Zack Oliver Appreciation Thread

[FeliSilvestris]

Do you have the ability to see positive in anything? Are you happy we won? Are you really unable to see the good that Zach did today coming in and leading the team to victory?

How do your comments or questions relate to my VERY specific comments about a very specific pass that Carr caught (which was critical)?
Yes, ZO was the QB in a game that for a while looked like NU would win comfortably, then NU found itself a 3rd-and-short conversion away from losing (the last PSU 1stD attempt with a couple of minutes left).
ZO went 11-24 for 110 yards with a so-called total QB rating of 21.6, which would be ranked below 125 in the FBS. Is that good enough for you? Then say so, if it makes you happy. In fact, it is nowhere near good enough.
NU won mostly thanks to almost 200 rushing yards (in less than 30 carries, nearly a 7 ypc average) by JJ, plus 120 KR yards (including a TD) by SV.
ZO deserves credit for not costing NU the game.

 

[Palindrome]

I greatly admire a guy that was beaten out for the starter job and kept himself prepared to step in and do what needed to be done. It’s a little much to expect him to be “sharp” considering the circumstances. But he was “good enough” and then some. Let’s just say it was a very big win, a game it looked as if NU might lose, and he was a very big part of the victory. Anyone who wants to pick nits can almost always find a few. But what matters is that it was HIS game to win. And he did. Kudos to ZO.

 

[DaCat]

Great job by Zack filling in against a much-hyped Ped State defense. He stepped in and did enough to get the W under very difficult circumstances.

 

[NJCat83588]

I'm shocked that there's not a thread dedicated yet but I'll go ahead and say it: Huge Props to Oliver. Comes off of the bench, both throws and runs for a TD and makes a huge throw on a game winning drive to beat Penn State. Very impressive.

This is the type of play I hoped for when he replaced Siemian last year, and it's nice to see him fulfill his potential. I don't know how long Thorson is out for but I look forward to seeing what else Oliver can do in his final season - along with Alviti as a nice change of pace when he needs a breather.

Amen. He played fine today for a guy who hadn't taken a meaningful snap all season. Don't underestimate the PSU defense, this was one of the best defenses in the country yet the Cats put up almost 400 yards on them.

 

[NJCat83588]

Look around the big ten. Where would u rank Zack for #2 QBs?

Behind JT Barrett for one.....

 

[DrillCat]

We will not see DocCat2 on this thread for sure. Guy dissapears after cats win usually. Only to chime in close to a game day to predict doom.

 

[NJCat83588]

Shut the Felis UP, Felis!

One word for you: "Ignore"

 

[Gladeskat]

One word for you: "Ignore"

It's more fun to rip his dumb posts ... .like criticizing Oliver for lofting a pass to a wide open receiver to run under it. It's like he's never seen football before.

He probably wore his underwear in gym class rather than a jock and never took showers.

 

[Deeringfish]

For him to come in against this defense, with two starting lineman injured and no mobility, taking shot after shot after shot, and still finding a way to get enough done with his arm to propel us to victory was simply amazing to me. He was absolutely the player of the game for me...

+1 and he only gets 20% of the practice time.

 

[xxjfgxx]

You've got to be kidding. The guy made maybe 3 good throws all day. He was close to the world record for 3 and out possessions. Terrible. The fans were calling for Alviti,
The defense and Jackson won the game, period.

 

[purple11]

I'm shocked that there's not a thread dedicated yet but I'll go ahead and say it: Huge Props to Oliver. Comes off of the bench, both throws and runs for a TD and makes a huge throw on a game winning drive to beat Penn State. Very impressive.

This is the type of play I hoped for when he replaced Siemian last year, and it's nice to see him fulfill his potential. I don't know how long Thorson is out for but I look forward to seeing what else Oliver can do in his final season - along with Alviti as a nice change of pace when he needs a breather.

Agreed. Zack got it done. He is an asset to the team, bottom line. Coming in cold is hard to do and he did a great job. Go Zolly !

Go Cats !!

 

[Gladeskat]

You've got to be kidding. The guy made maybe 3 good throws all day. He was close to the world record for 3 and out possessions. Terrible. The fans were calling for Alviti,
The defense and Jackson won the game, period.

LOOK AT YOUR FRICKING AVATAR, XXWTFXX!

Without Oliver, we lose today. He had a fine game in relief, scoring 2 TD's and completing HUGE pass on 3-15 to set up the FG. PERIOD!

 

[pymvpymv]

I don't think that is called for Matt. I really don't. Or those of you who liked it.

I am just as happy about this win as everyone else but respectfully disagree that credit goes to zack.

I've been posting on this board and it predecessors for more than 15 years and I've never seen it less civil. In a great season. I don't get it.

That is all.

 

[MRCat95]

I don't think that is called for Matt. I really don't. Or those of you who liked it.

I am just as happy about this win as everyone else but respectfully disagree that credit goes to zack.

I've been posting on this board and it predecessors for more than 15 years and I've never seen it less civil. In a great season. I don't get it.

That is all.

 

[mikewebb68]

I don't think that is called for Matt. I really don't. Or those of you who liked it.

I am just as happy about this win as everyone else but respectfully disagree that credit goes to zack.

I've been posting on this board and it predecessors for more than 15 years and I've never seen it less civil. In a great season. I don't get it.

That is all.

Well I don't think your comment that "we won in spite of Oliver" was called for, either, and Mr. Rice rightfully called you out on it.

 

[Gladeskat]

I don't think that is called for Matt. I really don't. Or those of you who liked it.

I am just as happy about this win as everyone else but respectfully disagree that credit goes to zack.

I've been posting on this board and it predecessors for more than 15 years and I've never seen it less civil. In a great season. I don't get it.

That is all.

It was entirely called for! ... considering Oliver accounted for 2 TD's and a big throw on 3rd and 15 to put us into position for the game-winning FG. Like someone else wrote, without Oliver, we would have lost.

The FEW board was a knife-throwing sewer of a board.

 

[beetlemania74]

I thought one of the coolest things about the game today was Zack's read option TD run, where he kept the ball for the TD but managed to fake out me watching on TV and several of his own teammates on the field. I thought he had handed off to W. Long, as did some of the o-linemen, including I. Park, who went over to Long to congratulate him on the TD before realizing he didn't actually have the ball. He looked confused for a second or two before turning and heading over to congratulate Zack. Very nice execution of the play by ZO.

 

[Gladeskat]

I greatly admire a guy that was beaten out for the starter job and kept himself prepared to step in and do what needed to be done. It’s a little much to expect him to be “sharp” considering the circumstances. But he was “good enough” and then some. Let’s just say it was a very big win, a game it looked as if NU might lose, and he was a very big part of the victory. Anyone who wants to pick nits can almost always find a few. But what matters is that it was HIS game to win. And he did. Kudos to ZO.

Good post! Too bad others here can't see it that way.

 

[GlideCat]

Good post! Too bad others here can't see it that way.

At the end of this game, our defense stopped PSU from running a 4 minute offense. We then ran a 2 minute offense and drove down the field and won the game.

That was something that we have not seen our Cats do well in a couple of years. ZO was a big part of this.

We did not win by 30 points, we won by 2. Therefore, the team as a whole did just enough to win. But win they did.

 

[Gladeskat]

How do your comments or questions relate to my VERY specific comments about a very specific pass that Carr caught (which was critical)?.

After seeing it again, it was a beautiful pass to a wide-open Carr over his far shoulder.

"A perfect throw to Austin Carr" (Gerry DiNardo)

 

[stpaulcat]

Yes, most of the credit for that catch goes to Carr, as opposed to ZO. It was a VERY tough catch.

OH COME ON. You have just wiped out whatever minute amount of credibility you might have had. Carr caught the ball, which means it was catchable.

 

[Alaskawildkat]

I thought one of the coolest things about the game today was Zack's read option TD run, where he kept the ball for the TD but managed to fake out me watching on TV and several of his own teammates on the field. I thought he had handed off to W. Long, as did some of the o-linemen, including I. Park, who went over to Long to congratulate him on the TD before realizing he didn't actually have the ball. He looked confused for a second or two before turning and heading over to congratulate Zack. Very nice execution of the play by ZO.

Thanks for reminding. That was perfectly executed. The announcers on ESPNU had nothing but praise for that play.

 

[FeliSilvestris]

OH COME ON. You have just wiped out whatever minute amount of credibility you might have had. Carr caught the ball, which means it was catchable.

Learn to read. WHERE did I say it wasn't catchable? WHERE? WHERE?
Good receivers often make extremely tough 'circus' catches. In such cases, the FB was 'catchable', since the receiver did catch it. It doesn't mean the QB made a good pass each time. GET IT? It is not too difficult a concept.

 

[FeliSilvestris]

After seeing it again, it was a beautiful pass to a wide-open Carr over his far shoulder.

Yeah, per Glades school of QB-ing, whenever/wherever a QB has a WIDE OPEN receiver (as in no defender in his ZIP code) the situation calls for the QB to toss him a high 'jump ball'. That offers multiple advantages to THE D: first and foremost, prevents the WIDE OPEN receiver from catching the FB in stride (which could allow him many yac, or God-forbid to score), secondly, while the receiver waits for gravity to do its thing and bring the high spiral down to earth, multiple defenders may "join the play", which may allow a defender to brake up the catch, or even make an INT, or at a minimum get in position to make sure the receiver doesn't add many/any yac....and...any additional advantage to the D???
VERY smart, right?

 

[FeliSilvestris]

I thought one of the coolest things about the game today was Zack's read option TD run, where he kept the ball for the TD but managed to fake out me....

Yes, ZO executed that play perfectly...one of his best actions that game.
However, it was NOT a "read option", just a fake handoff.
In a read-option the QB initiates a run towards a defender who is at an end of the LOS (the defender to be "READ"), with the running back closely behind and to his outside (towards the sideline). As the QB gets close to the defender being read, depending upon how this defender reacts, the QB elects to either keep the FB and attack the "inside shoulder" of the defender, or pitch to the RB for him to continue the play towards the "outside shoulder" of the defender. None of that happened in that play. It was just a perfectly executed fake handoff.

 

[stpaulcat]

Learn to read. WHERE did I say it wasn't catchable? WHERE? WHERE?
Good receivers often make extremely tough 'circus' catches. In such cases, the FB was 'catchable', since the receiver did catch it. It doesn't mean the QB made a good pass each time. GET IT? It is not too difficult a concept.

That's not the point. The QB (Oliver) made a good enough pass to be caught. And found the open receiver. That's good enough not to have to take sh*t from negative nellies. And that pass was responsible for putting us in position to win the game. Get it?

 

[MRCat95]

Yes, ZO executed that play perfectly...one of his best actions that game.
However, it was NOT a "read option", just a fake handoff.
In a read-option the QB initiates a run towards a defender who is at an end of the LOS (the defender to be "READ"), with the running back closely behind and to his outside (towards the sideline). As the QB gets close to the defender being read, depending upon how this defender reacts, the QB elects to either keep the FB and attack the "inside shoulder" of the defender, or pitch to the RB for him to continue the play towards the "outside shoulder" of the defender. None of that happened in that play. It was just a perfectly executed fake handoff.

You are incorrect. That was a zone-read where Oliver read the right DE who crashed in to tackle Long, and he made the correct read pulling the ball and ran it to the vacated area.

What you described is not a zone-read, but rather a convention old fashioned speed option.

I'm only correcting you because I want to see if you are capable of admitting you made an error. I doubt it.

 

[FeliSilvestris]

What you described is not a zone-read, but rather a convention old fashioned speed option..

I for sure described the speed option, as you indicate. This is what I understood the previous poster meant. He did not use the terminology "zone read", but rather read option.

I have heard the speed option being called read option. Presumably, the reason is that in simpler form, the decision to keep or pitch is determined by whether the QB can READ the numbers of the defender (if he can, the QB assumes the defender is focused on stopping him, and hence the QB pitches; otherwise, the defender is trying to play both backs, and the QB keeps and attacks his "inside shoulder").

 

[Gladeskat]

Yeah, per Glades school of QB-ing, whenever/wherever a QB has a WIDE OPEN receiver (as in no defender in his ZIP code) the situation calls for the QB to toss him a high 'jump ball'. That offers multiple advantages to THE D: first and foremost, prevents the WIDE OPEN receiver from catching the FB in stride (which could allow him many yac, or God-forbid to score), secondly, while the receiver waits for gravity to do its thing and bring the high spiral down to earth, multiple defenders may "join the play", which may allow a defender to brake up the catch, or even make an INT, or at a minimum get in position to make sure the receiver doesn't add many/any yac....and...any additional advantage to the D???
VERY smart, right?

When you get your medication adjusted, ask to have your eyes checked, too.

I just watched the play again a half dozen times ... BEAUTIFUL THROW over the shoulder. He read the play well and threw a beautiful soft pass for the call. He led the open receiver well and IN STRIDE, even while throwing off his back foot from pressure (NU blocker was knocked into Oliver)!!!!! The receiver, Austin Carr, CHOSE TO FALL DOWN in the process the catch. I don't know why, he could have easily kept on running, but presumably because he wanted to focus and secure the catch. Carr tends to do this (drop to the ground while making a catch) rather than stay on his feet and get YAC. There were no jump balls or leaping catches whatsoever! Anybody can see that! Apparently you can't (or won't).

So, Felis, watch the tape again, and then Shut The Felis UP!

 

[SkolCats]

Weird and uninterpretable comment

 

[DocCatsFan]

I just wat

Look again. Carr made it a tougher catch than it was by almost stumbling over his feet. He was wide open and the ball was right there with no one in the area...

I just watched it again. The pass was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Not that a single pass determines how well a guy played. But this one was on the money. The catch looked much harder than it was. Carr wanted to make sure he didn't drop it and fell to the ground.