Chalk Talk: Understanding the National Championship in one play

On Monday, I talked about how offensive line play would determine the outcome of the National Championship Game. It was a showdown of the nation's top two defenses, certainly; but victory would go to the team whose offensive line made a dent in the opposing defense.

Down 15-0 in the desperate half of the fourth quarter, LSU started throwing haymakers. Facing a long fourth down, it was do-or-die time for the Tigers' offensive line, and they apparently decided to die.

Video used in making these images is courtesy of ESPN.

Jordan Jefferson just threw hot off an extra blitzer on the previous play and missed his receiver, so now the Tigers are calling a more conservative protection. They have six players to block six potential rushers. First, let's talk about the left side.

Because the running back has been placed on the left side, that will be the "man" side, meaning that the left guard and left tackle are manned up on the first and second pass rushers, respectively. The running back's job is to take the circled backer if he blitzes, or help the guard and tackle with their protection if the backer doesn't blitz. Sometimes the play will be called so the running back releases in a checkdown route if there is no extra blitzer.

On the right side, LSU also has three blockers for three potential rushers: the defensive tackle, the defensive end (who is actually a linebacker in a 3-point stance) and the defender with a diamond on him. The diamond player looks like he will be covering the slot receiver, so he's not a high-priority rusher on the right side. The center, right guard and right tackle will all slide right to accommodate any twists or blitzes meant to confuse them, and each blocker will take the gap to his immediate right. Whoever shows as a rusher in that player's gap is his responsibility.

Here's the very first step of the protection. Jefferson hasn't even started his drop in earnest, and most of the defenders have already begun to show where they're going. The left tackle is kicking wide to accommodate the d-end's hard outside rush. The running back is stepping up for the b-gap blitzer. The left guard is short-setting his d-tackle so as not to give up an inside rush lane. Dont'a Hightower has taken his first step hard and outside, so the right tackle is bailing outside hard with his first kick step. The potential right-side blitzer looks like he'll be sitting in coverage, so the o-linemen aren't really worried about him.

The trouble here is the defensive tackle on the right side. He hasn't really shown one gap or the other, so the guard isn't quite sure whether he should pass the rusher off to the center and go help his right tackle. The d-lineman is also Alabama's backup noseguard; for the last few plays he's been spinning and trying all sorts of crazy stuff since he just got put in the National Championship Game. The center and guard absolutely hate him because they've been playing hard the entire game only to receive a fresh rusher who is going nuts trying to get to Jefferson. Just a couple plays ago, the center pancaked the youngster and wouldn't let him up; that's when things usually start getting chippy.

The right guard's thirst for blood really hurts the Tigers here. He's so eager to beat up on this young defensive tackle that he doesn't maintain his gap protection as well as he should.

Here we are a mere split-second later. The left guard an tackle are still doing a great job staying on their blocks. The running back is preparing to take on his blitzing backer. However, all is not well on the right side. The right guard has committed fully to the defensive tackle, and Hightower finds the resulting hole in protection quite appetizing.

Everyone on the left side is still doing their job, but the right side is in DEFCON-1. The right tackle over-set his feet because he knew he had help to the inside, and he had to respect Hightower's outside rush speed. Now he's realizing his only help will come from the center, and the help won't make it in time. Jefferson has the bubble open, but it's well-covered and won't get enough yards for the first. He's looking for something deep to come open, but there isn't nearly enough time.

And, it's gone. LSU's best chance of scoring the entire game, that is. 

I can't stress how often this type of mistake happens, especially on a big stage. Offensive linemen love contact, because it's the only thing that makes playing offensive line any fun. With such a long period of time before the game, players start getting antsy; when their chance finally arrives, they can forget their assignments because they just want to hit someone. Say what you want about Nick Saban's dictatorial coaching style, but he showed up with the more disciplined team Monday night.