Cruising On, Today as Always
78th Episode
※ Front Seven — The defensive line plus the linebackers standing behind it. If there are four on the D-line, there are usually three linebackers; if there are three on the D-line, there are usually four.
(Brad Nessler) — CBS Play-by-Play
"Welcome to the field where the game is about to unfold! I'm Brad Nessler, joined by my partner Gary Danielson. Gary, both teams are ranked inside the Top 25 this year. That was true four years ago as well, and Tennessee took that one."
(Gary Danielson) — CBS Color Analyst
"Yes, I remember that game well. It was a terrific one. But since then, Georgia has dominated Tennessee. Tennessee has to claim this year is different—and they'll have to answer for their chronic weakness, too. I know they're a good team, but can they actually beat great teams? That's the question."
(Brad Nessler)
"And we can't go without talking about the two quarterbacks. Jarrett Guarantano is looking for his first career win against Georgia."
(Gary Danielson)
"One of the reasons I love sports is that nothing lasts forever. Jarrett Guarantano—a 5-Star Prospect who burned New York City to the ground, a quarterback every college in the nation wanted. He announced his commitment in Times Square, that's how much attention he drew. And yet he's had a very rough ride in college. He hit rock bottom against Alabama in the past—pulled mid-game and sent to the bench. But I still believe in this kid."
(Brad Nessler)
"Georgia, on the other hand, looks like they finally have a real quarterback this year. Dwayne Moi Stone—one of the most impressive college quarterbacks we've seen in a long time."
(Gary Danielson)
"He's literally the whole package. This kid throws, he runs, he toys with defenses at will. He's eerily cold out on the field. The fact that he's a freshman is frankly impossible to believe."
.
.
00 — 00 Georgia (3)
00 — 00 Tennessee (14)
"Offense—!! Go out there and show them what we've got!!"
"You heard him!! Let's hit 'em hard, right away!!"
"LET'S GO—!!"
Tennessee's kickoff sailed clean out of the end zone.
Which meant we automatically started at the 25.
In college football, when a kickoff or punt goes out the back of the end zone, the drive begins from the 25-yard line of the receiving team's territory.
As always, we opened with the run.
Think of it as a warm-up stretch.
"Red 15!! Ready!! Hut!!"
I took the snap and turned straight around.
Then handed the ball off to Zamir.
Following his assigned lane, Zamir picked up about four yards—which, for an opening play, was a perfectly respectable return.
Tennessee's defense revealed itself quickly: a 3-4.
They'd done their homework, it seemed.
Rather than gambling on reckless pass rushes, their plan was clearly to wall off space and stay sound.
Except that two of Tennessee's linebackers—#13 and #98—lined up on the outside.
Either one could step up to the D-line and play the edge at any moment.
Second&6.
And just like that, it happened.
This time it was a pass rush.
"Z!!"
The play call had me looking for a receiver to throw to, but once I counted five men on the D-line, I improvised and flipped the call on the spot.
I sent Zamir—whose job this play was blocking—out on a jet sweep to the right, then barked out the new play.
"Red 60!! Re-dy!! Hut!!"
I took the snap and dropped back.
Just as expected—pass rush.
A defensive design where the defensive end or outside linebacker charges the quarterback through pre-set lanes.
When the D-line engages the O-line to open gaps and linebackers shoot through them, that's a blitz; when only the linemen come, it's a pass rush.
I wanted to draw them in a little further.
So I feinted a hitch of hesitation.
I wanted Tennessee's defenders locked onto my receivers' movements, and I wanted the #27 blanketing Zamir in single coverage to drift just a shade further off.
Second by second, the pressure mounted.
Massive bodies charging at you from every direction to devour the quarterback—that is, in a way, pure terror. But if you've chosen to be a quarterback, you can never afford to fear it.
The moment I judged I'd bought enough time,
I found Zamir and let the pass fly.
Right after, I turned to check where Tennessee's #27 had ended up—
and a violent impact slammed through me.
WHUMP!!
A tackle from behind sent me spilling onto the field.
That electric jolt up the spine—
anyone know what that feels like?
"How's it taste!! I'm gonna kill you!!"
The one who'd tackled me then crashed into me from my blind side—Tennessee's #13—leaning over me with a warning shot of trash talk.
DeAndre Johnson, was it?
Quit spraying spit, you little punk.
Your breath's gonna stink.
Zamir, who was nearby, shoved DeAndre Johnson hard.
For a moment, sharp tempers crackled back and forth across the field.
"You okay?"
"Got four more yards."
"Not bad. Give me a hand up."
"Yeah. Sorry."
"Sorry for what? Good play, Jam."
It wasn't that my left tackle failed me this time.
I was the one who stretched the clock a little too long.
The instant Tennessee stacked five on the D-line, every one of them went one-on-one with my O-line—and holding off a charging rusher without drawing a flag is never, ever easy.
If anything, it was because I trusted Zamir
that I could buy that time at all.
What if I'd dropped back and thrown an instant screen instead?
Forget four yards—we might have lost yardage outright.
Third&2.
To keep the drive alive,
we needed two more yards.
I looked to the sideline
and read Coach Monken's call.
(Brad Nessler)
"Georgia's head coach Kirby Smart explained Dwayne Moi Stone's play from under center this way: with the center's burden on the snap reduced, the O-line's focus sharpened. What's your read, Gary?"
(Gary Danielson)
"He's absolutely right. So many college quarterbacks feel the pressure of taking the snap from under center that the center's snapping ability has become critically important. But look at it from the other side—that means the center now has that much more to think about. As you know, if a fumbled snap happens in shotgun, you lose a mountain of yardage. It can even hand the other team a touchdown outright."
The tactic Coach Monken chose to grind out the needed yardage was the short pass.
Tennessee boasts cornerbacks and safeties with plenty of experience and genuine ability—but not every defender is that caliber, so flooding the field with receivers could solve the problem.
George Pickens.
Jermaine Burton.
Kearis Jackson.
Zamir White.
Tre' McKitty.
We put five receivers on the field,
and I checked where Tennessee's #12 was standing.
Shawn Shamburger.
Tennessee's nickelback.
The defender responsible for covering the nickel—the third wide receiver—is called the nickelback.
Tennessee's nickelback ran a little stiff,
and his reaction speed was on the slow side.
We'd spotted it in our prep and decided to hunt it.
Kearis could get the better of him—no doubt about it.
Quick slant.
The moment I was about to signal that route—
"Red 30!! 0-25!! Turbo, set!!"
(Brad Nessler)
"Quick slant. And a first down."
(Gary Danielson)
"That is textbook Moi football. He calls the Turbo to rob the D-line of its timing, keeps pressing down the field, then fires a fast, precise quick slant to a single receiver. It's this kid's greatest strength—he can bend the tempo of a game at will the instant he needs to. Good Timing, Good Throw, Good Play. Georgia needed exactly two yards, and they came away with a whole lot more."
03 — 03 Georgia
00 — 00 Tennessee
"My bad. That one was on me."
"You're good, Dawg—next time we finish it right."
"Yeah. Sorry."
Coach Monken's play, called from 14 yards out, had come together perfectly.
With the defenders' eyes dragged toward both sidelines, Tre' McKitty was handed perfect freedom.
And I put the ball exactly where he was.
The touchdown had been all but guaranteed.
And yet.
Kitty dropped it.
In the first second, the words are you kidding me practically fell out of my mouth—but now was the time to bury it and move forward.
There was still a long game to play.
"How'd it look?"
"Not bad, sir."
"Right. That's what I saw too. What about them?"
"Their front seven bites way too easy."
"On the rush, you mean?"
After driving for about five minutes, I was starting to understand why Tennessee ran a 3-4 built around flexing their outside linebackers.
Their defensive guards were just too simple.
They bit on fakes easily,
and they didn't show much technique.
In that case, I could build our attack around the trip.
Meaning: the moment the ball is snapped, send a handful of O-linemen toward the direction of the trip to shield the running back carrying the ball.
And we had a tactic made exactly for that.
Marching Band.
"Looks good to me."
"Yes, sir."
(Brad Nessler)
"Jarrett Guarantano steps onto the field for the first time today. Here is Tennessee's starting offensive lineup. Ty Chandler is in the starting eleven, and along with Eric Gray he's expected to grind out yardage on the ground. But it looks like something went wrong on the very first attempt—Guarantano is shouting."
Tennessee's first try was a run. But Malik Herring punched through the O-line so easily that he stuffed it on contact.
Having surrendered two yards in the other direction, Tennessee's second play began—they aimed for a screen-pass run, but before anyone could get moving, Aziz swallowed up the ballcarrier.
It was a genuinely flawless tackle,
and the sideline erupted.
"What a hit!!"
In a blink, Tennessee faced a must-convert third down. But they were the nation's ninth-worst team on third-down conversions—and we were the nation's second-best defense at stopping them.
Third try.
The ball is snapped.
(Brad Nessler)
"Third&10. Tennessee is boxed in tight by Georgia's defense. Guarantano settles in the pocket. The pass is completed—but it's not enough for the first down. They're just short. A fine stand by Georgia's defense. Tennessee's drive lasted barely a minute. The punt team comes on."
We'd snatched possession right back,
and Coach called the planned play.
"Listen up. Marching Band. West Trip. B-Ice Zero Alpha."
We were
going exactly as we'd talked about.
I stood at the sideline and watched the punt unfold,
and Kearis was dropped at the 35.
"Go get it. This time it's a touchdown."
"Yes, Sir."
After answering Coach Monken, who tapped my helmet,
I led the offense sprinting onto the field.
And immediately formed the huddle.
"Marching Band. West Trip. B-Ice Zero Alpha."
"Let's Go—!"
Clap!
Marching Band is a tremendously fun tactic to run.
You get to watch 140-kilo giants leap off the line.
When the opposing D-line plays a 3-4
and their talent leaves something to be desired,
the offense sends part of its O-line running.
Usually one or two.
That still leaves three or four on the line,
and since it's a run play, there's no need to protect the quarterback.
All that's required is solid blocking to keep the D-line from reaching the ballcarrier's lane, while the remaining linebackers get dealt with by the receivers stacked left and the freed O-linemen charging out.
Hiding inside the phrase B-Ice Zero Alpha
was the answer to who would run.
Shotgun formation.
On the right stood Kenny McIntosh.
For a play like this, he's better than Zamir.
"Ready!! Hut!!"
The instant I took the snap,
I tucked the ball into Kenny's arms.
He cradled it properly and started charging left, and center Trey Hill and left guard Justin Shaffer slipped past the D-line without engaging and raced out to the left.
The moment those two giants took off, Tennessee's defense froze up, and Kenny knifed through the gap for fourteen yards.
First down.
"That's it!"
(Brad Nessler)
"A beautiful rushing play from Georgia. This is exactly why Kenny McIntosh has been getting more snaps than James Cook."
(Gary Danielson)
"Georgia has excellent running back options. And Todd Monken has designed quality run plays to fit them. When the rushing attack holds up like this, it takes the pressure off the passing game too."
After we ground out yardage on the ground twice,
Tennessee's defense shifted.
Abandoning the look that parked two outside linebackers on either side of a three-man D-line, they formed a textbook 3-4, signaling their intent to shut down the run for good.
The moment I saw it, I fired a signal to the bench.
Coach Monken stopped himself mid-call and gave me a different signal instead.
A pivot to the passing game.
I gave him a thumbs-up.
"Halo, Y-Forward, Left Swing, Cappuccino."
"Syrup?"
"Twice. Let's Go—!"
Clap!
Halo is the passing concept we lean on most from the opponent's 30-to-40-yard range.
It runs through the Y or Z receiver.
What matters is the rest of the design.
Left Swing set the O-line's blocking direction, and Cappuccino assigned the route concepts and roles for the receivers that make Halo work.
And the final syrup, twice—
"Ready!! Set, Hut!!"
was the snap timing.
Except—
"OFFSIDES!!"
Every defender drills the opposing quarterback's snap cadence into memory.
That's how they react fast
and raise their odds of getting pressure.
So every quarterback carries two or three snap timings—and how you mix them, and when, becomes a crucial part of the game.
Up to this very moment, that's exactly what I'd been doing.
I'd been alternating the most common snap call with the Turbo set call, and then suddenly stretched the cadence one beat late—and Tennessee's defensive guard jumped early.
Offsides.
(Off Side)
The most common penalty at the line of scrimmage, costing whichever side commits it a five-yard penalty.
Five free yards, just like that.
The play didn't change.
"No syrup this time."
Clap!
Once a defense jumps offsides,
they can't help but think about it.
A D-line reacting a tenth of a second slower means an easier pocket to stand in—and with a passing concept called, details like that matter enormously.
Under center.
"Ready!! Hut!!"
With the snap, I dropped back.
At the LoS the lines collided,
and in the instant my linemen shoved their men left, Tre' McKitty—lined up at the right end of the O-line—quietly slipped forward.
Every one of Tennessee's defensive backs had their eyes glued to the wide receivers, and though the strong safety caught on a beat too late, the ball had already left my hand.
And then.
WHUMP!
Tennessee's #13 came flying at me and delivered a headbutt.
He slammed his helmet into me for absolutely no reason.
I flung both arms out to my sides and twisted to look back, and as my head came around, a flag sailing into the sky caught my eye.
The official standing right behind me
had seen the whole thing.
(Brad Nessler)
"A flag is down."
The one who'd just headbutted me was the very same guy who'd dropped me with that tackle and then spat all that venom a few plays ago.
I don't know what had him so worked up,
but if it was supposed to fire him up,
he'd made a genuinely stupid mistake.
A top-tier, colossal, first-class idiot move.
A blindside tackle or a death threat after the fact—those are routine parts of football. But that headbutt was an act that wrecked his own game.
The official who ran the video review
switched on his microphone and stood up.
(Brad Nessler)
"DeAndre Johnson's day ends early. He played barely a few minutes."
(Gary Danielson)
"A completely unnecessary act. It was the play of a man who forgot how vital he is to his own team. Yes, pressuring the quarterback matters as a defender—but what he just did helped no one."
Right on the heels of the Auburn game,
we'd drawn targeting two games in a row.
That's rare even by rare standards.
Well.
We came out ahead, so who cares.
And we came out ahead by a lot.
Our passing play just before had carried us to the 24-yard line, and the targeting penalty tacked on fifteen more, moving us up to the 9.
First&Goal.
Keep the pedal down.
"Red 25!! Turbo, set!!"
(Brad Nessler)
"He lowers his helmet first—Zamir White, TOUCHDOWN—Georgia goes up 10-0."
(Gary Danielson)
"The outcome might not have changed anyway, but DeAndre Johnson is going to learn a lesson from this. He ruined his own day, and on top of that he gifted away fifteen unnecessary yards and surrendered a touchdown outright. That is one extraordinarily expensive headbutt."
After we put points on the board,
I first celebrated with my teammates,
then pointed a finger toward one section of the stands.
That was where Alexi was sitting—she'd put real effort in today.
The mask hid her face,
but her outfit was dressed up to the nines.
Part of it was for me, sure.
But mostly it was because of the other girls.
That little display of hers was honestly kind of cute,
so I gave her a small token of affection.
"LET'S GO—!!"
Then I hollered and sprinted back to the sideline.
10-0.
Today, too, we're cruising on.