Film Room Favorites: KU vs. Nevada
If you said “burn the tape” following Saturday night’s Kansas Jayhawks win over the Nevada Wolf Pack, you weren’t alone. It was an ugly performance for KU, one fraught with self-inflicted wounds and more than a fair share of bad luck (to the tune of not recovering any of Nevada’s five fumbles), but a win is a win regardless.
And, thankfully, the tape wasn’t burned, thus we have an opportunity to dive into some of the best designs, concepts and individual efforts from the victory. Even after a sloppy first half and a sputtering defensive performance, the offense came up with a bevy of its own big plays throughout the second half to give the Jayhawks their historic win.
Our full selection of plays in this week’s film room comes from the second half of Saturday’s game, in fact, from the unbelievable to the perfectly executed.
THE CATALYST
After a slow start to this season, Mason Fairchild had a much-needed big night against Nevada, racking up 74 yards over five receptions, leading the Jayhawks in both categories. The most impressive play of his night came in the third quarter when Kansas desperately needed a spark
Simply put, this is spectacular work from offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. He drew up a play so unique with a matchup so tantalizing it may not have sunk in immediately during the broadcast what was going on.
In the clip above, we've highlighted two players, Fairchild and Dominick Puni. At the bottom of the screen, you’ll notice Puni, KU’s starting left tackle, lined up in the slot as the No. 2 receiver in the trips formation. On the left end of the line, where Puni would normally be, we find Fairchild. This is an extreme example of an unbalanced line, and while it eliminates a pass-catching option to the right, it opens up a devastating mismatch along the left hash. The deep safety follows the two receivers nearest to the boundary, leaving linebacker Tongiaki Mateialona (36) one on one with a tight end going vertical. Advantage: Jayhawks.
Nevada only sends three in the pass rush, so the remaining four-man protection still has the numbers advantage in front of Jalon Daniels. He has more than enough time to fire a perfect strike to his tight end, and Kansas would punch it in shortly thereafter. This play is undeniably unorthodox, but it woke up a sleepwalking KU offense at just the right time.
NEAL'S STAR CONTINUES TO RISE
If you haven’t already bought as much Devin Neal stock as possible, you’re missing out. His production is off to a torrid start this season, and on the following play he showed every nearly every skill that Kansas (and NFL teams) could ask for out of him.
Kotelnicki and the Jayhawks put a creative spin on the dagger concept to break off this explosive play. The single receivers on both the left and right run vertical routes, carrying defenders downfield. The inline tight end to the right, Fairchild, delays his release while Neal sneaks through the line to the weak side of the play and takes off on the wheel. There's no one near him as he catches the ball, and the second-level defenders have been neutralized by the pre-snap orbit motion by Quentin Skinner and short rollout by Daniels.
From there, just watch the individual effort by Neal. He adjusts and secures the catch, then waits patiently for Fairchild to set him a block. It's all his own excellence from there, showing off his improved agility by splitting two defenders with a subtle juke, then hits the jets to set up first and goal from the one-yard line. He’s always been a strong north-south runner, but improving on his lateral mobility has been a massive boon for his game.
This play had absolutely everything. Pre-snap motion, stellar design, sound blocking and a future NFL running back proving why he’ll be a Sunday mainstay.
CLOCK KILLERS
The next two clips feature runs for Neal, with two angles for each play. Both occurred on KU's final full drive of the game, which ended without points but burned up several minutes of clock.
In the first clip, we'll also see CBS Sports Network analyst Aaron Taylor's telestrations for a play he said could be used as teaching tape.
On a third down with about four minutes left, this was a must-have for KU. There isn't a lot of mystery regarding where this ball was heading, considering the Jayhawks ran twin tight ends to the left side of the line (that said, the late shift put Kansas in a more advantageous position). The widest linebacker has no chance to catch up to Neal and the tight ends do their job on the edge, so this all comes down to the double-team blocking from Puni and Michael Ford Jr. (54).
That duo seals off the defensive tackle, followed by Puni climbing to the second level and clearing the inside linebacker. Neal runs through the gaping hole his blockers created for him, sticks his foot in the ground and cuts back to gain a couple extra yards, extending the drive.
One play later, Neal took advantage of another boulevard-like running lane after taking a handoff from a different alignment.
More late shifting gives Nevada a taste of its own medicine after the Wolf Pack had done that (with great success) with their defensive line all night. With Neal taking the sweep handoff after motioning in from the slot, the tailback (who's actually a wide receiver, Isaiah Coppage) gets out in front as a lead blocker.
Once again, the blocking is pristine at every level. It's just a numbers game and KU has a hat for every Nevada hat. Fairchild seals off the defensive end, right tackle Bryce Cabeldue helps on the interior lineman before sealing off the pursuing linebacker and Coppage takes care of the crashing safety. Neal navigates through the trash for 16 yards, showing off more of that slipperiness along the way.
Kansas had to salt away as much of the clock as it could on this possession, making these runs vital to securing the win. Combining textbook execution with a superstar running back made it all possible.
SKINNER SHOWS OFF
Simply put, Skinner’s athletic sideline grab on KU’s final touchdown drive was utterly crucial and totally sick to watch.
Daniels had all day to throw with the offensive line eating up the three-man rush. He throws a dime on the move here and deserves props for that, but the effort by Skinner to haul this in is special.
It's a fundamentally sound play, first of all, working back toward the quarterback with everyone else covered. He times his jump and full extension perfectly, flashing late hands and high-pointing the ball. Secure the catch, tap the toes and the Jayhawks are in business in Wolf Pack territory.
There was a lot to be frustrated with in this game, notably including the penalties, stalled offensive production in the first half and the defense allowing too many explosive plays. However, this week’s choice cuts also illustrate why KU can hang with anyone on its schedule. Even without their “A” game (maybe even their “B” game), the Jayhawks have so many weapons and so many creative wrinkles that there are few puzzles and conflicts they don’t have an answer for.
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