Just a couple of things I saw from this weekend's game, and the adjustments I expect to see from Grayson going forward.
First of all, great game. If there was ever an as close to perfection moment, that kid had it. But here are a couple noticeable events from the game:
1st drive: On 3rd and goal, he missed Malcolm on the drag route. Instead, stared down his target, Blazevich, on a pass he wisely threw out the back of the end zone, as he was triple covered. Malcolm was wide open. This turned out to be his only incompletion of the day.
I can literally see the wheels turning in Coach Schott's head. They actually ran some option reads and not a single time did USCe honor Grayson as a threat to keep. What I don't think people understand is Grayson's athleticism. He's big, but he's not a stiff. I wouldn't be surprised to see him keep a couple of times and gash the Southern defense on a couple of runs this week. Not as a true running threat to Bama, but as a means to give them something else to think about.
Progression ladder. First read or bust. This is the one I feel is least likely to change any time soon. I think Schott has wisely conveyed to Grayson, that if his first read isn't there, either tuck it or throw it away. You didn't see any check down passes and only a few scrambles from Grayson, as his first options were there all day. Softest USCe defense I've seen in a long time.
Ball placement. On a particular third down play, instead of leading Chigbu with the pass, he threw it on his back shoulder, which stopped Chigbu's momentum and prevented him from getting the first.
Other than that, this kid was amazing. Congrats to the young man on breaking the FCS record for consecutive completions and more importantly the victory. Those were small things I noticed, but I don't wanna take away from the good things he did. He really played well.
First of all, great game. If there was ever an as close to perfection moment, that kid had it. But here are a couple noticeable events from the game:
1st drive: On 3rd and goal, he missed Malcolm on the drag route. Instead, stared down his target, Blazevich, on a pass he wisely threw out the back of the end zone, as he was triple covered. Malcolm was wide open. This turned out to be his only incompletion of the day.
I can literally see the wheels turning in Coach Schott's head. They actually ran some option reads and not a single time did USCe honor Grayson as a threat to keep. What I don't think people understand is Grayson's athleticism. He's big, but he's not a stiff. I wouldn't be surprised to see him keep a couple of times and gash the Southern defense on a couple of runs this week. Not as a true running threat to Bama, but as a means to give them something else to think about.
Progression ladder. First read or bust. This is the one I feel is least likely to change any time soon. I think Schott has wisely conveyed to Grayson, that if his first read isn't there, either tuck it or throw it away. You didn't see any check down passes and only a few scrambles from Grayson, as his first options were there all day. Softest USCe defense I've seen in a long time.
Ball placement. On a particular third down play, instead of leading Chigbu with the pass, he threw it on his back shoulder, which stopped Chigbu's momentum and prevented him from getting the first.
Other than that, this kid was amazing. Congrats to the young man on breaking the FCS record for consecutive completions and more importantly the victory. Those were small things I noticed, but I don't wanna take away from the good things he did. He really played well.
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