The "balance" fallacy.

TTJ

If you just looked at the 2017 season stats, you might assume UW had a pretty "balanced" offense:

• Avg attempts/gm: 26.8 passes, 36.4 runs.
  
• Avg yards/gm: 222.2 yds passing, 183.2 yds rushing.
  

Of course, anybody with a middle school education who actually watched the games knows that's a load of horseshit. UW's running game feasted on some weak opponents. But at the first sign of resistance (think SC '16, Bammer '16, PedoSt '17), UW panicked, gave up on the run, and over-relied on Browning's noodle arm.

This shit simply has to change. Looking "balanced" against a Cal or an Arizona merely means your running game isn't actually very good. To be truly "balanced" (~50/50) against the top defenses, your running game needs to be so dominant that it utterly steamrolls (~80/20) everybody else. This requires an identity of stubborn, relentless commitment to the ground game, even when it's not working initially. Your linemen have to believe they can grind it out. And they have to trust the coaches not to abandon ship after a couple early three-and-outs.

It can be achieved, and this offseason is the time. UW certainly has the offensive personnel to play a B1G style (including the obligatory shitty QB). Doogs only remember the trick plays and Kellen Moore, but most of Petersen's BSU teams were actually run-first savages. With UW's recent change at OC, spring is the perfect time to roll out a new, run-first tenacity. It just has to happen, for this team to ever win CFBPO or NY6 type games.

PostGameOrangeSlices

The boys are workin tuffer than ever

Pitchfork51

It's all downhill after Smith.

BaldwinIV

I still hate Johnathan Smith so, so much. Fuck him. Surreal he's gone.

H_D

PostGameOrangeSlices said:

The boys are workin tuffer than ever

Ts&Ps to @Dardanus

JaWarrenJaHooker

Passing every down is cooler tho brah

AIRWOLF

"To be truly "balanced" (~50/50) against the top defenses, your running game needs to be so dominant that it utterly steamrolls (~80/20) everybody else. This requires an identity of stubborn, relentless commitment to the ground game, even when it's not working initially."

Not trying to argue effectiveness of various offensive approaches here, but what you are describing above isn't "balanced".

GreenRiverGatorz

Our play selection and "balance" is really not the problem. If you think you can go up against teams like Bama and just run the ball down their throat, you're going to get the annual result that LSU gets against them. Our problem always comes in the games against teams that don't have shit quality Pac-12 talent on their defense. We don't currently have a quarterback we can fall back on to make the kind of plays that you need to beat a team that has a defense littered with first rounders who came out of the womb at 6-5 320. Until we have a guy who can actually take over a game against those kinds of teams, you can expect more of the same.

RaceBannon

Georgia rushed 45 times for 133 yards against Bama. 3 yards per carry but if you can get that many attempts you keep Bama on the sideline and your defense fresh

Would have worked if Saban had kept Hurts in there

Bama went 39 for 184. 4.7 a carry

Both threw it 32 times

Get an O line or go home

ToddTurnerLIVES

I'm still a little scared that the inner-QB in Bush Hamdan is going to want to chuck the ball around a little too much the same way Jonny Boy did. Hopefully a year of watching Sark flounder and fuck things up will reinforce the need to keep it simple and just run the fucking ball.

Dardanus

H_D said:

PostGameOrangeSlices said:

The boys are workin tuffer than ever

Ts&Ps to @Dardanus

He will be missed.