Anatomy of a Play: Pure Progression Passing Concept

Today we're looking at a pure progression full-field passing concept that Robert Anae called on 2nd and 10 during State's opening drive. This play ends in a sack, which is apropos for this game, but there is a lot going on here that's interesting.

I chose this play because I liked the design of it. It provides answers to man coverage and zone and the routes play off each other really well. I also thought McCall read this play well, getting all the way to the fourth read before the pocket collapsed on him. There were a lot of plays in this game that were very bad but almost good, and this was certainly one of them. It's a nice design, but everyone has to execute.

Here is the full play.

Background

It's 2nd and 10 at the plus 39. State is in 11 personnel (1 back, 1 tight end). The tight end is attached on the boundary side and the back is in side-car alignment. Tennessee is in a one-high safety look and it's showing a five-man pressure. The Vols will bring five and eventually play cover 3 with three underneath players. For clarity's sake, let's first cover a bit of terminology. When you have only three under, the outer two underneath defenders are referred to as curl/flat players and the middle is referred to as a hook player. Those terms just denote what area of the zone those players are responsible for. The underneath players are labeled below.

Here is the play schematic. It is a pure progression for McCall, meaning he is reading from number one to number five here. Each route's purpose is explained below with the corresponding number in the list.

1 - Go route (alert)  - Noah Rogers

This route falls out of the progression based on the coverage. It’s a situational downfield shot that McCall can take if the picture is right. I would refer to it as a cover 1 alert, which means it’s not a look for the quarterback unless you get cover 1. This isn't necessarily a hard-and-fast rule, but generally against a 2-man, the safety can impact it and against cover 0, you’re probably checking to a different play. That doesn’t mean you would never throw this route against man coverage with a different shell. It probably depends on the matchup. But you’re definitely not throwing this against the cover 3 Tennessee plays here

2 - Stick Route - Justin Joly

The stick is an option route that’s basically a hitch-out combo. Joly is supposed to sit down in a hole in the zone coverage if it's zone, and he’s supposed to widen toward the sideline and stay on the move if it’s man coverage. This and the go route above are the primary man coverage answers and they combine for a concept sometimes called Ohio.

3- Dig Route - Kevin Concepcion

Concepcion is running a dig route here at about 12 yards. This route is supposed to work with the stick to put the hook player in conflict. If the hook player widens to Joly, it creates space in the middle of the field to hit this. If he doesn’t, Joly should be open. 

4. Curl Route - Keenan Jackson

Keenan Jackson is running a curl here at about 15 yards. The bailing cornerback opens this up, and if the curl/flat defender who is walling KC works with him on the dig, it should open the window for this throw. Jackson needs to have good mechanics on this route and not tip off the DB that it's a curl. The corner driving on this throw is the one thing that could blow it up if McCall gets all the way here. He needs to push that corner up the field and be quick in his break down.

5. Check and release - Kendrick Raphael

Raphael checks for blitzers and then becomes the check down option in the flat. If the flat defender falls back toward the curl route, this can become a nice little catch and run. If the flat defender climbs toward Raphael, there is a throwing window to Jackson.  There isn't a pure flat defender in this play because Tennessee only has three underneath. If it just rushed four, a true flat defender would come into play here.

Let’s go through the progressions with McCall. 

1- Go Route (alert) 

The pre-snap picture puts this in play. Tennessee is in a one-high look and has press coverage on number one. When the corner bails to the deep third, it’s cover 3, and that moves McCall away from this route.

Boundary corner bailing out moves McCall off of cover 1 alert and to second option

2 - Stick Route

McCall gets to the stick quickly. Joly stumbles on the route, which doesn’t help, but the hook player for Tennessee attaches to Joly, essentially creating a bracket and a very tight throwing window. McCall comes off this, most likely because he sees the hook player working toward it. 

Curl/flat player is on this to the boundary side and the hook player works toward it from the middle of the field.

3 - Dig Route

There is a ton of space now in the middle of the field with hole player attaching to Joly. Concepcion’s dig over the middle has a chance here. When this bends behind the curl/flat player, McCall has eyes to it, but KC falls down. The curl/flat here starts to work inside and run with this before KC falls, which would push McCall to number four if said defender closes this window. 

Hook player working toward Joly opens throwing lane for KC's dig.

4 - Curl

This is open and where the ball should go. Even as KC fell, the curl/flat player drifted with him, creating a throwing window here. McCall actually did a good job in the pocket here. He’s getting the fourth read on the play, although he never quite gets there because he's forced out of the pocket right as he should be coming off the dig route. This is more advanced offense than what State was able to run last season, and McCall reads it well. Unfortunately, the pocket collapses and McCall cannot get this ball off. If the pass protection had held up for about a second more, this could have been a first down.

Curl/flat player coming with KC on the dig route leaves no underneath coverage near Jackson's curl route.

5 - Check and Release

Raphael is wide open in the flat and can probably get five or six yards with this, but there was no reason for McCall to get to him until it was too late.

Not really a reason for McCall to get to this with Jackson open. Tennessee wants this throw, but they do one better and get a sack.

It's a play where McCall did a lot right, but the pass protection didn't hold up and two different receivers lost their footing. There were other plays where those guys did good but McCall was off. It's a team game. Everybody has to execute. Here it is one more time.