The Anatomy Of A Play: Cobb’s 29-Yard Dash
The play begins with quarterback Kevin Glenn in the shotgun formation. As he hands the ball to RB DeAndra’ Cobb on a draw play, you can see that the Lions are bringing extra pressure with a blitz call. The draw works perfectly in this situation because the pressure is brought to the edge and the draw brings the ball up the middle.
With the middle linebacker vacating the middle of the field on a blitz, Hamilton’s offensive line creates a hole for Cobb that you could drive a truck through.
Cobb uses his quick burst to get up field quickly and out of the grasp of defenders in pursuit. He has nothing but open space in front of him and at the very least, a 10-15 yard gain on the play.
As Cobb accelerates through the hole, B.C. safety Tad Crawford is the only one left in front of him. However you can see that Crawford is waiting for him in the hole, not moving his feet. He’s also hesitant, waiting for Cobb to bring the contact to him instead of stepping up in the hole and delivering the blow.
Cobb’s momentum is too much for a flat-footed Crawford and he makes a quick outside cut to gain some extra yards. Crawford eventually brings him down but not until Cobb gains an extra 10 yards, making this play a 29-yard gain.
Hamilton’s commitment to the run was obvious from the very beginning of this game and coach Bellefeuille said as much in his post-game scrum. The success that Cobb found in this game was instrumental in the team’s victory, demoralizing the defence and keeping B.C.’s offence off the field. Cobb averaged 6.5 yards per carry and allowed Kevin Glenn to find success in the play action game. Now that the running game is beginning to fall into place, expect to see a more balanced attack from the Ticats and even more opportunities for big plays in the passing game as defences bring players into the box to stop the run.
