QB1 Film Room: After pounding Tulane, Matt Corral and the Rebs getting ready to face No. 1 Alabama
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss fans everywhere sat around this past Saturday waiting for the bye week to end. It’s now thankfully over and our attention can turn to facing No. 1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
Part of looking ahead involves taking note of those things quarterback Matt Corral and the Rebels’ offense do so well. In this week’s QB1 Film Room, we look at the performances from the Tulane game.
By the end of this game, Ole Miss led the nation in total offense (yards per game), Matt Corral had moved up to challenge Alabama’s Bryce Young in the Heisman Trophy odds, and the Ole Miss Rebels stood at 3-0 with three impressive victories.
Video One: Can’t Stop the Curl
This is a play we haven’t seen and it’s one of the basics in the receiver tree. There’s an old coaching adage that says you can’t stop the curl. With offenses now so intent on hitting the receiver on the run, the old curl pattern has lost a bit of its popularity. But here Ole Miss is, pulling it out of their pocket for a solid first down.
Jonathan Mingo is aligned as the second receiver at the top. He sets it up with the wheel route look before finding the open area between defenders and squaring up. As we’ve seen all season, it’s excellent overall execution by the offense.
Video 2: Flip to Parrish
The companion route to the curl is often a flat route by a second receiver or the flare by a running back. In this instance, Matt sees only deep coverage and a quick flip to Henry Parrish results in some big yards.
Video 3: QB Draw
This is a very nicely designed quarterback draw play that’s predicated on the tight formation set up on both sides of the ball. All four receivers break wide on the snap and with the linebackers getting caught up in the line, Jerrion Ealy doesn’t even have anyone to block as he leads Corral into the end zone.
Video 4: Curl-Flare combination
Once again, the Rebels are working the Curl-Flare combination to perfection, nickel and diming it for another first down pass.
Video 5: QB Draw on 3rd and 12
A fairly gutsy call here on 3rd and 12 with another quarterback draw. With the defense concentrating on the motion guy and the expected flare pass out to him, Matt looks them that way before finding the crease up the middle, using Caleb Warren as a screen on the Spy.
This run is extremely impressive because Matt had to initiate contact and go through some bodies to get into the end zone.
Video 6: Great communication between Corral and Mingo
Here’s an interesting look and an example of great communication between quarterback Corral and wide receiver Mingo.
Mingo’s hidden at the bottom of the picture but he and Matt both read the blitz off the edge. Mingo hits the brakes on a stop route and Matt gets the ball away an instant before smack down. Then we have an excellent broken tackle and a 33-yard gain.
Video 7: Drummond with the TD
Sometimes, it’s like cheating. You line up in a “bunch” formation with 3 receivers in tight on the right side, and, well, our announcer sees it coming. Dontario Drummond with a TD catch in his eighth straight game.
Video 8: Corral to Mingo
And then sometimes play sheets are getting thrown into the night’s sky, figuratively at least. Mingo hits 0-to-60 in no time flat and Matt uses roughly two/thirds of his arm strength on a 53-yard bomb that goes for a smooth 50-yard touchdown.
Video 9: Taking a knee
Now if we’re being honest, how many coaches even have this play in their repertoire? The situation is such that the clock is running down before halftime, you have one timeout left and time for one pass play, maybe a quick out pattern. The defense is thinking you’re going to Hail Mary it so they all get depth to protect the end zone.
But the Rebels have something different in store. They’re going to take the quick throw to the spot necessary for their kicker, take a quick knee then use their timeout, and set up a very makable 53-yard field goal attempt for Costa. Smart play.
Video 10: Corral’s third rushing TD of the game
This is a very well-designed play that most coaches would assume is the read option. On the read option, the quarterback places the ball into the gut of the running back with his eyes on the defensive end. If the end shows inside movement, as No. 37 does when Drummond blocks down, the quarterback disconnects and sprints for the empty corner.
On this play the DE and the FS completely lose sight of the football and Matt goes in untouched for his third rushing touchdown of the evening.
Video 11: Corral to Parrish on the flare route
Here the Rebels motion top to bottom to get the secondary to adjust accordingly and leaving the wide side of the field laterally unoccupied. On this quick flare route, Tulane is depending on a linebacker to make an inside-out open field tackle on Parrish. Good luck with that.
Video 12: Corral’s 4th rushing TD of the game
Keeping it simple, the Rebels reset for another Read Option, this time taking advantage of a new Tulane defensive end with the same result. FOUR touchdowns rushing for Matt Corral!!
Video 13: Braylon Sanders
Braylon Sanders on the deep post pattern, great protection, and the Rebels have broken 60!
Video 14: Rebel DNA….
Lane Kiffin has made more fourth down calls (14) and the Rebels have converted more (12) than any other team in the country. As the announcer says, it’s part of the Rebel DNA. Here’s an excellent read and run by backup QB Dent.
Video 15: Heisman Favorite…
Take a listen…
David Walker
David Walker was named Louisiana’s High School Player of the Year at just 16 years old and, at 17, became college football’s first quarterback to earn Freshman of the Year honors. He remains the NCAA’s youngest-ever starting quarterback, a distinction that has stood for decades.
Transitioning from a wide-open high school offense to Emory Bellard’s renowned wishbone triple option, Walker excelled as a dual-threat quarterback. He graduated as Texas A&M’s all-time winningest quarterback and served as a two-time team captain, helping to transform a program that had endured 15 losing seasons in the previous 16 years.
After his playing career, Walker coached and taught algebra at six Texas high schools before moving into private business. In 2011, he published his memoir, “I’ll Tell You When You’re Good,” a title inspired by the coaching philosophy of Shannon Suarez, the Sulphur High and Louisiana High School Hall of Fame coach who was a significant influence on Walker’s life and career.
Walker’s compelling storytelling in his autobiography reflects the breadth of his experiences in high school and college football, and it is an undeniable fact that he saw more action than any athlete in the history of the NCAA. Since 2013, he has contributed to The Rebel Walk, sharing his insights and expertise with readers.
