Undefeated LSU rolled into Bryant-Denny Stadium to face undefeated Alabama. The pass rush was fierce, so Joe Burrow found himself using his legs quite a few times over the course of the game. Sometimes it was planned, sometimes it was not.
This time? This time it looked like a planned QB draw, right up until the moment it wasn’t.
First things first: LSU overloads the right side of the offense. They start out with a trips look, then motion the RB out of the backfield to draw even more attention to that side of the field. Alabama has 4 primary defenders to that side, as well as the LB in the middle of the line. At the snap, the LB drifts to that side of the field a little before reacting to anything else.
So we’ve got the attention drawn to that side. The receivers are showing a blocking look to set up the screen behind them, causing the defenders to attack, drawing them further away from the middle.
Joe Burrow gets to the top of his drop, waits a beat, then steps up to sell the QB draw. This is not the first time in the game he has run, so the defense pulls up to stop him. That includes the safety to Burrow’s left. He crashes the line, which leaves a wide open piece of field behind him.
Ja’Marr Chase is running a slant from the left, as the lone receiver on that side. His job is to get inside position on his defender and work to the open space. When the safety crashes the line, Chase has plenty of room.
It’s a great playcall and it works to perfection. LSU shows Alabama something they had success with, get Alabama to react, then hit them with a counter. Beautifully done.