Featured Match-up: UCF at Tulane - AAC Championship on the line
Nov 12, 2022 3:25 pm
Coach ,
As we head into the final weeks of the regular season, the match-ups become more meaningful and that is certainly true for two programs that weren’t even mentioned as top 25 contenders in August. Yet here they are, climbing in the rankings.
With a Conference championship on the line Tulane's staunch defense will be showcased against UCF’s high powered ground game.
Here is the Tale of the Tape:
Tulane Defense:
#11 Scoring 16.89ppg
#16 Total Defense 307.3
#18 Pass Defense 180.3
#24 3rd Down D #24 .321
The Green Wave Defense is holding teams to 127 rushing yards per game
UCF Offense:
#7 Total Offense 501ypg
#8 Rushing 239.9 ypg
#16 3rd conversion .485
#22 Completion % .670
#26 35.7 points per game
Let’s see what we can learn from a few of the coaches in this game.
#17 Tulane Greenwave (8-1)
Josh Christian-Young is the defensive backs coach for Tulane and values the teaching aspect of his job. As you get deeper into the season, don’t discount the value of showing great performance on video. What was certainly a motivator early season can still make an impact now late in the season. Coach Christian-Young incorporates this into his coaching. He explains how he uses video every day here (click on image for video):
Coach Christian-Young believes strongly in teaching ball skills. It starts with the premise that kids do not throw the ball around enough, especially deep balls. He trains this skill with drills to correct that deficit. He illustrates those here (click on image for video):
Tulane Strength Coach Kurt Hester takes a big role in developing players in the weight room but also in skill acquisition.
One aspect that Coach Hester takes pride in training is vision skills. If you follow him on Twitter, you’ve seen the Tulane players doing this training. He gives an overview here (click on image for video):
Video: Vision Training Protocol
#22 UCF (7-2)
At the heart of any great ground game is the offensive line, and UCF is led by a great OL Coach in Herb Hand.
At the 2021 COOL Clinic Coach Hand’s entire presentation was based on drills that the Crowther Sled teaches.
He started by making it clear that the reason he incorporates it is because “The Crowther never lies.” Coach Hand talks about that in this video (click on image for video):
Video: The Crowther Never Lies
He points out the reason why this sled has been around for so long, something he heard from Bob Wylie, “The body hasn’t changed in 200,000 years…so why should the sled?” Coach Hand gives a detailed explanation of this idea in the following video (click on image for video):
Video: The Body Hasn’t Changed
The sled provides instant feedback. Coach Hand illustrates that in this video (click on image for video):
Of course, for any drill to have value, the techniques it teaches should be visible on game film. Coach Hand illustrates a Post Overlap Combo, which he teaches on the Crowther, here (click on image for game film):
This should be a good one! Enjoy it and see how some of these coaching points show up in the game.
Always be Growing!
Coach Grabowski
P.S. Here are other CoachesClinic match-ups and coaches to learn from:
#4 TCU HC DC WR at #18 Texas HC HC OC/OL OC/OL WR DB ST
#7 LSU ST ST OC OC DC at Arkansas HC STC OL OL
Vanderbilt ST OL at #24 Kentucky HC RB
Oklahoma OC at West Virginia DB
Virginia Tech HC HC at Duke HC HC DC/DL
#9 Alabama HC HC AHC OC WR at #11 Ole Miss OC DC DC
Maryland HC OL OC at #14 Penn State HC HC HC DC STC DB
Iowa State HC QB/PGC LB at Oklahoma State TE
South Carolina DB at Florida HC DC LB
#25 Washington TE at #6 Oregon HC ST
Kansas OC OC QB GM at Texas Tech HC
#15 North Carolina HC SC OC OC OC A A at Wake Forest HC RB DL DB