A genius calling the plays

Unfortunately, I can't take credit for this. It was done by a Notre Dame poster on NDnation.com-this shows the pure genius of Paul Johnson's playcalling, which appears to be very similar to a pretty good former coach at Nebraska (hint not Frank Solich):

By my count, Navy ran a total of 10 different plays. They used 3 different formations to run these plays, and they had 3 different blocking schemes. That is it. And when your offense is that condensed, not only can the players practice the execution of the plays to perfection, but the coach already knows what adjustments he is going to make based on how the defense reacts. Charlie Weis could learn a lot about condensing his offense from this experience.

By the way, the 10 plays were:
1. Triple Option
2. Toss Sweep
3. FB Blast (which is the Delaware Wing T play)
4. QB designed keep behind the lead FB
5. HB option pass
6. Play action pass from Triple Option look
7. FB waggle pass
8. 1 yard hitch quick pass
9. Reverse Pivot - Split Option....the FB option is to one side but the QB and HB option are back to the other side
10. Double Option - blocking all players

The sequencing of plays used by Navy was incredibly well thought out to mess with the heads of our defense.

Opening Drive:

1. 1 yard quick hitch pass. ND is geared up for the option but the CB were playing off the WR, so Navy took the easy catch for a 14 yard gain.
2. Triple Option - Blocking Scheme 1 (lineman block down inside). ND has practiced and stop the play easily.
3. Toss Sweep - Blocking Scheme 2 (the lineman loop around the outside of the DE and OLB).

The play works but ND causes a fumble.

Drive 2:
1. Triple Option - Blocking Scheme 2 - So now Johnson is mixing together the 2nd play call with the 3rd play's blocking scheme to mess with the defense. Johnson likes this scheme and sticks with it for much of the first half. The key is that Navy is able to block the NT with just the Center. No double team is required in the middle of the field which frees up the Guard to loop around and block the LB flowing to the play. The Notre Dame DE and OLB are standing very close together and pretty much just standing still. Navy's QB is not getting hit hard. The defense is not committing to any particular option consistently so Navy has a nice mix of FB, QB and HB carries on the option plays.

Also of note, normally the option gets run to the wide side of the field unless the defense commits an extra player to one side. Paul Johnson was faithful to this "field" side convention but added a wrinkle on Navy's first touchdown. Navy had a first and goal from the 5 yard line. Navy ran the Reverse Pivot - Split option. The FB dive option went to the boundary side and the QB reversed direction and ran the rest of the option to the field. This was the first time Navy used that look in the game and it allowed the slower Navy HB to outrun the faster Notre Dame CB to the corner of the end zone. Just a half second delay that gets induced by getting the defense to flow one way and then coming back the other way. The timing of when that half second could be used to the maximum effect was brilliant play calling by Paul Johnson.

Drive 3: New wrinkle. Navy lines up in a new formation. The WRs are tucked in very close to the OT's in the formation. The WBs are a little deeper in the backfield behind the WRs. Navy runs the reverse pivot - split option again, but with a new blocking scheme on this drive. This time the OT blocks the DE. This is the first time the DE has been blocked all game long, now deep into the 2nd quarter. The WR runs deep taking the CB with him. The far side OG pulls and loops around and blocks the MLB...a rather long run but he makes his block perfectly. The OLB is left unblocked for the option. The FB fake is to the right, the QB and WB reverse and come back to the left. 12 yard gain even though the pitch man read his block wrong and went outside when he should have cut in. The very next play, from the same formation, Navy fakes the toss sweep to the right and give to the FB also to the right. Something looks weird. I watch the play 4 times in slow motion before I see it. There it is. This was just a regular running play. Everybody was blocked by the man in front of them. So on two consecutive plays, Paul Johnson runs at a DE while blocking him for the first time all game long. The DE is so used to standing up and watching the play as nobody touches him. Now he gets effectively blocked straight up by a Navy lineman who weighs 50lbs less than him, all because of a well timed use of the play. Next play, same look, Triple option boundary side. Next play, same look, fake triple option, drop back pass - dropped in the end zone by the WR. ND actually had this play covered fairly well which is surprising. The drive ends in a touchdown to make it 14-14.

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2nd Half 1st Play: Triple option, give to the FB. For once, the MLB comes up strong to meet this play at the line of scrimmage. This is a good correction by Corwin Brown at halftime, but really, this should have been the plan all along.

2nd Play. FB Blast. No option, just a regular running play. The Navy OG crushes Trevor Laws who is nearly twice his size. Again Laws is used to standing up and watching as nobody blocks him. On this play the Guard takes two steps forward like he is blocking down on the LB like he normally does, and then he makes a right turn and basically trap blocks Laws. Again, the blocking scheme is very clever when put into the contect of what has been happening all game long.

3rd play: Toss Sweep

4th Play: Triple Option

5th Play: QB keeps and follows the FB into the dive hole. This was not an option but a designed play. The OT uses a kick out block on the OLB, the first time the OLB has been blocked all game long, and the WB blocks down on the DE, the first time he has been blocked from this angle all game long. Just a simple cross blocking scheme but it is so effective since those players have been so used to not getting blocked and they had not yet been blocked by those players from those angles before.

6th play: FB Blast - everyone blocked

7th play: Triple Option - give to FB 8th play: 4th and 2 Navy gives a weird look. WB motions into backfield like an I formation and stops...normally on the option this is fluid and the ball is snapped while he is moving. Then the other WB motions into the backfield and stops forming a true wishbone. Navy is just trying to draw ND offside with a weird look. ND doesn't fall for it and Navy calls timeout.

9th play: 4th and 2. Fake the reverse pivot triple option and the QB keeps the ball. Everyone was blocked. The Guard kicks out the DE. The Tackle kicks out the OLB and the WB loops inside and lead blocks on the isolated MLB. This is the first look at this blocking scheme so far for the defense.

10th play: Triple option to the boundary instead of the field side for a change of pace.

11th play: FB Blast. #74 of Navy destroys Trevor Laws again.

12th play: Toss Sweep. Should have been called for a block in the back but Navy got away with it. Notre Dame defense has not blown up a single play all game.

13th play: 3rd and 1 from the 5. New look. Navy goes unbalanced line with a 3rd lineman covering the Tackle on the field side. The defense doesn't respond quite right but the safety sort of cheats over a bit to the formation. FB Blast look but the QB keeps and follows the FB through the hole.

14th play: 1st and goal from the 4. FB Blast. Navy uses the Guard and Tackle to double team the DE. This is the first double team of the game on a player that has been left unblocked most of the time. Dwight Stephenson is just destroyed and plowed back into the end zone ending up on his back. Navy gets to the 1 inch line.

15th play: FB Blast - for a Touchdown. Navy misses the kick and it is 21-20.

----------------------- 2nd drive of 2nd Half
1st Play: FB Blast - holding penalty making it 1st and 20

2nd Play: 1 yard hitch pass - minimal gain

3rd play: Triple Option Play Action - deep pass. Pass Interference leads to a 1st down.

4th play: FB Blast

5th play: Triple Option- FB give. This is the first option play in the last 10 plays. Paul Johnson doesn't even have to risk putting the ball on the ground now. He has outsmarted our defensive line so thoroughly that Navy is beating Notre Dame using straight up Wing T plays from 1950.

6th play: 3rd and 5: FB waggle pass for a 1st down. Great design. The WR runs a seam route. The WB motions to the other side of the field. They give the reverse pivot - split option look but the FB flares out into the empty flat.

7th play: Toss Sweep

9th Play: FB Blast

10th Play: FB Blast

11th play: 2nd and 9. Triple Option - give to the FB. For the first time all game long, the NT beats the single block from the Center and stuffs this play. The NT play has been unacceptable making it too easy for Navy.

12th play: 3rd and 8. Triple option but with no motion by the WB this time for a new look. The give is to the FB which was a poor choice on 3rd and 8. This may be the first bad read Enhada has made all game long. FG attempt misses but on the ensuing drive Navy sacks Sharpley and returns the fumble for a TD. 2pt conversion play is interesting. Navy lines up trips right. They pull a Guard away from the formation to kick out the OLB and run a double option with the FB as the pitch man. But the players are blocked at the point of attack. This looks like the Lou Holtz option. -----------------------------------------

1st Overtime FB Waggle Triple Option - Pitch FB Blast FB blast - for a Touchdown.

2nd Overtime Triple Option - QB keep Triple option - QB keep Then a very interesting series of events. On the previous play, the CB crashed the pitch man very hard. This was only the second or third time all game that Walls played the option this way. On the very next play, Navy changed up the blocking scheme. They came triple option but had the Guard kick out the OLB and had the WB loop inside of this block and lead up through the hole. The QB kept the ball and ran up inside of the kicked out OLB. So as soon as ND decided to be aggressive on the perimeter, Paul Johnson simply changed the perimeter and ran the option in between the DE and the OLB. So for those who thought that Brown should have the defense be more aggressive, Paul Johnson already thought about that and had his answer ready. On the next play, the Triple Option - pitch was stopped for a loss. For the first time all game long, the DE prevented the OT from getting off the line of scrimmage cleanly and it screwed the whole play up. This is what I said I wanted our DE to do in mid week. Don't let Navy leave you unblocked and get their blocks on other players. Intercept them and disrupt the play. HB option pass almost intercepted. FG is made