鈥淚t was what we were scared of the whole game Robert Griffin III Jersey Elite ,鈥?Anderson says. 鈥淗e gets a hot hand. We would have loved to end it right there with a sack, but it was just a great display of his athleticism and poise.鈥?/p> The Cardinal did end it on the ensuing two-point conversion, though. On the snap, Thomas busted through the offensive line. This time Trubisky trusted his legs a little too much, opting to spin and extend the play rather than hitting his check-down option. As the QB looked to make a second straight cross-field pass, Thomas 鈥?with the help of several other defenders 鈥?brought him down for good.
Trubisky鈥檚 natural ability has gotten him far, but in El Paso, pressure, disguise and inexperience ultimately sealed the Tar Heels鈥?fate in his final college game.
鈥?Jacob Feldman
Greg M. Cooper
The first interception Kizer threw against Boston College was ill-advised. Rolling to his right, he tried to squeeze a shoulda-been throwaway into the end zone, only to hit Eagles safety John Johnson instead. But it was Kizer’s second pick that he later called 鈥渃ompletely idiotic.鈥?/p>
The man partly responsible for the least consistent performance of Kizer鈥檚 breakout 2015 season 鈥?21 of 39 through the air for a season-high 324 yards but three interceptions in a 19-16 victory that the QB called 鈥渧ery humbling鈥?in the aftermath 鈥?was BC head coach Steve Addazio, who game plans slightly differently when he鈥檚 preparing for a pro-caliber quarterback. Normally, 鈥淵ou want to see what a team’s strengths are and do whatever you can to take that strength away or limit it,鈥?Addazio says. Simple enough. But often times, a top quarterback doesn鈥檛 present obvious flaws. A guy like Kizer 鈥?or a dude, as Addazio might say聽鈥?can methodically pick you apart Authentic Fergie Jenkins Jersey , burn you on big plays, or make you look silly with his legs, even when you defend him soundly. In response to that type of challenge, many coaches would preach discipline in conservative schemes. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a slow death,鈥?Addazio says. He prefers havoc.
So in the week leading up to the primetime game at Fenway Park, Addazio installed a new scheme against the zone read (Kizer had scored two TDs on the ground against Wake Forest the previous week) and also added a new all-out pressure to the playbook. 鈥淲e weren鈥檛 bashful,鈥?he says. 鈥淲e were just going to throw caution to the wind and create as much pressure as we could, create as much confusion as possible.鈥?Addazio wanted chaos, and he got it, forcing four Notre Dame turnovers during the first seven possessions.
Then, with a minute remaining in the first half and the Irish nearing midfield Wholesale Arden Key Jersey , he forced Kizer into that 鈥渋diotic鈥?decision after sending linebacker Steven Daniels up the middle on a surprise third-and-10 blitz. Kizer reacted by taking one hop backward and then, off his back foot, lofting a ball over the middle of the field. Given the all-out pressures he had seen throughout the half, he likely figured there wouldn鈥檛 be over-the-top help on tight end Aliz茅 Jones, who had beaten his man up the seam. Only after he鈥檇 thrown the ball did Kizer see safety Justin Simmons (now with the Broncos) enter the picture in time to make a diving interception. That led to an exclamation of frustration, a head-hanging walk to the sideline, and a lecture from Brian Kelly while on the bench.
It was followed by interception No. 3 on the first drive of the second half. Kizer had opened with back-to-back completions for a combined 51 yards to reach the red zone, but three plays later he misread BC鈥檚 defense while facing oncoming rushers, flipping a pass in the direction of Eagles tackle Truman Gutapfel, who batted the ball into the air. Simmons came down with it for his second pick of the night.
Of course, Addazio understood his aggressive strategy was as risky as it was rewarding. So while he and BC did hold Kizer to his second-lowest completion percentage in college and forced a career-high three interceptions Jihad Ward Super Bowl LI Jersey , Kizer also threw five passes for more than 25 yards, amassed 324 total yards through the air, and helped Notre Dame escape with a victory. Still, the Eagles鈥?performance showed that the right amount of havoc, particularly on an unfamiliar stage like Fenway, could force him off his game.
鈥?Jacob Feldman
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