EDIT/UPDATE: I realize that the spacing on the comments on the individual plays is all messed up. I'm not good with html and it shows sometimes. I will fix it as soon as I can. In the meantime, the play-by-play is really hard to read. You might want to just skip to the commentary at the bottom.
The idea/inspiration for this post comes from
mgoblog who does a superb job of breaking down the tape after every Michigan game. It's one of the things that I look forward to reading about Michigan each and every week. I've always wanted to try something similar and I finally have the technology to attempt it (although not the mastery of said technology, but more on that in a sec).
I didn't attend the game this week, instead choosing to stay home and watch Michigan's glorious victory over Oregon (oops) while I
DVR'ed both games. Michigan was playing on the HDTV while Texas A&M played on the 24" TV that I usually keep in the bedroom, but is now stationed in the middle of the living room floor. (Living on my own in grad school does have some advantages.)
I set the A&M game to record for 3 and half hours, way to short in retrospect. Still, I had it covered as I realized my gaffe and told my
DVR manually to start another recording. What I did not realize was just how full my
DVR was. When the second part of the recording started, it immediately began to overwrite the first part of the game, which of course was lost forever. Realizing my mistake later that I night I was livid until I remembered that
FSN frequently shows games again in the middle of the night. A quick check of the program guide revealed an early morning reshowing, which I recorded.
It wasn't until I had devoted a significant amount of time on Sunday to starting this post that I realized
FSN had cut out a big chunk of the first half. I was peeved but soldiered on, figuring that cutting out part of the first half allowed the second half and overtime to be shown in their entirety. How foolish I was. Knowing now how much of the game was actually missing, I probably wouldn't have attempted this fiasco, but it is what it is. I suppose I learn and move on. Next time I'll check the little manual-deletion-only option when I set up the recording.
What follows is the play-by-play account of the game, copied verbatim from
Aggie Athletics. For the plays that I have film, I have added my commentary in bold following the play. It's not the easiest thing to read, but it is significantly easier to put together than the snazzy tables that
mgoblog uses. Having done this for one week, I have no idea how he has the time to keep this up. It requires an incredible amount of time to do right, a level that I didn't even scratch.
Following the play-by-play summary are my thoughts on the game. If you're not really interested in individual plays, you should be able to scroll down and just read that part. To evaluate the defense I've adopted a primitive +/- system. On pass plays I occasionally resort to giving a plus or a minus to the entire secondary. From a TV angle, not knowing the intended play, it can be difficult to judge individual players. When possible, I've given a plus to a player for an outstanding play or a minus for a mistake. Very occasionally a play warrants a +2 or a -2, but I've tried to use those sparingly.
After doing this, I really feel like I understand A&M's philosophy better on both sides of the ball. (Although, can anyone truly claim to understand the defensive philosophy? Ba-
da-ch!) It's been very enjoyable and I hope to try this again the next time A&M has a televised game. Comments, criticisms and suggestions are always appreciated. With no further ado:
Play-by-Play Summary
Play-by-Play Summary (1st quarter)
2007 Texas A&M Football
Fresno State vs #23 Texas A&M (Sep 08, 2007 at College Station, TX)
A&M wins the toss and defers. Fresno to receive at the north
endzone.
F 1-10 F30
TAMU ball on
TAMU30, 7S-
Szymanski, Matt kickoff 70 yards to the
FS0,
18-Wylie, Devon return 27 yards to the
FS27 (36-Lewis, Anthony).
Szymanski puts the ball just inside the endzone, something that he is doing with
regularity this season. The coverage is fine.F 1-10 F27 1-Miller,
Lonyae rush for 1 yard to the
FS28 (85-Bryant, Red;25-Pugh,
Jordan).
Tupe (+1) gets great penetration by going around the tackle here and gets an arm on
Miller. Miller regains his balance, but Pugh (+1) fills nicely from the secondary.F 2-9 F28 7-
Brandstater, T pass complete to 13-
Crawley, Jason for 8 yards to the
FS36
(9-Dixon, Alton).
Throw goes to the inside receiver who has found a soft spot between Tupe and Dixon
(coverage -1). Dixon is there quickly to stop any additional yardage, but you hate
to see 8 yards come this easy.F 3-1 F36 1-Miller,
Lonyae rush for no gain to the
FS36 (4-
Gorrer, Danny;85-Bryant,
Red),
PENALTY TAMU face mask (4-Gorrer, Danny) 15 yards to the TAMU49,
1ST DOWN FS.
I didn't see a facemask here, but the official has a much better angle to see the
tackle by Gorrer. Either way, he picks up the first down without the penalty.F 1-10 A49 1st and 10.
F 1-10 A49 7-
Brandstater, T rush for 1 yard to the
TAMU48 (4-
Gorrer, Danny).
QB scramble (coverage +1). Dixon and Harrington both get a little bit of pressure
from the right side. Gorrer breaks off his coverage in the flat and forces
Brandstater out of bounds. Nice play all around.F 2-9 A48 2-Smith, Clifton rush for 6 yards to the
TAMU42 (37-
Tupe,
Misi).
Direct snap to Smith. This wildcat formation sure is getting popular. Dixon (-1)
is playing right up on the line, but Pascoe neutralizes him and he loses contain.
When Dodge fills from the inside the RB bounces it out for a nice gain.F 3-3 A42 7-
Brandstater, T pass incomplete to 13-
Crawley, Jason (27-Peterson,
Jord.).
Dixon and Peterson actually have pretty good coverage here (although the receiver
is slightly behind them both). Brandstater makes a nearly perfect throw but the WR
can't catch it cleanly. Peterson does a good job of not giving him a second chance
on the juggle.F 4-3 A42 35-Zimmerman, Kyle punt 42 yards to the
TAMU0,
touchback.
--------------- 6 plays, 31 yards, TOP 02:48 ---------------
A 1-10 A20 TEXAS A&M drive start at 12:12.
A 1-10 A20 24-Alexander,
Chr. rush for 4 yards to the
TAMU24 (7D-Roberts,
Jason;32-Brown,
Quaadir).
FB dive to Alexander isn't terribly well blocked but he gets low and pushes the pile
for a respectable gain. A 2-6 A24 7-McGee, Stephen rush for 8 yards to the
TAMU32,
1ST DOWN TAMU,
out-of-bounds (19-Haynes, Marvin).
McGee fakes the dive to Lane but keeps it himself. Good job of getting out of
bounds once he has the 1st down and avoiding a big hit. Martellus Bennett does a
great job holding up on the corner to allow McGee to get outside. A 1-10 A32 7-McGee, Stephen pass complete to 13-Bennett, Martel for 4 yards to the
TAMU36, out-of-bounds (32-Brown,
Quaadir;2D-Jenkins, Damon).
This looks like a designed throw all the way to Bennett on a five yard out route.
Pierre Brown is the outside receiver and he runs the coverage off. Fresno State
closed very quickly to prevent any YAC. A 2-6 A36 3-
Goodson, Mike rush for 5 yards to the
TAMU41 (54-Jacobs,
Ben;19-Haynes, Marvin).
This looks like a zone run all the way. Goodson eludes a LB that slipped through on
a blitz and then cuts it up for a decent gain. A 3-1 A41 3-
Goodson, Mike rush for 1 yard to the
TAMU42,
1ST DOWN TAMU (54-Jacobs, Ben).
This is just a run up the middle out of the I-formation. Fresno State wins the
battle at the line initially and stands up the play, but the left side of A&M's line
(Clark, Yoder and Elder, although I have no idea why Elder lets himself get pushed
clear around Wallace, it seems almost as if he is zone blocking this) keeps pushing
and Goodson is able to fall that way for the first down. Shaky play. A 1-10 A42 7-McGee, Stephen pass complete to 8-Franks, Kerry for 5 yards to the
TAMU47 (3-Harris, Moses;31-Riley, Marcus).
Fresno State is playing pretty soft against the pass here and A&M seems content to
take advantage of that. Not a great throw by McGee as Franks has to go way up to
catch it. If the throw is better, Franks might be able to make a little more on
this play. As it is, FSU comes up quickly. A 2-5 A47 3-
Goodson, Mike rush for 4 yards to the
FS49, out-of-bounds (32-Brown,
Quaadir;2D-Jenkins, Damon).
Speed Option to the right. Both Taylor and Corey do a nice job of blocking
downfield. A 3-1 F49 7-McGee, Stephen rush for 18 yards to the
FS31,
1ST DOWN TAMU (54-Jacobs, Ben;28-Jefferson, A.J.).
Speed Option to the left. This time McGee keeps it himself. The line blocks this
well and the outside guy for FSU elects to go after Goodson preemptively. Joey
Thomas has a tremendous block to give McGee the corner, Taylor pretty much pancakes
a guy and Corey holds up well. You can say one thing for A&M's receivers, they sure
can block. A 1-10 F31 7-McGee, Stephen pass incomplete to 6-Brown, Pierre.
Brown is very open on this play but McGee is pressured and overthrows him. FSU
brings a linebacker and a corner from the right side. Alexander picks up the inside
guy (LB). There is a play action to Lane and then he is tasked to block. As a
result, he is way up in the middle of the pocket and can't get back to the outside
quickly enough to take out the CB. A 2-10 F31 7-McGee, Stephen pass incomplete to 3-
Goodson, Mike (11-
Clutts, Tyler).
Batted pass here. It's Corey Clark's guy, but if he didn't get it, the next guy
might've. Not a great play by McGee. A 3-10 F31 7-McGee, Stephen pass complete to 13-Bennett, Martel for 13 yards to the
FS18,
1ST DOWN TAMU (19-Haynes, Marvin).
FSU only rushes three and McGee has time. This is the same out play to Bennett
where the outside receiver (I think it's Brown again) runs the coverage off and
Bennett cuts to the outside. McGee puts it right on the numbers and Bennett shows
good awareness to cut upfield and get the 1st down. A 1-10 F18 11-Lane,
Jorvorsk. rush for 18 yards to the
FS0,
1ST DOWN TAMU,
TOUCHDOWN, clock 08:08.
7S-
Szymanski, Matt kick attempt good.
This is the option play that A&M likes to run to Lane so much. Jorvorskie goes up
the middle and McGee can either give it to him or go around the outside with the
other RB (Keondra Smith in this case). The LBs read the option and go with McGee.
Meanwhile the A&M line just blows everything up and the hole that Lane runs through
is about 5 yards wide. He is 8 yards downfield before he is touched. Then he shows
off his tremendous balance by spinning off of a hit and stumbling into the endzone.
This play couldn't have been executed better. ===========================
FRESNO STATE 0, TEXAS A&M 7
===========================
--------------- 12 plays, 80 yards, TOP 04:04 ---------------
7S-
Szymanski, Matt kickoff 70 yards to the
FS0,
touchback.
F 1-10 F20 FRESNO STATE drive start at 08:08.
F 1-10 F20 1-Miller,
Lonyae rush for 9 yards to the
FS29 (26-Gregg, Devin;1B-Bennett,
Mich.).
F 2-1 F29 2-Smith, Clifton rush for loss of 2 yards to the
FS27 (37-
Tupe,
Misi;50-Dodge, Mark).
F 3-3 F27
PENALTY FS delay of game 5 yards to the FS22.
F 3-8 F22 7-
Brandstater, T pass intercepted by 26-Gregg, Devin at the
FS41, 26-Gregg,
Devin return 0 yards to the
FS41, out-of-bounds.
I missed this whole segment on the replay, but I remember this play. Gregg made a
tremendous catch while flying out of bounds. Plays like this are why Gregg is a
turnover machine.--------------- 3 plays, 2 yards, TOP 01:50 ---------------
A 1-10 F41 TEXAS A&M drive start at 06:18.
A 1-10 F41 11-Lane,
Jorvorsk. rush for 7 yards to the
FS34 (32-Brown,
Quaadir;7D-Roberts, Jason).
A 2-3 F34 3-
Goodson, Mike rush for 4 yards to the
FS30,
1ST DOWN TAMU (11-
Clutts, Tyler;54-Jacobs, Ben).
A 1-10 F30
PENALTY TAMU false start (70-Wallace, Cody) 5 yards to the FS35.
A 1-15 F35 3-
Goodson, Mike rush for 2 yards to the
FS33 (32-Brown,
Quaadir).
A 2-13 F33
PENALTY FS offside defense (94-Monga, Jon) 5 yards to the FS28.
A 2-8 F28 7-McGee, Stephen pass complete to 13-Bennett, Martel for 4 yards to the
FS24 (32-Brown,
Quaadir;31-Riley, Marcus).
A 3-4 F24 Timeout Texas A&M, clock 03:13.
This is where the tape picks up again. A 3-4 F24 7-McGee, Stephen rush for 3 yards to the
FS21 (31-Riley, Marcus).
QB draw. Wallace doesn't get a good block and McGee is forced to far to the left
for Elder to help. If Wallace holds up, Elder is a good position downfield and this
play probably goes a lot bigger. A 4-1 F21
PENALTY TAMU delay of game 5 yards to the FS26.
I think this is intentional with McGee trying to pull the defense offsides. I don't
like the call though as it sets up a tougher field goal for Szymanski. A 4-6 F26 7S-
Szymanski, Matt field goal attempt from 43 MISSED - wide right, spot
at
FS26, clock 02:21.
Szymanski just doesn't hook this one enough.--------------- 6 plays, 15 yards, TOP 05:56 ---------------
F 1-10 F26 1-Miller,
Lonyae rush for no gain to the
FS26 (95-Smith,
Henry;92-Harrington, C.).
Henry Smith (+1) holds up nicely in the middle and makes the initial contact.
Harrington cleans it up.F 2-10 F26 7-
Brandstater, T pass complete to 85-
Pascoe, Bear for 5 yards to the
FS31
(46-
Featherston, M.).
Relatively short pass. Featherstone (-2) is late in coverage and then misses the
tackle. Pascoe drags Dixon for awhile before help comes. Sloppy play by the Ags.
Review saves the day as his knee was down when he caught the ball.F 3-5 F31 21-Mathews, Ryan rush for loss of 3 yards to the
FS28 (49-
Obiozor,
Cyril;91-Heard, Kellen).
FSU goes for a bit of misdirection. Kellen Heard (+1) dominates the guard and blows
the whole thing up. Anthony Lewis (+1) fills nicely. Really the whole line played
this perfectly.F 4-8 F28 35-Zimmerman, Kyle punt 40 yards to the
TAMU32, 27-Peterson,
Jord. return 14
yards to the
TAMU46 (11-
Clutts, Tyler),
PENALTY FS illegal formation 5
yards to the FS49, 1st and 10,
TAMU ball on
FS49.
Peterson looks credible here as a punt returner for the first time this season.
Nice play by him.--------------- 3 plays, 2 yards, TOP 00:00 ---------------
A 1-10 F49 TEXAS A&M drive start at 00:22.
A 1-10 F49 11-Lane,
Jorvorsk. rush for 2 yards to the
FS47 (54-Jacobs, Ben;41-Ike,
Ikenna).
Same play as the earlier TD (Keondra Smith is even in at RB. I hope this isn't a
tell). This time FSU stays home. The A&M line doesn't get nearly as much push and
the linebackers fill. ====END OF 1st QUARTER=====
FRESNO STATE 0, TEXAS A&M 7
===========================
Play-by-Play Summary (2nd quarter)
A 2-8 F47 Start of 2
nd quarter, clock 15:00.
A 2-8 F47 11-Lane,
Jorvorsk. rush for 3 yards to the
FS44 (54-Jacobs, Ben).
Lane runs outside to the right. This is well blocked, but Lane has no speed
advantage over the LB and he is caught as the LB flows down the line. There just
aren't enough maroon shirts to block the white shirts. Alexander is hurt on this
play as Lane falls across his legs. A 3-5 F44 7-McGee, Stephen pass incomplete to 6-Brown, Pierre (41-Ike,
Ikenna),
PENALTY FS personal foul (32-Brown, Quaadir) 15 yards to the FS29, 1ST
DOWN TAMU, NO PLAY.
McGee gets hit as he throws and the ball ends up behind Pierre Brown on the crossing
route, otherwise it's a first down. This is initially well blocked but Elder gets
overpowered and needs help from Lane, leaving Lane's man free to cut inside the
double team and get to McGee. Wallace also gets beat pretty badly and his man
contributes pressure. The penalty call is good, although I think the blow to the
head is accidental as he is trying to block the pass. (This is much like an
accidental high stick in hockey, the stick infraction is still penalized, even
though the intent is not there simply because the player is responsible for
controlling the stick.) A 1-10 F29 7-McGee, Stephen rush for no gain to the
FS29 (3-Harris,
Moses;11-
Clutts, Tyler).
McGee keeps the ball and tries to go outside. FSU has great contain and bottles this
up immediately. Roger Holland misses a block on the contain man. A 2-10 F29 7-McGee, Stephen pass complete to 20-Corey, Michael for 5 yards to the
FS24 (4-Owens, Damion).
This is safe play without much upside. The protection rolls right with McGee and he
finds Corey waiting in front of the coverage in the flats. A 3-5 F24 7-McGee, Stephen pass incomplete to 81-Thomas, Joey (3-Harris, Moses).
McGee throws a bullet right into the stomach of Thomas. The coverage was tight,
perhaps too tight. The fans in the stands sure thought it should have been PI, but
FSN doesn't show a good replay. A 4-5 F24 7S-
Szymanski, Matt field goal attempt from 41 BLOCKED, recovered by
FS TM-TEAM at
FS24 spot at
FS24, clock 12:33 (blocked by 69-Jackson, Andrew),
TM-TEAM for no gain to the
FS24.
I think it's Bear Pascoe that blocks this one (I'm really starting to dislike him).
Tough to say who is at fault here. The kick looks ok, Kirk Elder probably gets
pushed back too far though, so I'll blame it on the blocking.--------------- 6 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00 ---------------
F 1-10 F24 2-Smith, Clifton rush for 6 yards to the
FS30 (18-Brown,
Arkeith;37-
Tupe,
Misi).
This looks like a zone running play. Paul Freeney (-1) sees the play going right and
goes with it, allowing the RB to cut back into a wide open field. Pugh is well
blocked downfield and everybody has to play catchup.F 2-4 F30 2-Smith, Clifton rush for 6 yards to the
FS36 (18-Brown,
Arkeith;25-Pugh,
Jordan),
PENALTY FS holding (62-Popovich, Cole) 10 yards to the FS20,
NO PLAY.
Good call on the holding. Lucas Patterson (+1) gets great penetration and has to be
tackled by the guard.F 2-14 F20 7-
Brandstater, T pass complete to 5-Moore, Marlon for 14 yards to the
FS34,
1ST DOWN FS (50-Dodge, Mark),
PENALTY TAMU personal foul
(1B-Bennett, Mich.) 15 yards to the FS49, 1ST DOWN FS.
A&M brings only two on the initial blitz so Brandstater has all day. Eventually
Bennett decides to come as well, only he gets there late and takes the penalty.
This is a dumb penalty and A&M takes way to many of those. As for the pass itself,
the receiver seems to find a soft spot between Dodge and the sideline and in front of
Jordan Pugh (coverage -1).F 1-10 F49 22-Harding, A rush for 4 yards to the TAMU47 (25-Pugh, Jordan;85-Bryant,
Red).
RB draw. Obiozor rushes too far up field and Patterson gets tackled. Henry Smith
looks good in pursuit.F 2-6 A47 7-Brandstater, T pass intercepted by 18-Brown, Arkeith at the TAMU27,
18-Brown, Arkeith return to the TAMU27,
PENALTY TAMU holding (25-Pugh,
Jordan) 10 yards to the TAMU37, 1ST DOWN FS, NO PLAY.
A&M brings five on the rush but they all get picked up. Brown has the interception,
but the flag is thrown on Pugh. FSN never shows a replay, but based on where Pugh
and the receiver are, the call looks plausible.F 1-10 A37 1st and 10.
F 1-10 A37 22-Harding, A rush for 2 yards to the TAMU35 (85-Bryant, Red;50-Dodge,
Mark).
RB draw. A&M stunts Bryant (+1) around Smith and he is unblocked, forcing the RB to
cut up into his own blocker who has been forced back by Harrington (+1). Bryant and
Dodge then combine on the tackle.F 2-8 A35 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 2-Smith, Clifton for 4 yards to the
TAMU31, out-of-bounds (1C-Carpenter, Mar.;92-Harrington, C.).
This is set up like a swinging gate. Brandstater throws the screen to Clifton Smith
but both Harrington (+1) and Carpenter (+1) beat their blockers to force Smith out of
bounds.F 3-4 A31 7-Brandstater, T pass incomplete to 13-Crawley, Jason (1C-Carpenter, Mar.).
Brandstater has to dodge Amos Gbunblee (+1) and then throws out to the sideline.
Nice play by Carpenter (+1) to break up the pass.F 4-4 A31 39-Stitser, Clint field goal attempt from 48 MISSED - wide left, spot at
TAMU31, clock 09:51.
He just misses this.--------------- 7 plays, 45 yards, TOP 00:00 ---------------
A 1-10 A31 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 9 yards to the TAMU40 (41-Ike, Ikenna).
This is well blocked by the line and Lane breaks a tackle for the extra yardage.
Nice play. A 2-1 A40 Timeout Texas A&M, clock 09:15.
McGee is livid about having to take this timeout although I'm not really sure why. A 2-1 A40 7-McGee, Stephen pass incomplete to 13-Bennett, Martel.
The game tape skips ahead again here. It resumes after the half. A 3-1 A40 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 7 yards to the TAMU47,
1ST DOWN TAMU (28-Jefferson, A.J.;2D-Jenkins, Damon).
A 1-10 A47 7-McGee, Stephen pass complete to 1E-Shankle, E.J. for 3 yards to the 50
yardline (31-Riley, Marcus).
A 2-7 A50 3-Goodson, Mike rush for 3 yards to the FS47 (11-Clutts, Tyler;32-Brown,
Quaadir).
A 3-4 F47 7-McGee, Stephen pass complete to 13-Bennett, Martel for 12 yards to the
FS35,
1ST DOWN TAMU (3-Harris, Moses;20-Bell, Lorne).
A 1-10 F35 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 8 yards to the FS27 (31-Riley,
Marcus;7D-Roberts, Jason).
A 2-2 F27 3-Goodson, Mike rush for no gain to the FS27 (54-Jacobs, Ben;20-Bell,
Lorne).
A 3-2 F27 7-McGee, Stephen pass complete to 44-LaMantia, Nick for 1 yard to the
FS26 (19-Haynes, Marvin).
A 4-1 F26 7S-Szymanski, Matt field goal attempt from 43 GOOD, clock 04:31.
============================
FRESNO STATE 0, TEXAS A&M 10
============================
--------------- 10 plays, 43 yards, TOP 00:00 ---------------
7S-Szymanski, Matt kickoff 57 yards to the FS13, 18-Wylie, Devon return
24 yards to the FS37, out-of-bounds (30-Bryson, Chevar).
F 1-10 F37 FRESNO STATE drive start at 04:31.
F 1-10 F37 2-Smith, Clifton rush to the FS40, fumble forced by 92-Harrington, C.,
fumble by 2-Smith, Clifton recovered by TAMU 27-Peterson, Jord. at FS37.
--------------- 1 plays, 0 yards, TOP 00:14 ---------------
A 1-10 F37 TEXAS A&M drive start at 04:17.
A 1-10 F37 7-McGee, Stephen rush for 18 yards to the FS19,
1ST DOWN TAMU (32-Brown, Quaadir;19-Haynes, Marvin).
A 1-10 F19 7-McGee, Stephen rush for 3 yards to the FS16 (54-Jacobs, Ben;92-Borg,
Kenny).
A 2-7 F16 7-McGee, Stephen rush for 4 yards to the FS12 (41-Ike, Ikenna;20-Bell,
Lorne).
A 3-3 F12 7-McGee, Stephen pass complete to 3-Goodson, Mike for 12 yards to the
FS0,
1ST DOWN TAMU, TOUCHDOWN, clock 02:14.
7S-Szymanski, Matt kick attempt good.
============================
FRESNO STATE 0, TEXAS A&M 17
============================
--------------- 4 plays, 37 yards, TOP 02:03 ---------------
7S-Szymanski, Matt kickoff 70 yards to the FS0, 18-Wylie, Devon return
15 yards to the FS15 (44-LaMantia, Nick;1E-Shankle, E.J.),
PENALTY FS
illegal block 7 yards to the FS8, 1st and 10, FS ball on FS8.
F 1-10 F08 FRESNO STATE drive start at 02:14.
F 1-10 F08 2-Smith, Clifton rush for 2 yards to the FS10 (92-Harrington, C.;37-Tupe,
Misi).
F 2-8 F10 2-Smith, Clifton rush to the FS7, fumble by 2-Smith, Clifton recovered by FS
2-Smith, Clifton at FS7, 2-Smith, Clifton for 4 yards to the FS11 (50-Dodge,
Mark).
F 3-7 F11 7-Brandstater, T sacked for loss of 11 yards to the FS0 (85-Bryant, Red),
PENALTY FS intentional grounding (7-Brandstater, T) 0 yards to the
FS0, 85-Bryant, Red safety, clock 01:03.
============================
FRESNO STATE 0, TEXAS A&M 19
============================
--------------- 3 plays, minus 8 yards, TOP 01:11 ---------------
39-Stitser, Clint kickoff 67 yards to the TAMU13, 6-Brown, Pierre return 22
yards to the TAMU35 (4-Owens, Damion;23-Jorde, Jake),
PENALTY TAMU
holding (71-Babalola, Yemi) 10 yards to the TAMU25, 1st and 10, TAMU
ball on TAMU25.
A 1-10 A25 TEXAS A&M drive start at 01:03, 7-McGee, Stephen pass complete to
3-Goodson, Mike for 1 yard to the TAMU26 (11-Clutts, Tyler).
A 2-9 A26 7-McGee, Stephen pass incomplete to 1E-Shankle, E.J..
A 3-9 A26 7-McGee, Stephen pass incomplete to 2-Taylor, Earvin.
A 4-9 A26
PENALTY TAMU delay of game 5 yards to the TAMU21.
A 4-14 A21 16-Brantly, Justin punt 39 yards to the FS40, 2-Smith, Clifton return -1
yards to the FS39 (50-Dodge, Mark;2-Taylor, Earvin).
--------------- 3 plays, minus 4 yards, TOP 00:38 ---------------
F 1-10 F39 FRESNO STATE drive start at 00:25.
F 1-10 F39 7-Brandstater, T pass incomplete to 8-Davis, Sharrod.
F 2-10 F39 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 2-Smith, Clifton for 31 yards to the
TAMU30,
1ST DOWN FS (26-Gregg, Devin;50-Dodge, Mark).
F 1-10 A30 Timeout Fresno State, clock 00:08.
F 1-10 A30 7-Brandstater, T pass incomplete to 13-Crawley, Jason.
F 2-10 A30 39-Stitser, Clint field goal attempt from 47 MISSED - wide left, spot at
TAMU30, clock 00:00.
--------------- 4 plays, 31 yards, TOP 00:25 ---------------
A 1-10 A30 End of half, clock 00:00.
=====END OF 2nd QUARTER=====
FRESNO STATE 0, TEXAS A&M 19
============================
Play-by-Play Summary (3rd quarter)
A 1-10 A30 Start of 3rd quarter, clock 15:00, FS ball on FS30, 39-Stitser, Clint
kickoff 70 yards to the TAMU0, 6-Brown, Pierre return 15 yards to the TAMU15
(30-Bates, Nick).
Nobody picks up the first guy. Not good at all. A 1-10 A15 TEXAS A&M drive start at 15:00.
A 1-10 A15 3-Goodson, Mike rush for 3 yards to the TAMU18, out-of-bounds
(28-Jefferson, A.J.).
Wallace is late getting to the LB who is free to flow to Goodson, forcing him to
bubble his run out a bit. LaMantia engages but can't keep the block. A&M is really
missing Alexander on this play. A 2-7 A18 7-McGee, Stephen pass complete to 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. for 8 yards to the
TAMU26,
1ST DOWN TAMU, out-of-bounds (31-Riley, Marcus;28-Jefferson,
A.J.).
McGee has all day. I think that this is a check down to Lane in the flats. The
throw is a little low but catchable and Lane rumbles down the sideline for the first
down. From a different angle, McGee is staring down Goodson, who is lined up as a WR.
Looks like Lane was the second option here. A 1-10 A26 3-Goodson, Mike rush for 9 yards to the TAMU35 (11-Clutts,
Tyler;31-Riley, Marcus).
Goodson picks his way up the middle. This is well blocked and Goodson gets caught in
traffic behind the offensive line 5 yards downfield. The tackler actually comes from
behind. Nice play. A 2-1 A35 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush to the TAMU33, fumble by 11-Lane, Jorvorsk.
recovered by TAMU 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. at TAMU33, 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. for 2
yards to the TAMU35.
This play is well designed and well blocked, Lane just doesn't catch the ball on the
option pitch. A 3-1 A35 7-McGee, Stephen rush for 4 yards to the TAMU39,
1ST DOWN TAMU (41-Ike, Ikenna;32-Brown, Quaadir).
Awesome QB sneak. McGee gets behind the line and they just blow Fresno State back.
Very impressive play. A 1-10 A39 7-McGee, Stephen sacked for loss of 8 yards to the TAMU31 (32-Brown,
Quaadir), fumble by 7-McGee, Stephen recovered by FS 4C-Chisom, Todd at
TAMU32.
And I take back all the nice things I just said about the line play. FSU brings 6
rushers. Lane does a good job of picking up the first guy through the middle. McGee
is looking left and never sees the LB who comes around the DT. I think this goes on
Yoder as he and Wallace double-team the DT and then he disengages to try and pick up
the LB. He is late though, and all he can do is wave at the blitzing LB like a matador,
leaving himself on the ground as McGee gets crushed.--------------- 6 plays, 17 yards, TOP 01:41 ---------------
F 1-10 A32 FRESNO STATE drive start at 13:19.
F 1-10 A32 21-Mathews, Ryan rush for 14 yards to the TAMU18,
1ST DOWN FS (26-Gregg, Devin;25-Pugh, Jordan).
Bryant (-1) gets double-teamed and absolutely blown off the LOS, leaving a big hole.
Dodge (-1) fills to the wrong side of Bryant and its off to the races.F 1-10 A18 21-Mathews, Ryan rush for loss of 2 yards to the TAMU20 (95-Smith,
Henry;18-Brown, Arkeith).
Henry Smith (+1) and Cyril Obiozor (+1) own the guard and the tackle, respectively,
and this play is over before it starts. Brown is there to help clean up.F 2-12 A20 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 13-Crawley, Jason for 4 yards to the
TAMU16 (25-Pugh, Jordan;49-Obiozor, Cyril).
A&M brings Arkeith Brown on a blitz and pays for it with the opening in the flat.
Pugh holds on tight and Obiozor gets there quickly in support. This is a good play
considering the blitz. I like it.F 3-8 A16 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 85-Pascoe, Bear for 16 yards to the TAMU0,
1ST DOWN FS, TOUCHDOWN, clock 11:37.
39-Stitser, Clint kick attempt good.
A little bit of a weird scheme by A&M here. They line Obiozor up like he is going to
blitz and then drop him into coverage on the snap. Tupe is right there as well, but
he blitzes. Bear Pascoe (I'm really starting to dislike him and, as I recall, it only
gets worse) runs right by Obiozor (-1) who never really has a chance here. Pugh
meets him at the goal line with obvious results given the huge size difference. ============================
FRESNO STATE 7, TEXAS A&M 19
============================
--------------- 4 plays, 32 yards, TOP 01:42 ---------------
39-Stitser, Clint kickoff 65 yards to the TAMU5, 6-Brown, Pierre return 32
yards to the TAMU37 (4-Owens, Damion;23-Jorde, Jake).
I love Pierre Brown as a kick returner. A&M sports a huge advantage in the KO/KR game. A 1-10 A37 TEXAS A&M drive start at 11:37.
A 1-10 A37 3-Goodson, Mike rush for 6 yards to the TAMU43 (31-Riley, Marcus).
Goodson around the outside. If Keondra Smith can hold the block on the OLB, this is
going for significantly more. A 2-4 A43 3-Goodson, Mike rush for 1 yard to the TAMU44 (4C-Chisom, Todd;96-Ramos,
Wilson).
Goodson is already dodging guys in the backfield after Clark whiffs on his block.
This messes up the intended hole and it's all down hill from there. Good job by
Goodson not to lose yards. A 3-3 A44 3-Goodson, Mike rush for 2 yards to the TAMU46, out-of-bounds
(19-Haynes, Marvin).
FSN comes back from the injury commercial and chooses to show some goofy fan and his
wife so the beginning of the play is cut off. All I can say is that it's an option.
The DE forces McGee to pitch early and the safety does an unbelievable job of flying
up to the line and hitting Goodson before he crosses the LOS. This makes me think
that perhaps the option pass is open to exploitation. A 4-1 A46 16-Brantly, Justin punt 27 yards to the FS27, downed.
--------------- 3 plays, 9 yards, TOP 01:29 ---------------
F 1-10 F27 FRESNO STATE drive start at 10:08.
F 1-10 F27 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 2-Smith, Clifton to the FS30, fumble
forced by 37-Tupe, Misi, fumble by 2-Smith, Clifton recovered by TAMU
77-Patterson, L. at FS30.
Screen Pass here. I think that Tupe (+2) was actually blitzing, but he is stopped at
the line and immediately reads the pass. Tupe chases the play down and forces the
fumble as Dodge is already making the tackle. Lucas Patterson (+1) almost bats the
pass down in the backfield, sticks with the play and is rewarded when a loose ball
materializes right in front of him.--------------- 1 plays, 3 yards, TOP 00:08 ---------------
A 1-10 F30 TEXAS A&M drive start at 10:00.
A 1-10 F30 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 9 yards to the FS21 (32-Brown,
Quaadir;8-Davis, Sharrod).
This is well blocked by the entire line. Yoder is the pulling guard. He and
LaMantia hit the hole about the same time and bury the DL that is waiting. Lane is a
good 6 or 7 yards downfield before he is touched. Good execution here. A 2-1 F21 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 4 yards to the FS17,
1ST DOWN TAMUThis is just a standard JORVORSKIE SMASH on a short yardage. Lane finds a crease
between Elder and Babalola and is in the process of making a LB look silly when both
of the safeties arrive to ensure that this play won't show up on the season highlight
reel. (And I really mean that, without the timely help, Lane might have killed that
poor LB.) (54-Jacobs, Ben;96-Ramos, Wilson).
A 1-10 F17 3-Goodson, Mike rush for loss of 1 yard to the FS18 (96-Ramos, Wilson).
Based on the way LaMantia and Corey are blocking this play, I think that it's
supposed to be bounced outside all the way. A LB blitzes outside-in and forces
Goodson to stay in the middle of the line longer than he would like. The eventual
tackler is initially double-teamed by Babalola and Elder but he eventually squirts
through. The two lineman continue downfield though, so I think that perhaps Goodson
was supposed to be out of harms way by this point. This one gets chalked up to a
timely blitz in the right place by FSU. A 2-11 F18 3-Goodson, Mike rush for 3 yards to the FS15 (31-Riley,
Marcus;54-Jacobs, Ben).
Goodson reads a hole inside of Babalola but the LB overpowers a Pierre Brown block
and fills. A 3-8 F15 Timeout Texas A&M, clock 07:29.
McGee continues to look ornery every time he calls a timeout. The film jumps ahead
again here. Arrgh. A 3-8 F15 7-McGee, Stephen pass incomplete to 13-Bennett, Martel.
A 4-8 F15 7S-Szymanski, Matt field goal attempt from 32 GOOD, clock 07:19.
============================
FRESNO STATE 7, TEXAS A&M 22
============================
--------------- 6 plays, 15 yards, TOP 02:41 ---------------
7S-Szymanski, Matt kickoff 70 yards to the FS0, touchback.
F 1-10 F20 FRESNO STATE drive start at 07:19.
F 1-10 F20 Timeout Fresno State, clock 07:18.
F 1-10 F20 21-Mathews, Ryan rush for 7 yards to the FS27 (37-Tupe, Misi;1C-Carpenter,
Mar.).
F 2-3 F27 21-Mathews, Ryan rush for 5 yards to the FS32,
1ST DOWN FS (37-Tupe,
Misi;9-Dixon, Alton).
F 1-10 F32 21-Mathews, Ryan rush for 5 yards to the FS37 (50-Dodge, Mark;9-Dixon,
Alton).
F 2-5 F37 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 5-Moore, Marlon for 5 yards to the FS42,
1ST DOWN FS (27-Peterson, Jord.).
F 1-10 F42 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 6-Ajirotutu, Seyi for 33 yards to the
TAMU25,
1ST DOWN FS.
F 1-10 A25 21-Mathews, Ryan rush for 5 yards to the TAMU20 (29-Hodge, Stephen;91-Heard,
Kellen).
F 2-5 A20 21-Mathews, Ryan rush for 8 yards to the TAMU12,
1ST DOWN FS (50-Dodge, Mark;25-Pugh, Jordan).
F 1-10 A12 22-Harding, A rush for 2 yards to the TAMU10 (1B-Bennett, Mich.;50-Dodge,
Mark).
F 2-8 A10 21-Mathews, Ryan rush for 10 yards to the TAMU0,
1ST DOWN FS,
TOUCHDOWN, clock 03:06.
39-Stitser, Clint kick attempt good.
=============================
FRESNO STATE 14, TEXAS A&M 22
=============================
--------------- 9 plays, 80 yards, TOP 04:13 ---------------
39-Stitser, Clint kickoff 65 yards to the TAMU5, 6-Brown, Pierre return 18
yards to the TAMU23 (44-Padilla, Frank;10-Lang, Tim).
A 1-10 A23 TEXAS A&M drive start at 03:06.
A 1-10 A23 3-Goodson, Mike rush for no gain to the TAMU23 (31-Riley,
Marcus;54-Jacobs, Ben).
A 2-10 A23 7-McGee, Stephen rush for 5 yards to the TAMU28 (31-Riley, Marcus),
PENALTY TAMU holding (64-Elder, Kirk) 10 yards to the TAMU13, NO
PLAY.
A 2-20 A13 3-Goodson, Mike rush for 5 yards to the TAMU18 (4-Owens,
Damion;47-Machado, Ryan).
A 3-15 A18 7-McGee, Stephen pass incomplete to 3-Goodson, Mike.
A 4-15 A18 16-Brantly, Justin punt 46 yards to the FS36, 2-Smith, Clifton return 8
yards to the FS44 (50-Dodge, Mark).
--------------- 3 plays, minus 5 yards, TOP 02:13 ---------------
F 1-10 F44 FRESNO STATE drive start at 00:53.
F 1-10 F44 21-Mathews, Ryan rush for 16 yards to the TAMU40,
1ST DOWN FS (26-Gregg, Devin;18-Brown, Arkeith).
F 1-10 A40 21-Mathews, Ryan rush for 7 yards to the TAMU33 (9-Dixon, Alton),
PENALTY
FS holding off-setting,
PENALTY TAMU face mask off-setting, NO
PLAY.
=====END OF 3rd QUARTER======
FRESNO STATE 14, TEXAS A&M 22
=============================
Play-by-Play Summary (4th quarter)
Tape resumes here..
F 1-10 A40 Start of 4th quarter, clock 15:00.
F 1-10 A40 22-Harding, A rush for 5 yards to the TAMU35 (91-Heard, Kellen;85-Bryant,
Red).
A&M's defense is looking tired here. Nobody gets a lot of push, but Bryant sticks
with it and flows down the line to make the tackle. On the replay, Heard actually
makes first contact after shedding his blocker. Nice play by him.F 2-5 A35 21-Mathews, Ryan rush for 1 yard to the TAMU34 (91-Heard, Kellen).
This time Heard (+1) stands up the center and then tries to eat the RB as he comes
through the holeF 3-4 A34 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 5-Moore, Marlon for 25 yards to the TAMU9,
1ST DOWN FS (26-Gregg, Devin;4-Gorrer, Danny).
Quick pass to the inside receiver. Dixon (-2) moves about 3 feet from the snap of
the ball until the WR catches the ball as he runs past him. Gregg is the last
defender and almost whiffs on the tackle. Thank goodness for long shoelaces and tall
grass.F 1-G A09 22-Harding, A rush for 2 yards to the TAMU7 (37-Tupe, Misi;77-Patterson,
L.).
Thanks to Patterson holding up against a lineman, there isn't a ton of room here.
Tupe fills the gap nicely.F 2-G A07 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 13-Crawley, Jason for 5 yards to the TAMU2
(37-Tupe, Misi).
Play-action pass. Harrington is dropped in the zone coverage and the WR finds a hole
between him, Dodge and Tupe (coverage -1). Brandstater does a good job of standing
in against some pressure. Tupe lays a big hit on the WR after the catch but it's
too little, too late.F 3-G A02 22-Harding, A rush for 2 yards to the TAMU0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 11:53.
7-Brandstater, T pass attempt to 6-Ajirotutu, Seyi good.
I think this one is on the coaches. The ball in on the 2 and A&M has 6 and half guys
in the box. Bennett (-1) gets single-teamed out of the play and FSU has more than
enough blockers to slip one through to each Dodge and Tupe. There just isn't anybody
left to make the tackle. As for the two point conversion, A&M actually defends it
pretty well. Brandstater somehow fits the ball in a tiny window. =============================
FRESNO STATE 22, TEXAS A&M 22
=============================
--------------- 7 plays, 56 yards, TOP 04:00 ---------------
39-Stitser, Clint kickoff 70 yards to the TAMU0, 6-Brown, Pierre return 24
yards to the TAMU24 (38-McCree, Sonny;47-Machado, Ryan).
A 1-10 A24 TEXAS A&M drive start at 11:53.
A 1-10 A24 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 1 yard to the TAMU25 (11-Clutts,
Tyler;54-Jacobs, Ben).
This looks like more zone blocking. Lane cuts it up one gap early, right into guy
who's blocked. If he goes around this block, I think he gets five yards or so. A 2-9 A25 7-McGee, Stephen pass complete to 8-Franks, Kerry for 9 yards to the
TAMU34,
1ST DOWN TAMU (31-Riley, Marcus;3-Harris, Moses).
One of McGee's better throws this season. He has all day and finds Franks waiting
in a hole in the zone. It worries me that there isn't a progression here. McGee
stares Franks down the entire play. A 1-10 A34 7-McGee, Stephen pass incomplete to 81-Thomas, Joey.
Option pass. Babalola misses his block entirely (although it was a tough assignment
as the rusher was lined up outside of Joey Thomas. I'd rather see Thomas chip that
guy). Bennett is wide-open five yards down the field, but Thomas looks pretty open
as well (he has position on the safety). McGee gets hit from the backside as he
throws this and that leads to the inaccuracy. A 2-10 A34 7-McGee, Stephen pass complete to 13-Bennett, Martel for 2 yards to the
TAMU36 (3-Harris, Moses).
Smith motions out to make this a five-wide set. FSU only rushes four so McGee has
all day. Everybody looks covered, although it's tough to tell on TV. McGee doesn't
make a very good throw as Bennett has to fall back towards him to make the catch. A 3-8 A36 7-McGee, Stephen pass incomplete to 13-Bennett, Martel.
McGee has some time, the DT comes on a delayed stunt though. McGee looks around
but nobody seems open. Finally he lofts one over Bennett on the wheel route as he
gets hit. A 4-8 A36 16-Brantly, Justin punt 46 yards to the FS18, 2-Smith, Clifton return 16
yards to the FS34 (86-Gbunblee, Amos).
Corey is the first man down the field and he overruns this. Peterson and Taylor
both get blocked and Anthony Lewis whiffs on a bad arm tackle. Poor punt coverage.--------------- 5 plays, 12 yards, TOP 02:24 ---------------
F 1-10 F34 FRESNO STATE drive start at 09:29.
F 1-10 F34 1st and 10.
F 1-10 F34 22-Harding, A rush for 6 yards to the FS40 (50-Dodge, Mark;9-Dixon, Alton).
This play is not shown.F 2-4 F40 22-Harding, A rush for no gain to the FS40 (50-Dodge, Mark).
This should have been a 15 yard facemask penalty on Dodge. A&M gets very, very lucky.F 3-4 F40 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 5-Moore, Marlon for 8 yards to the FS48,
1ST DOWN FS (9-Dixon, Alton;37-Tupe, Misi).
Easy slant pass in front of the zone coverage. Why put the first line of defense
behind the first down line? Dixon closes quickly, but the damage is done.F 1-10 F48 22-Harding, A rush for no gain to the FS48 (1B-Bennett, Mich.).
Henry Smith (+1) does a nice job of taking on two blockers and not giving any ground.
Bennett (+1) sheds his blocker and makes the tackle.F 2-10 F48 22-Harding, A rush for 2 yards to the 50 yardline (1B-Bennett, Mich.).
Bennett gives a lot of ground before shedding his blocker and making the tackle.F 3-8 F50 7-Brandstater, T pass incomplete to 85-Pascoe, Bear (1B-Bennett, Mich.).
Bennett (+1) initially drops into coverage, then, when Brandstater starts to roll out,
he comes in and forces the throwaway. Hard to believe, but this is Brandstater's
first incompletion of the second half. (coverage +1)F 4-8 F50 35-Zimmerman, Kyle punt 38 yards to the TAMU12, fair catch by 27-Peterson,
Jord..
--------------- 6 plays, 16 yards, TOP 02:53 ---------------
A 1-10 A12 TEXAS A&M drive start at 06:36.
A 1-10 A12 7-McGee, Stephen rush for 23 yards to the TAMU35,
1ST DOWN TAMU (31-Riley, Marcus;4-Owens, Damion).
This is well blocked. Taylor has the initial block on the corner that springs it and
then Babalola, Bennett and Franks all get nice blocks downfield. A 1-10 A35 3-Goodson, Mike rush for 3 yards to the TAMU38, out-of-bounds (20-Bell,
Lorne).
Babalola can't hold the corner and McGee has to pitch this early. Taylor makes a
nice block, but nobody picks up the man that forces Goodson out of bounds. A 2-7 A38
PENALTY FS offside defense (4T-Tolbert, C) 5 yards to the TAMU43.
A 2-2 A43 7-McGee, Stephen rush for 4 yards to the TAMU47,
1ST DOWN TAMU (32-Brown, Quaadir;20-Bell, Lorne).
McGee elects to keep the ball and run around the end. If Taylor is able to find the
defender, this probably goes for a lot more. Still, A&M will gladly take the first
down. A 1-10 A47 7-McGee, Stephen rush for 6 yards to the FS47 (4-Owens, Damion).
Again McGee elects to keep the ball. The was the first play that caused me to
grimace as McGee flies through the air in pursuit of extra yards. A 2-4 F47 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 13 yards to the FS34,
1ST DOWN TAMU (7D-Roberts, Jason;31-Riley, Marcus).
Another dive to Jorvorskie with a huge hole. Bennett gets a nice block at the second
level and Lane rumbles through a tackle. A&M is rolling here. A 1-10 F34 3-Goodson, Mike rush for 9 yards to the FS25 (11-Clutts,
Tyler;19-Haynes, Marvin).
LaMantia gets a nice initial block but can't hold it. Goodson eventually gets
tackled by LaMantia's man. Still, a nice play. A 2-1 F25 7-McGee, Stephen rush for 8 yards to the FS17,
1ST DOWN TAMU (31-Riley, Marcus).
McGee keeps it again. Nice blocks by Thomas and Babalola to form the hole. A 1-10 F17 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 9 yards to the FS8 (28-Jefferson, A.J.).
Well blocked run for Lane. Jorvorskie actually eludes the first tackler and then
runs over a guy to get an extra couple of yards. He is a man of many talents. A 2-1 F08 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 3 yards to the FS5,
1ST DOWN TAMU (41-Ike, Ikenna;32-Brown, Quaadir).
There isn't a hole here but Lane just keeps driving his feet and eventually is able
to spin/fall forward for the first down. A 1-G F05 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 5 yards to the FS0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 01:52.
7S-Szymanski, Matt kick attempt good.
FSU is expecting the McGee/Goodson option here and gets Lane up the middle instead.
Good call. Clark owns a DL and opens a hole. Lane actually gets hit by about 3 guys
between the 2 and the 3 yard line. In slow motion it looks like a bowling ball
plowing into some pins, as the defenders fall backwards and lane sort of rolls into
the endzone. Tremendous. =============================
FRESNO STATE 22, TEXAS A&M 29
=============================
--------------- 10 plays, 88 yards, TOP 04:44 ---------------
7S-Szymanski, Matt kickoff 70 yards to the FS0, touchback.
F 1-10 F20 FRESNO STATE drive start at 01:52.
F 1-10 F20 7-Brandstater, T rush for 6 yards to the FS26 (9-Dixon, Alton;50-Dodge,
Mark).
Brandstater has a little bit of time, but he is eventually flushed by Harrington (+1).
Good job by A&M as the clock is running. (coverage +1).F 2-4 F26 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 85-Pascoe, Bear for 8 yards to the FS34,
1ST DOWN FS, out-of-bounds (4-Gorrer, Danny).
Tupe (-1) has the coverage here and he is nowhere close to Pascoe. Bad play by A&M
this late in the game. Gorrer might have been able to help but he was too busy
taunting the receiver that he had just pushed out of bounds. Pascoe almost runs him
over trying to stop the clock.F 1-10 F34 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 2-Smith, Clifton for 2 yards to the FS36
(92-Harrington, C.).
Brandstater throws a perfect pass over the shoulder of his RB in the flat.
Harrington (+1) is nearly perfect in coverage though and gets the immediate tackle.F 2-8 F36 7-Brandstater, T pass incomplete to 6-Ajirotutu, Seyi (9-Dixon, Alton).
Brandstater has all day to throw this and he puts it right on the numbers of his WR.
Good thing Dixon (+1) is there for a beautifully timed hit.F 3-8 F36 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 18-Wylie, Devon for 44 yards to the
TAMU20,
1ST DOWN FS, out-of-bounds (4-Gorrer, Danny).
This was A&M's biggest and most important defensive breakdown in the game.
Brandstater rolls and can't find anybody open. He decides to try and force the ball
to Wylie. Instead of playing it safe, Arkeith Brown (-2) goes for the deflection and
misses. He is then way out of position for the tackle and the WR is off and running.
Gorrer finally runs him down at the 20. This is huge mental mistake by Brown this
late in the game. If he instead allows the catch and make the tackle, FSU has to
burn a timeout or hurry up and run a play inside 30 seconds remaining.F 1-10 A20 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 85-Pascoe, Bear for 17 yards to the TAMU3,
1ST DOWN FS (50-Dodge, Mark;25-Pugh, Jordan).
Pascoe finds a hole in the zone between Dodge and Tupe (coverage -1). This soft
zone is killing A&M in the redzone.F 1-G A03 Timeout Fresno State, clock 00:25.
F 1-G A03 7-Brandstater, T pass incomplete to 5-Moore, Marlon.
Dixon comes on the blitz and rushes things. Gregg and Dodge have this well covered.
(coverage +1)F 2-G A03 7-Brandstater, T pass incomplete to 85-Pascoe, Bear.
Brandstater has plenty of time and then rolls out into Bryant's (+1) rush.
(coverage +1)F 3-G A03 7-Brandstater, T pass incomplete to 85-Pascoe, Bear.
Dixon (+1) comes unblocked and forces the quick throwaway. Nice time for that blitz.F 4-G A03 Timeout Fresno State, clock 00:10.
F 4-G A03 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 85-Pascoe, Bear for 3 yards to the TAMU0,
TOUCHDOWN, clock 00:05.
39-Stitser, Clint kick attempt good.
Harrington comes completely untouched. Brandstater is running for his life and just
flicks a little prayer to the back line. Somehow Pugh (-1) has completely forgotten
about Pascoe in the back of the endzone and Fresno State gets tremendously lucky in
tying this thing up. Arrgh. Plus, how can you forget about Pascoe? He's been
shredding A&M all game long. =============================
FRESNO STATE 29, TEXAS A&M 29
=============================
--------------- 10 plays, 80 yards, TOP 01:47 ---------------
39-Stitser, Clint kickoff 43 yards to the TAMU27, 6-Brown, Pierre return 9
yards to the TAMU36 (39-Stitser, Clint).
A 1-10 A36 TEXAS A&M drive start at 00:05.
A 1-10 A36 End of game, clock 00:00.
=====END OF 4th QUARTER======
FRESNO STATE 29, TEXAS A&M 29
=============================
For some reason, FSN decided to cut the entire first overtime out of the replay.
I swear that they gave a couple of kids with scissors total editorial control on
what they cut from the game. Arrgh.
Play-by-Play Summary (OT quarter)
A 1-10 A36 Start of OT quarter, clock 15:00, Change of possession, TAMU ball on
FS25, 1st and 10.
A 1-10 F25 TEXAS A&M drive start at 15:00.
A 1-10 F25 7-McGee, Stephen rush for 12 yards to the FS13,
1ST DOWN TAMU (7D-Roberts, Jason).
A 1-10 F13 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 1 yard to the FS12 (31-Riley,
Marcus;54-Jacobs, Ben).
A 2-9 F12 3-Goodson, Mike rush for 2 yards to the FS10 (28-Jefferson,
A.J.;3-Harris, Moses).
A 3-7 F10 Timeout Texas A&M, clock 15:00.
A 3-7 F10 7-McGee, Stephen pass incomplete to 6-Brown, Pierre.
A 4-7 F10 7S-Szymanski, Matt field goal attempt from 27 GOOD, clock 15:00.
=============================
FRESNO STATE 29, TEXAS A&M 32
=============================
A 1-G A30 Change of possession, FS ball on TAMU25, 1st and 10.
--------------- 5 plays, 15 yards, TOP 00:00 ---------------
F 1-10 A25 FRESNO STATE drive start at 15:00.
F 1-10 A25 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 5-Moore, Marlon to the TAMU1, fumble
forced by 1C-Carpenter, Mar., fumble by 5-Moore, Marlon recovered by TAMU
26-Gregg, Devin at TAMU0, touchback,
PENALTY TAMU personal foul
(95-Smith, Henry) 13 yards to the TAMU12, 1ST DOWN FS, NO PLAY.
F 1-10 A12 22-Harding, A rush for 1 yard to the TAMU11 (91-Heard, Kellen;25-Pugh,
Jordan).
F 2-9 A11 22-Harding, A rush for 1 yard to the TAMU10 (4-Gorrer, Danny;85-Bryant,
Red).
F 3-8 A10 7-Brandstater, T rush for 2 yards to the TAMU8 (1B-Bennett, Mich.).
F 4-6 A08 39-Stitser, Clint field goal attempt from 25 GOOD, clock 15:00.
=============================
FRESNO STATE 32, TEXAS A&M 32
=============================
F 1-G F30 Change of possession, FS ball on TAMU25, 1st and 10.
--------------- 4 plays, 17 yards, TOP 00:00 ---------------
F 1-10 A25 FRESNO STATE drive start at 15:00.
F 1-10 A25 22-Harding, A rush for loss of 3 yards to the TAMU28 (92-Harrington, C.).
This is just a quick pitch to the left out of a shotgun formation. Harrington (+2)
easily defeats Pascoe's block (perhaps the first mistake Pascoe makes in this game)
and runs the play down from behind. Great play.F 2-13 A28 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 85-Pascoe, Bear for 12 yards to the TAMU16
(25-Pugh, Jordan).
And Pascoe comes right back with another big play. Brandstater makes a nice throw
as Pugh (-1) isn't far behind Pascoe. Still, Pugh runs way up the play and allows
Pascoe to slip behind him. He needs to turn earlier to run with the receiver.F 3-1 A16 22-Harding, A rush for 4 yards to the TAMU12,
1ST DOWN FS (4-Gorrer,
Danny;1B-Bennett, Mich.).
I don't actually think that A&M does a bad job defending this play. It looks like
the RB is about to run into one of his lineman when a sliver of a hole opens and he
somehow squirts through. It's a tough time in the game for things like this to
happen, but I don't see how any single player could have done better here. Perhaps
A&M needs a 3 LB set for times like this?F 1-10 A12 22-Harding, A rush for 2 yards to the TAMU10 (1B-Bennett, Mich.;37-Tupe,
Misi).
Bennett (+1) doesn't do much against the blocker, but does shake off the block when
the RB approaches. A very large number of his tackles came this way.F 2-8 A10 22-Harding, A rush for 8 yards to the TAMU2,
1ST DOWN FS (9-Dixon,
Alton;25-Pugh, Jordan).
Bennett (-1) tries the same trick here, shaking his blocker as the RB arrives, but
this time the RB runs through his arm tackle. Inside of the 10 that tackle has to
be made. A&M is only playing with 6 men in the box and it costs them. Tupe is
blocked directly and can't impact the play. Dodge gets taken out by the FB and
pulling guard, both coming through the hole. Pugh (-1) comes up in run support but
doesn't see the RB hiding behind his blockers (and the RB is fairly low, still
stumbling from the Bennett contact. This is a very ugly play to give up this close
to the goal line.F 1-G A02 22-Harding, A rush for 1 yard to the TAMU1 (50-Dodge, Mark;91-Heard,
Kellen).
This is a much better play by the defense. Henry Smith (+1) takes on two blockers
and isn't moved. Heard (+1) doesn't allow any push by his blocker and mucks up the
play. Obiozor (+1) steams across the line and occupies two blockers and Tupe (+1)
fights off a Pascoe block and is the first man to the ball.F 2-G A01 22-Harding, A rush for no gain to the TAMU1 (46-Featherston, M.;95-Smith,
Henry).
I believe that this is the exact same play FSU just ran. Again the whole right side
of the line looks good, but it is Obiozor (+1) that creates the most havoc. Matt
Featherstone and Arkeith Brown both fill, but neither seems intent on finding and
wrapping up the ball carrier who spins down dangerously close to the goal line.F 3-G A01 22-Harding, A rush for 1 yard to the TAMU0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 15:00.
39-Stitser, Clint kick attempt good.
Apparently the third time is the charm for FSU. This time Obiozor (-1) can't hold
and a blocker gets through to Tupe to boot. Dixon comes on a run blitz and Gorrer
is the only guy with a shot at stopping this. Too bad that the pulling guard throws
an easy block. =============================
FRESNO STATE 39, TEXAS A&M 32
=============================
F 1-G F30 Change of possession, TAMU ball on FS25, 1st and 10.
--------------- 8 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00 ---------------
A 1-10 F25 TEXAS A&M drive start at 15:00.
A 1-10 F25 3-Goodson, Mike rush for 4 yards to the FS21, out-of-bounds (20-Bell,
Lorne).
McGee fakes the inside hand-off to Lane and runs the option with Goodson. It's
interesting how A&M blocks this. Babalola initially acts like he is blocking the
inside run and then turns and follows the play out. He is unable to catch up with
LB, who forces the pitch. Fresno again has a safety flying up on this play and he
ends up with force out. A 2-6 F21 3-Goodson, Mike rush for 1 yard to the FS20 (54-Jacobs, Ben).
Very similar play, but to the other side of the field this time. The LB reads the
play all the way and forces a very early pitch. Bennett doesn't get a very good
block on the OLB and he and the safety converge on Goodson quickly. More on this in
the commentary. A 3-5 F20 7-McGee, Stephen rush for 12 yards to the FS8,
1ST DOWN TAMU (28-Jefferson, A.J.;3-Harris, Moses).
This is an option to the left, out of the power-I, WR/FB in motion formation. Both
the LB and the safety fly to Goodson long before McGee is ready to pitch. Clark does
a nice job sealing the corner of the line and McGee has a huge seam to cut to (with
both contain men already far in the backfield). Bennett and Corey both have nice
downfield blocks and McGee has a first down before anybody touches him. A 1-G F08 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 2 yards to the FS6 (20-Bell,
Lorne;2D-Jenkins, Damon).
Same formation as the last play, this time with Lane as the deep back. He runs the
ball off tackle. Corey looks indecisive and doesn't block the first guy on the
outside. As a result, LaMantia can't block the LB and he whiffs on the outside guy
anyway. Lane never has a chance and makes a heck of a play to get the two yards he
does. A 2-G F06 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 4 yards to the FS2 (54-Jacobs,
Ben;11-Clutts, Tyler).
McGee splits out as a WR and the ball is snapped directly to Jorvorskie who runs up
the middle. Fresno would be caught unaware if A&M could get this play off quicker.
A big hole is open in the middle of the line but, with five wideouts, nobody is
around to block the second level defenders and spring this play for a TD. A 3-G F02 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 2 yards to the FS0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 15:00.
As the teams are lining up for this play, Fresno State has another injured player.
This is good for A&M as Lane had initially gone off for a breather. With the extra
time, he is back on the field. This is the same Lane-up-the-middle play that has
been so devastating all game long. Jorvorskie is able to just power his way to the
TD. A 1-G F03 Timeout Fresno State, clock 15:00.
7S-Szymanski, Matt kick attempt good.
=============================
FRESNO STATE 39, TEXAS A&M 39
=============================
A 1-G A30 Change of possession, TAMU ball on FS25, 1st and 10.
--------------- 6 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00 ---------------
A 1-10 F25 TEXAS A&M drive start at 15:00.
A 1-10 F25 3-Goodson, Mike rush for 2 yards to the FS23 (50-Banks,
Cornell;7D-Roberts, Jason).
Same power-I formation. Goodson starts left but LaMantia misses his block and
Goodson is forced to cut right. It looks for a moment that he might break it
outside, but all his cutting has left many of his blockers on the wrong side of
their defenders and the defenders are free to pursue. A 2-8 F23 3-Goodson, Mike rush for 1 yard to the FS22 (41-Ike, Ikenna).
This is the Lane TD play, only with Goodson in place of Lane. The line doesn't get
much push and there really isn't anywhere for Goodson to go. A 3-7 F22 7-McGee, Stephen rush for 8 yards to the FS14,
1ST DOWN TAMU (32-Brown, Quaadir;41-Ike, Ikenna).
McGee runs the option and again takes advantage of the two defenders flying to
Goodson. Bennett gets a nice kick-out block and McGee is able to sneak across the
first down line. A 1-10 F14 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 6 yards to the FS8 (41-Ike, Ikenna;50-Banks,
Cornell).
Lane again up the middle. The line is all over the place but Lane is able to pick
his way through. Lane fumbles but falls on it immediately. A 2-4 F08 Fumble by 11-Lane, Jorvorsk..
A 2-4 F08 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 3 yards to the FS5 (54-Jacobs,
Ben;7D-Roberts, Jason).
Similar play to the last one. The line push is very 'meh' and Lane barrels into the
middle for a couple of yards. A 3-1 F05 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 2 yards to the FS3,
1ST DOWN TAMU (41-Ike, Ikenna;4T-Tolbert, C).
Lane again up the middle, this time out of the split back formation (like his
previous TDs). The ball isn't really secure and he takes a pop a couple of yards
behind the LOS from a LB. Lane keeps his balance though and tiptoes around Cody
Wallace where he is met by another FSU defender a yard or so from the first down
marker. Jorvorskie puts his head down though, driving the FSU player backwards for
the extra two yards and the first down. This is an incredible effort play and
quintessential Lane. A 1-G F03 11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush for 3 yards to the FS0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 15:00.
For the fourth straight play, Lane takes the ball up the gut. The blocking is
pretty good here. Babalola and Elder double-team and crush one DT. The DE can't
close down quickly enough and Lane powers through his puny arm tackle for the TD. A 1-G F03 Timeout Texas A&M, clock 15:00.
11-Lane, Jorvorsk. rush attempt good.
A&M spreads it out and again runs Lane up the middle. The blocking is superb and
Lane is never touched. Fresno State is very, very tired at this point. =============================
FRESNO STATE 39, TEXAS A&M 47
=============================
A 1-G A30 Change of possession, FS ball on TAMU25, 1st and 10.
--------------- 7 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00 ---------------
F 1-10 A25 FRESNO STATE drive start at 15:00.
F 1-10 A25 7-Brandstater, T rush for 5 yards to the TAMU20 (4-Gorrer, Danny).
Brandstater has a bunch of time. Eventually Harrington (+1) comes all the way around
the pocket and chases him out (coverage +1).F 2-5 A20 22-Harding, A rush for 2 yards to the TAMU18 (37-Tupe, Misi;4-Gorrer,
Danny).
Henry Smith (-1) gets moved out of the way, but Tupe does a nice job filling this
hole.F 3-3 A18 22-Harding, A rush for 4 yards to the TAMU14,
1ST DOWN FS,
out-of-bounds (25-Pugh, Jordan).
Both Gorrer (-1) and Bennett (-1) surrender the corner here. Pugh is flowing to the
ball, but can't get there in time. Costly time to give up a key run.F 1-10 A14 22-Harding, A rush for 1 yard to the TAMU13 (77-Patterson, L.;50-Dodge,
Mark).
Patterson (+1) runs through TWO blocks to make this tackle. Very nice play.F 2-9 A13 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 13-Crawley, Jason for 4 yards to the TAMU9
(25-Pugh, Jordan;49-Obiozor, Cyril).
Dixon blitzes and that opens the quick pass in front of Pugh. Still, Pugh does a
good job of closing quickly.F 3-5 A09 7-Brandstater, T pass complete to 85-Pascoe, Bear for 9 yards to the TAMU0,
1ST DOWN FS, TOUCHDOWN, clock 15:00.
Brandstater rolls out. Somebody is coming hard, but I can't tell who, he almost
makes the sack and definitely pressures the throw (on replay it is clearly Misi Tupe).
Pascoe finds a soft spot in the coverage (coverage -1) between Cyril Obiozor and
Jordan Pugh and Brandstater delivers a mildly catchable throw (although Pascoe makes
a great catch).F 1-G A03 Timeout Fresno State, clock 15:00.
7-Brandstater, T pass attempt failed.
Brandstater has time here, there isn't a ton of pressure. Still, this throw feels
rushed. Coverage is good across the board (coverage +1) and Devin Gregg (+1) is
running step for step with the receiver. Great, timely defensive play. =============================
FRESNO STATE 45, TEXAS A&M 47
=============================
--------------- 6 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00 ---------------
=============================
FRESNO STATE 45, TEXAS A&M 47
=============================
If you are still reading, you deserve a medal. If you skipped down from the top, welcome to the analysis section. I'm going to start with some commentary on the offense and then move to the defense. The +/- for the defensive players is tabulated at the beginning of that section.
OFFENSEStephen McGeeMuch has been made on discussion boards this week about A&M's passing game and the role of McGee in it. Based on the film that I watched, I really believe that McGee was a competent thrower this past Saturday and the lack of production comes from a decision on behalf of the coaches to run the ball more. When McGee had time to throw, he usually delivered accurate passes. It is not his fault if the coaches don't call plays with deep routes more often. When they did, there was usually too much pressure to complete the pass. If I have any criticism of McGee, it's his lack of a progression. It was very rare to see him look at more than one receiver in a given pass play. This may not come this season, and that has me a little bit worried. McGee's running and leadership in this game were, as always, exceptional.
Mike GoodsonAnother source of hand-wringing this week is the lack of production from Goodson. This is silly. On tape, it is very apparent that every time A&M ran the option with Goodson, both a safety and a linebacker would fly to him. Fresno State made it a priority to take Goodson out of the game; Lane and McGee made them pay dearly. By the fourth quarter, Goodson was being used effectively as a decoy to set up big runs, usually by McGee, but occasionally by Lane as well. Also encouraging was Goodson's use in the pass game. I'm a big proponent of this and I think that Goodson will be more effective in the week's to come, following Lane's 4 TD explosion.
Jorvorskie LaneHands down the best player on the field this week. He gave a superior effort this week. Classic J-Train... in fact, this might be the game that most defines his time at A&M.
Martellus Bennett, Joey ThomasI would still like to see Bennett used more in the vertical passing game, but A&M didn't really need him to do that this week. Thomas just missed having a catch for a big gain, but McGee didn't have time to get him the ball. Both were superb blockers this week. I'm not a bit worried about either one.
The Wide ReceiversCorey and Taylor especially contributed as blockers this week. I only saw Roger Holland on one play this week and it's pretty clear that he isn't ready to contribute as a blocker just yet. Knowing this, I wonder why the coaches insist on using him this way. Franks had a nice catch or two, but both he and Pierre Brown were pretty quiet. If I was worried about one thing on the offense, it's that this group never seems to be open.
Chris Alexander, Nick LaMantiaI love LaMantia as a special teams player. He is an energy guy who gives his all on every play. Still, Alexander is a special talent at the FB position and LaMantia was a long way from replacing him after the injury. The offense is much more effective with Alexander in the game. A&M needs a healthy Alexander when they go to Miami.
The Offensive LineThese guys were up and down. The pass protection, especially on delayed blitzes and stunts needs work. The run blocking was generally very good, although there were a few breakdowns evident on key plays. One thing I was surprised by was how much switching the line did back and forth between the power and finesse styles. This unit is good, but Jorvorskie Lane makes them look even better in the power running game.
DEFENSEPlayer +/-/T
Harrington 7/0/7
Bennett 3/3/0
Obiozor 3/2/1
Gbunblee 1/0/1
Freeney 0/0/-1
H.Smith 4/1/3
Bryant 2/1/1
Patterson 3/0/3
Heard 3/0/3
Tupe 4/1/3
Dodge 0/1/-1
Featherstone 0/2/-2
Lewis 1/0/1
Gorrer 0/1/-1
A. Brown 0/2/-2
Carpenter 2/0/2
Pugh 1/3/-2
Dixon 2/3/-1
Gregg 1/0/1
coverage 7/5/2
The Defensive LineA&M has clearly defined a rotation here, and I think that this is the most improved unit on the defense. Harrington and Smith were both outstanding. Bryant quietly had a nice game and both Heard and Patterson have very bright futures. Opposite Harrington, Bennett is great against the pass and runs that come inside him. He is fair shakier at keeping contain on outside runs. Cyril Obiozor is effective as a down lineman, but seemed to struggle when asked to drop back in zone coverage. I'll admit it, this group has me excited.
The LinebackersI thought Misi Tupe played one heck of a game. He's quick and his instincts usually put him in the right place. The score on Mark Dodge is misleading. I only saw him make one mistake all game. On the other hand, he didn't make any flashy plays. He is rock solid. Anthony Lewis looked good in limited minutes. Matt Featherstone is going to be good but isn't quite there yet.
The Defensive BacksAnother guy with a surprising score is Alton Dixon. He was asked to blitz a lot. I thought he played above his score. Overall, the defensive backs haven't looked great these last two weeks, but I really believe that it's scheme related. The big plays don't help. If Arkeith Brown makes a tackle on the big pass of the last play of regulation, there are a lot less worried A&M fans in the world. Carpenter was very, very impressive. I hope he plays more next week. With all the spotty film I didn't see much of Jordan Peterson. Devin Gregg was his usual solid self. This defense puts Jordan Pugh in a lot of tough positions. He makes the best of it in run support, but I wonder if he isn't a better fit somewhere else with a bulkier player at WHIP.
If you've made it this far, well that's it. Gig 'Em.
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