First half observations: Playbook expands as Chippewas embrace RPO style
Jim McElwain watched his Central Michigan football team as it plays in the Mid-American Conference title game on Dec. 7 at Ford Field in Detroit.
On a third down, Central Michigan turned to their usual third down suspect, senior backup quarterback Tommy Lazzaro.
To this point, the "Lazzaro package" has consisted of handoffs, keepers, and just six passes all season from the backup quarterback.
That changed in the second quarter of the Mid-American Conference championship game. Lazzaro took the snap, faked a handoff and ran to his left. There was one defender to account for the tandem of Lazzaro and junior tight end Tony Poljan. Despite Lazzaro posing such a statistically low threat from a passing perspective, the defender stayed with Poljan.
Lazzaro took advantage and ran into the end zone for the Chippewas' first score.
The Chippewas lead 14-10 at halftime of the MAC championship game.
Here are three observations from the first half:
Game plan full of RPOs
Under the direction of first-year coach Jim McElwain, the Chippewas transitioned to a full spread attack. However, the coaching staff seemed reluctant to get too far within the run-pass option, or RPO, wave that has become so popular within the game, especially at the college level.
The only RPO action the coaching staff had shown was within a small package of plays for Lazzaro. However, the playbook seems to have expanded.
In the first half, Lazzaro saw double his usual action and made the most of it, rushing for an early score to put the Chippewas on the board. Even starting quarterback senior Quinten Dormady executed RPO's, keeping the ball on two separate occasions.
Offensive coordinator Charlie Frye has decided to open up the playbook, showing looks that the RedHawks may have not shown in games prior.
Pre-snap motion
With the RedHawks, much has been made known about the strength of their defensive line. A blitz heavy squad, Miami prides itself on causing turnovers by putting pressure on the quarterback.
To counter the blitzes, Dormady and the offense have shown a lot of pre-snap action, sending receivers and running backs in motion while also utilizing multiple different snap counts to catch the defenders blitzing. In doing this, Dormady and company were able to identify who was blitzing and help his linemen adjust accordingly.
Defensive resiliency
Central Michigan's defense allowed just two first downs in the first half. Despite this apparent success, the unit still allowed 10 points and trailed for much of the half.
Chippewa errors on special teams have led to all 10 of Miami's points. A 98-yard return on the opening kickoff by Miami's Maurice Thomas led to a 1-yard score by running back Jaylon Bester, and a failed fake punt led to the field goal.
If not for the unforced errors, the Chippewa defense could very well have a shutout after allowing just 59 yards of total offense in the first half.
