Fresno State quick hits: Bulldogs’ addition of shifts and motions didn’t add to errors
The Bulldogs ran 63 plays at Alabama and 42 of them included shifts of motions, something they put in to take some time off the play clock and to keep the Crimson Tide defense guessing or at least thinking before the snap.
They did that without a single procedure penalty – no illegal motion, no illegal formation. The only penalty Fresno State had was an illegal block on a kickoff in the second quarter.
“I like the way our guys executed it and just the whole procedure of it, whether it was the shifts or the silent count,” offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer said. “I thought our guys rose to the occasion throughout the week. It was a learning process and by the time Friday and Saturday hit we were locked in on it and executed it well.”
Set to go – The Bulldogs have started the same lineups on offense and defense the first two weeks of the season and coach Jeff Tedford said he did not anticipate any changes this week at No. 6 Washington.
McMaryion and the Huskies – Backup quarterback Marcus McMaryion played against Washington twice when he was at Oregon State, including a start last season.
He struggled in both games.
In a 41-17 loss last season, McMaryion completed 12 of 26 passes (46.2 percent) for 148 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. In a 52-7 loss in 2015, he completed 8 of 16 passes for 109 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
On the block – There was some emphasis this week in practice on blocking by the Bulldogs wide receivers on the outside on screens and quick passes.
“It has been all right,” Tedford said. “It has been good for the most part. Just in the run game, even if we’re running the ball up the middle, they have to get out there and block.
“But when you’re in space like that you have a lot of good athletes, a lot of speed running around out there. It’s a hard job, but they’re working at it.”
Robert Kuwada: @rkuwada
This story was originally published September 14, 2017 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Fresno State quick hits: Bulldogs’ addition of shifts and motions didn’t add to errors."