Adrian Killins (in blue, image via Ormond Beach Observer)
For Michigan fans, maybe the most disheartening play of the 51-14 win over Central Florida was freshman running back Adrian Killins breaking off an 87-yard touchdown run against a defense that’s deemed one of the best in the country. Here’s how it happened:
One of the many great moments from Saturday’s 63-3 pounding of Hawaii was the 43-yard touchdown run by Chris Evans. It came on a staple Jim Harbaugh play, but rarely has it worked so effectively as it did against the Rainbow Warriors with Evans running the ball. You asked in the off-season for more analysis of plays or schemes, so I’ll try to indulgeHere’s a frame-by-frame breakdown:
As WMU quarterback Alex Carder hits the first step of a three-step drop, he sees that Michigan is running the exact same coverage that he probably saw in his pre-snap read – Man Free. Each of the cornerbacks is locked up on a wideout, strong safety Jordan Kovacs and nickel corner Thomas Gordon each have a tight end, and free safety Carvin Johnson patrols the middle of the field; Herron is tasked with picking up the running back out of the backfield, and middle linebacker Kenny Demens is coming up to blitz. With the left tight end releasing and the right tight end staying in to block, WMU’s offensive line correctly slides its protection to the left; therefore, each offensive lineman is responsible for the gap immediately to his left. In theory this should work, unless the defense sends multiple defenders to one gap. They don’t.
As Carder hits his third step, his options are limited. Cornerback Courtney Avery has blanketed the receiver to the bottom of the screen while the releasing tight end is running straight into the juggernaut known as Jordan Kovacs. At the top of the screen, cornerback J.T. Floyd awaits the backside receiver. Nickel corner Thomas Gordon waits at the line of scrimmage for the running back to release, which the RB never does; instead he steps up to block the 250 lb. Demens. The LT successfully single blocks DE Ryan Van Bergen, the LG and C struggle to hold off NT Mike Martin, and the remaining TE single blocks DE Craig Roh.
The problem is that everybody forgot about Jake Ryan, who rushed at the snap. The RG blocked him initially, but when Ryan stepped back to the RG’s other side, the RG correctly left him to RT Dann O’Neill. O’Neill has nobody else to block and stands still so everyone can admire his long blonde hair. Carder just hit his back foot and might want to release the ball soon, since a 230 lb. man is two yards away and approaching fast.
As Carder releases the ball, Ryan does his best impression of Dikembe Mutombo and swats the pass, which looks to be intended as a back shoulder throw to CB Avery’s wideout. The pass is probably a bad idea no matter what, since nobody’s open except FS Johnson and LB Herron. In retrospect, Carder’s thinking he should have eaten it and taken the sack. At the time, Carder was probably thinking, “Maybe if I throw it, the bad man won’t hit me anymore.” He was wrong.
Herron intercepts the deflected ball at the 5-yard line while Carder lies on his back.
Herron, who was planning to step out of bounds and enjoy raucous cheers and pats on the butt from the cheerleaders, hears a screeching voice coming from the vicinity of my couch yelling “Stay inbounds!” Spurred on by the urgency of my screams, he eludes the WMU left tackle and runs as fast as he can.
O’Neill, who at this point feels monumentally guilty for leaving Michigan and for growing hair like Kyle Turley’s, pretends to trip over Kenny Demens’ foot so he won’t have to run anymore. Meanwhile, Herron’s convoy includes the 300 lb. Mike Martin and the 290 lb. Ryan Van Bergen, neither of whom are needed but both of whom make the effort anyway; the 230 lb. Ryan, who batted the pass to Herron and the quarterback to the ground, also runs interference downfield. (Watch this full speed and take a gander at Van Bergen, who puts his head down and sprints his ass off despite knowing that he’s a brontosaurus chasing . . . some other type of faster -saurus.)
Herron, a 221 lb. linebacker, crosses the goal line five yards ahead of 195 lb. free safety Carvin Johnson. Momentum has shifted. The band plays a song. The people rejoice. Somewhere, a child is born. Probably.
Herron caught the ball at 7:09 and crossed the goal line at 6:58, meaning he took roughly 11 seconds to travel 95 yards wearing football pads and dodging offensive linemen. Remember all those practice reports saying that Herron was a physical freak but lacking in football instincts? This confirms the former, but the latter might be in question now. Combine this play with his 29-yard fumble return for a touchdown later in the game, and Herron had 8 tackles, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery, 123 yards of returns, and 2 touchdowns. Not bad for a guy who was a late addition to the starting lineup after beginning the week as the #2 weakside linebacker. I wonder if Herron will start next week . . .
Go Blue!
(The above play begins at 1:53 of the video below.)