Bumped. GO BRUINS. - N

I apologize for the long delay in putting up this post, but you just don't have to time to put in a couple of games on the video game console when six weeks of summer classes all come crashing down in three days of finals and papers...but I was able to get around to putting in another game against BYU, which just reinforced my gameplan for them.

First, some details on both team's ratings in game:

UCLA:
Overall- 81
Offense- 83
Defense- 82

BYU:
Overall- 79
Offense- 88
Defense- 73

I've gone over how I feel about UCLA's team ratings in the past, so let's focus on our opponent. The offense rating is pretty high, and that's supplemented by the fact that Max Hall and Harvey Unga are near the top of player ratings for the team. This is a seasoned offense, designed to operate out of the shotgun, and can be explosive on the aerial front just like in real-life. The defense, on the other hand, and it's low rating reflects the lack of returning starters.

Again, a lot of what I say here (and what I will be in other gameplans) will echo a lot of the sentiments heard on TV and radio and read on newspapers, websites, and blogs. Running a virtual offense and defense, IMO, is not that different to actual game planning for a real football game; this is why the stuff I'll be pointing out will be pretty obvious to all of us.  I also left out some obvious stuff, such as which Craft we will see on Saturday...because honestly, I make Craft look Brady-esque with how I run my offense. =)

1) Exploit BYU's 3-4 defensive scheme.

The 3-4, IMO, needs three things: familiarity, a strong nose tackle, and linebackers. Quality linebackers. The players should be familiar how their defense operates (obviously) but again, a majority of this group didn't start last year and this will be their third game in for them. The front seven can be exploited, because the starting NT in game did not command the attention of two offensive linemen that goes along with the 3-4, while the LBs were not as quick in rushing or stopping the run as, for example, Cal's LB operating in the 3-4. I think we can run up the middle and run outside better compared to Tennessee.

2) Keep our TEs in the game plan.

PA Rollout led Moya on the TD grab in the flats. Unnecessary ball protection, though.- via videocdn.easw.easports.com

I always do it when I run my video game offense, and we did on Monday night. With Paulsen out, Moya will be the go-to guy. He's more of a receiver, with better speed and hands in-game compared to Paulsen. Play action rollouts (again, another thing I like doing that was utilized during the actual game against Tennessee) can open up the passing game, especially for our TEs. Plus everyone loves athletic TEs that present another threat to worry about!

Check out rest of the gameplan after the jump.

3) Spread the field with our athletic players and create mismatches.

BYU's secondary in the game, and even their linebackers, can be exploited due to their lack of athleticism. It showed against Washington and the media has noticed that. I've turned short crossing routes with Austin and Johnson into big gains with huge YAC, and I've had a step or two ahead of their corners in running streaks or posts in man coverage. It's definitely something we can use to our advantage at the right time.

4) Zone, corner, and safety blitzes!

The Cougars in game run their offense probably 70-80% out of shotgun...a handful of times they went under center. That created a problem with whoever was rushing the QB out of my front seven because it did put pressure and caused some incomplete throws, but Hall would often get the ball off just in time.

I did pick him off with man coverage on a OLB blitz.- via videocdn.easw.easports.com

That's when I turned to corner and safety blitzes and found more success. Hall is a good QB in the game, so I had zone coverage instead of man when blitzing out of a nickel and dime package in hopes of throwing him off. It led to a pick six:

Notice Lockett lurking in the back, waiting to lay down the law.- via videocdn.easw.easports.com

...and it also led to a huge sack on third down from Lockett:

Yay! 4th and 20!- via videocdn.easw.easports.com

5) Put the pressure on BYU to win the game.

Yeah, yeah, we beat Tennessee, Neuhesiel starts his reign in Westwood with a bang...it gives our program hope but we can't get overboard with one win. We've had a tendency to have blah performances after a big win...I'm sure that with a new coach comes a new mentality. Actually, I'm pretty sure it won't be a lackluster effort and Neuheisel will have our guys deliver come Saturday. Anyways, we need to put pressure on BYU on both sides of the ball and on special teams. We need three and outs, turnovers (all on their side of the ball) and to take away the threats of Hall, Unga, and Collie. We need solid special teams play through Forbath and Perez, as well as solid kick and punt returns. I mention punt returns because I broke one open for a TD with Austin to make the game 21-0 in the second quarter, effectively silencing the crowd and putitng the game away. I'm pretty sure we won't be up by a margin like that, but we need pressure to create a game-changing moment.

Yup...pressure. Makes you feel helpless at times.- via videocdn.easw.easports.com

And that has been my BYU gameplan...simple and full of pictures. Stay tuned for next  week's installment against Arizona (hopefully delievered earlier now that I have free time...yeah).

One final note: all these pictures are screenshots taken from in-game, uploaded to EA Sports World from my PS3, and you can check out some of the videos I've uploaded on the profile there.