If you came away with anything from my preview, it’s that ODU’s defense couldn’t cover (especially long-developing patterns), and that the box defenders loved getting upfield, for better and for worse. Tech’s plan on offense was designed to pick on both of those points.

Coach Cornelsen opened the drive with a Split Zone, but did so with a twist. Keshawn King (RB, #35) aligned at an even depth with Ryan Willis (QB, #5). On run plays, this means the RB is usually doing a sweep action because the mechanics of the hand-off make running inside difficult. This was a trick by Tech, though. At the snap, King made a rock step back to get depth for an inside split-zone run. The mike linebacker was disciplined though and made a good tackle.

Cornelsen called a Counter Toss-Read for the next play, the only option play for Willis on the drive:

The counter blocking isn’t classic counter blocking (like Counter Trey) because no one kicks the end—the option takes care of him. So when Dalton Keene (TE, #29) and Lecitus Smith (LG, #54) pull, both lead through the hole. The aggressive DE gave Willis a clear give read and the toss picked up nine yards. If the end had squeezed, Keene might’ve influenced around him and gotten up the field looking for a corner or safety.

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