Completion to Williams 18
1 McCummings Nick Williams run 10
1 McCummings McCombs TD 1
9 Whitmer McCombs run 3
9 McCummings Razzle Dazzle, Whitmer completion to Griffin 33
9 Whitmer McCombs run 8
9 McCummings McCummings run td 2

 

[businesslawyer]

What about the fact that the PA guy announcing that "Whitmer is at wide receiver". Am I the only person to find that ridiculous?

If that happened, I missed it as well. But if Mike Enright said that, he should be fired.

(With one exception. I found it unbelievable that we'd run a trick play that late in a game against a meaningless opponent whom we had already beaten with NC State coming up. Since I don't see how Deleone and P could be that dumb (or any other big time coaches), I have to assume that they wanted NC State to see that play for whatever reason -- presumably because they want the Wolfpack to react to it when something similar is being run. Maybe Enright was part of the plan to make sure no one in the building missed what was coming.)

 

[Waquoit]

I don't really see what you are seeing. Can you be more specific?

Just to recap my initial point, from watching the game at The Rent, it seemed to me that often after Whitmer made a nice pass for a good gain (10+ yds), he had to sit. I though it hurt the team's forward momentum. Momentum matters, good play feeds off good play. Your work showed that in 5 of the 7 stalled drives, the very thing I described happened:

3 Whitmer Comletion to McCombs 12
3 McCummings McCummings run 5
4 Whitmer Completion to Davis 13
4 McCummings McCummings run 4
6 Whitmer Completion to Davis 26
6 McCummings McCombs run 2
7 Whitmer Completion to Phillips 14
7 McCummings McCombs run 7
8 Whitmer Completion to Davis 16
8 McCummings McCummings run 2

I don't see how going to the Wildcat after a nice pass completion helps. Have we taken the 10 yard completion for granted already? Why throw out the anchor by changing QB's? Why not let our starter build up some rythym? And only one time in those 5 examples did the play when Whitmer came back in make a good gain ( hold, inc, +18, pick, +3). Against a poor team the Wildcat was a meh. I don't understand the heavy support for it. Why bother? We have good QB, we don't need it.

 

[metsfan2323]

Thank you for doing the research that verifies my initial impression, that the Wildcat being used after a nice Whitmer pass killed momentum. You posted 7 drives where UConn did not score a touchdown. In five of those drives, a gain of 10 yards or more resulted in Whitmer heading to the bench. To take it a step further, when Whitmer came back to the field in those five instances, only once was the result a decent gain. Add to this the previously mentioned fact that both his picks came after the Wildcat and you have to wonder if it's worth the trouble. I'm not saying discard it, but we have a D-1 QB now and we don't need the gimmicks like we did last year. The fact is, when we are in the Wildcat, our best asset on O is off the field.

Drives, 3, 4 and 6 ended on a drop pass (would have been a 1st down), a drop pass (would have been a first down), and a goal line fumble respectively. Saying the momentum killing Wildcat led to those non QB miscues would be like me saying that we only score TD's when we run the wildcat effectively which is what happened during our two TD drives both of which were fueled heavily by the wildcat.

Both premises are wrong.

 

[Waquoit]

Drives, 3, 4 and 6 ended on a drop pass (would have been a 1st down), a drop pass (would have been a first down), and a goal line fumble respectively. Saying the momentum killing Wildcat led to those non QB miscues would be like me saying that we only score TD's when we run the wildcat effectively which is what happened during our two TD drives both of which were fueled heavily by the wildcat.

I'm not saying the Wildcat led to anything. But based on the (lack of) results, you can't say it was that effective. I'm reminded of a line from "Only The Good Die Young". They never told you the price you would pay, for things that you might have done. We don't know that, if left uninterrupted, Whitmer wouldn't have kept those drives going. Especially after making a clutch throw, I can't believe having to go to the bench helps things.

 

[metsfan2323]

I'm not saying the Wildcat led to anything. But based on the (lack of) results, you can't say it was that effective. I'm reminded of a line from "Only The Good Die Young". They never told you the price you would pay, for things that you might have done. We don't know that, if left uninterrupted, Whitmer wouldn't have kept those drives going. Especially after making a clutch throw, I can't believe having to go to the bench helps things.

I agree, and in a closer game or a game we are losing I don't think we will see the Wildcat as much, unless the other team is struggling against it like Rutgers and Cuse did last year.

I think P looks at Whitmer's size and asks himself how do I get this kid through a 13 game season. Part of the strategy to get him to survive the season is to be a running team. We HAVE to run the football.

I also wonder if McCummings would have stuck with the team if we didn't plan on using him. We need him for depth and its nice to have something to fall back on besides McEntee.

 

[Kgun7]

I agree, and in a closer game or a game we are losing I don't think we will see the Wildcat as much, unless the other team is struggling against it like Rutgers and Cuse did last year.

I think P looks at Whitmer's size and asks himself how do I get this kid through a 13 game season. Part of the strategy to get him to survive the season is to be a running team. We HAVE to run the football.

I also wonder if McCummings would have stuck with the team if we didn't plan on using him. We need him for depth and its nice to have something to fall back on besides McEntee.

I agree ... and you could easily substitute McCombs's name in that sentence, as well.

 

[Jimdish255]

The Wildcat was un spectacular against a mediocre defense. I didn't like the fact that Witmer came in on a third down situation and ended up throwing interception right after the Wildcat. McCummings averaged about 3 yards per carry through the entire game. How many throws 0. What we saw in the game is not going to work against a good team. It maybe a disruption for the defense but it's also a disruption for us especially trying to break in a new quarterback. If Scott could throw even just a little I might think differently. And some of the more productive runs by the running backs could probably have been accomplished under the regular set.