Northern Arizona upset Montana last Saturday. The Lumberjacks had 27 first downs, went 8-13 on third down, passed for over 300 yards and scored 49 points. Eight conversions on 13 third downs is 62 percent. We went back through the tape for the best plays from the offense. Each one gets the formation and the concept, so you can see what Northern Arizona ran and why it worked.
Here the Lumberjacks throw verticals off of toss action while pulling the backside guard in protection. The linebackers fly out of the picture, giving the QB a clear look downfield. The safety works with #3 vertical, leaving no defender for #2 in their Cover 3 shell. It becomes an easy pitch and catch for a 30-yard touchdown.
The Lumberjacks also ran several QB read plays on the night. Here’s an example of G/T read where the defensive end squeezes and the QB gives the bash. Again, see how the Lumberjacks out leverage the Montana defense at the point of attack.
Here’s an example of plain G/T counter so you can see that the Lumberjacks were pulling out all the stops to dress everything up. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed this variation before.
On their first 3rd down, 3rd & 9, the Lumberjacks went to a Hook & Ladder style play. We get the hitch and pitch. However, this is the first time I’ve seen a hitch and pitch with the pitch coming from the opposite side of the field.
Later in the game we get a jet sweep throwback for a touchdown to the quarterback. Montana over pursues, and the Lumberjacks take advantage of how aggressive they are on defense.
My favorite play of the night might have been the QB sneak from the 4 yard line. Who does this? Again, the Lumberjacks had a way of catching the Grizzly defense off guard all night, and this is borderline genius.
The Lumberjacks also executed the small things all night like this throw on the slot post/dig that they completed twice in huge situations against the Cover 4 look they got from the Grizzlies.
Here’s another example of them throwing snag with accuracy under pressure. The Lumberjacks were sharp on execution all day. It’s like they knew what lever to pull all game long offensively.
Final Thoughts
Northern Arizona had a clear-cut game plan to attack the aggressive defense by Montana. In the run game we got QB runs and read plays. In the pass game we got well executed basic routes like Snag, Mesh, and slot post. When the time called for it, they had trick plays dialed up and ready to go. They had them ready, and they executed them with confidence and poise.
It showed up in the numbers. 27 first downs, 8-13 on third down, over 300 yards passing and 49 points. The jet sweep throwback worked because Montana over pursued, and the Lumberjacks were ready for it. The result was a huge upset over an established powerhouse in the FCS and a big win for the Lumberjacks.
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