Part of what makes the Big 12 so tough is how much of a copycat league it is. You can stay ahead with your tactics only so long as other teams lack the personnel to mimic it. Oklahoma’s advantages from their “21 spread” sets are virtually dried up now as we saw multiple teams copy their utilization of the flex TE.
This is going to be the thing now, with defenses spread out now you need to find matchups and no one creates those better than a flex TE in the middle of the field. Read up over at Football Study Hall.
Great article Ian. Since I don’t have twitter I have to resort to asking you questions on your blog posts so I apologize for an off topic question. Have you done any breakdowns on Bama’s defense this season? Also, where do you think Tua would rank among big 12 QBs? In his highlights, he doesn’t really look any more accurate than Grier or Ehlinger. I have a very untrained eye for that though.
He’s a lot like Ehlinger but further along as a passer and less aggressive as a runner but still very similar in style there. Ehlinger with Grier’s accuracy and Murray’s supporting cast.
Haven’t broken down this year’s D but I think they’ll be trouble for Bama. Think the 2017 TCU D in style only if filled out with blue chip athletes rather than Patterson gems.
I assume you mean trouble for Oklahoma?
Also, did teams play more zone against OU this season to slow down Murray’s running? How’d his running ability affect defenses approach this year?
Trouble for OU, yeah. Murray’s running was a big problem for everyone. Few got a good rush on him.