Plays Of The (other) Day: Goal-To-Go Sequence vs. Ohio State

You got questions, we got…the same questions and no answers for Penn State’s four forgettable, unimaginative plays near the goal line with the game hanging in the balance.  

Sponsor: FTB’s 2024 Penn State football coverage is sponsored by the Sports Medicine specialists at Concierge Medical Associates. Schedule an in-person or remote consultation at: conciergemedical.ai

Why fuss around, right? Just rip off the damn Band-Aid. We’re discussing the failed 4th quarter goal-to-go sequence that sucked the juice out of a record-setting Beaver Stadium crowd like a poorly aimed straw popping a Capri-Sun pouch.

Hold your nose. Here we go.

Play 1

6 OL package. 56-JB Nelson squats at left guard, pushing usual starter 71-Vega Ioane outside the left tackle. Tight ends 44-Tyler Warren and 16-Khalil Dinkins align as “sniffers”, barely in the backfield, splitting the LG-LT and LT-6th OL, respectively. Wide receiver 3-Julian Fleming is the 7th man on the line of scrimmage. Aside from the right guard and tackle, everyone else is loaded on the left side of the ball. To fit gaps, Ohio State puts seven defenders to the left of Penn State center 53- Nick Dawkins, three to his right, and a 0-Tech nose tackle smelling his breath over the ball.

The concept, technically, is a short-yardage version of “Duo” – a play designed to displace defensive linemen through double teams and, therefore, create vertical push or “dent the defense.” Normally, Duo leaves the MIKE backer unblocked but placed in conflict. The running back reads the MIKE for the first three steps, aiming at the playside guard, then makes a decision – BEND, BANG or BOUNCE? If the MIKE sucks toward the line of scrimmage, the RB either “bounces” playside or “bends” backside. If the MIKE floats outside the B Gap, the RB “bangs” right through his initial aiming point.

The problem with Duo in short-yardage situations like this is that those reads are sped up and harder to decipher because the second-level defenders are closer to the line of scrimmage. By the time, 13-Kaytron Allen realizes he should cut laterally, he’s already too far in the mess and simply puts his head down.

No gain.

Plays 2 & 3

Andy Kotelnicki decides to stick with Duo (or the goal line version of it) but a different variation. Duo Kick. Everything in this is essentially the same, but the playside outermost defender is left for a kick out from the motioning 300-pound lineman. What’s the point, you ask?

Well, the idea here is that the momentum from the kick out will create a larger “bounce” gap for the RB should the MIKE suck toward the interior of line of scrimmage.

BIG NOTE: Contrary to popular belief, there was (more than very likely) NOT a pull read here for Allar. The three Duo runs you’ve seen thus far were “locked” – meaning no pull read. Now, it is possible (though, not probable) that Kotelnicki affords QBs what’s called an “opportunity pull” – essentially granting the QB the right to pull if the edge pops open…but I doubt it. Especially with Allar  So for those of you yelling, “Why didn’t Allar just keep it?!?!?!”…there’s your answer.

Long story short: OSU got more push up front. Could we have used a more advantageous run scheme here? Yes. Do you also have to trust your big eaters to generate enough push to net 3 yards in 3 plays? Also, yes.

Play 4

4th and Goal on Paper:

4th and Goal on Video:

Penn State finally decides to throw on 4th and Goal. I’d imagine the Buckeyes had a pretty good idea that this was coming. The other predictable part of this play: the rub-flat concept is by far the most popular goal line man-to-man beater. OSU’s secondary sniffs it out immediately and gets overtop of the pick set by 6-Harrison Wallace, who is not running a route and therefore not in the QB progression.

Allar’s only other option is Dinkins on the over route, but the boundary is just too congested. Allar throws a decent ball, but this is a high-degree-of-difficulty catch…especially when defenders are hanging all over you.