09-24-2018, 08:56 AM
(09-23-2018, 09:38 PM)fullmetal Wrote: I still maintain that the 1-on-1 blocking situations need to be won. Herbig, Little, and Burkett need to be winning their battles like the studs they are. The OL needs to get back to the point where they're blowing defenders off the ball. Instead, it's rather the opposite. That's my main problem. I feel like they used to win those battles.+1
Whatever the approach, we need to win the one-on-one battles. For pass blocking, stalemate on the LOS is a win. For run blocking, it is a loss. We need the OL to move people, zone blocking, man blocking, or whatever the approach. Burkett improved a lot in this area from 2016 to 2017. This year, injury may have at least temporarily set him back a bit here. Against Oregon, he had some problems. Little is still hurt, and I have no idea how much that is an issue. Herbig is a real big guy, but AFAIK, he hasn't been a "road grader" at guard. I remember him (infamously?) getting screamed at against Rice. However, our OL just isn't moving people back quickly and reliably. We have come to expect that at least much of the time, we will win that battle.