I've watched this play a number of time going over the nuance. I like it more every time. Mentally, I sort of equated this play to the touchdown run by Jerome Felton that buried Georgia Southern back in 2004 - that sort of big moment nail in the coffin play. Give the ball to your dude and let him do dude stuff.
1. WCU has all 11 players within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. Furman is almost inviting that with an in-line TE and two big backs in the backfield. No secret WCU is bent on stopping the run game.
2. I would be interested to know Huff's read on this play. WCU DE/BANDIT really does not do much that would scream "keep." He keeps his shoulders parallel to the line of scrimmage, is not clearly attacking the RB, and does not get sucked down too far on the zone run look. It could be that this was a QB keeper the entire time. It could be that Huff just said "screw it, I can outrun this guy."
I noted on the other thread that Furman had run a zone read type run two plays earlier and the WCU end man had sucked way down and made the tackle. I feel pretty certain that play set up this one.
3. Pretty clearly man coverage by WCU. They aren't concerned with Furman throwing deep here. I'm assuming the free safety in the middle of the field is assigned to Huff.
4. Shiflett up top runs a little inside move and then pushes outside. He's the one initiating the contact, not the DB. By turning the route outside, the DB turns his back to the play.
5. Pline feigns a stalk block, then runs an outbreaking route, which draws the safety with him. I think this is a cool little nuance, fake the run block, then run a route, even though the play is a run.
6. I do not think there is a pass component to the play. Huff is running to directly towards the line and doesn't even seem to be considering a pass.
7. Harder to see because of the scorebug, but look at the work Harris does at the bottom of the screen. He goes hard up field and appears to shove the WCU defender on his backside before breaking out. Furman talks about playing physical, and a Wide Receiver knocking a CB on his rear end 20 yards from the play fits the bill.
It's a 54 yard run and Furman basically doesn't actually "block" 5 WCU defenders (the two CBs, the safety on Pline, the linebacker assigned to Roberto, and the end man on the line of scrimmage). No one even puts a hand on the three guys closest to Huff. They are essentially blocked by the play action and out of position to do anything productive.
8. I have no idea whether Myion Hicks (I think he's in the backfield) knows the play is a QB run or thinks Roberto is behind him, but he blows up the first purple jersey he sees anyway.
9. He doesn't get much press, but watch Johanning climb up and block the safety, the man I think is responsible for spying Huff. The ball is snapped on Furman's 47 yard line and Johanning is still blocking his man at about the WCU 40.
