The games that make up the flow of a football match sometimes don’t happen in a vacuum, and the same goes for LSU’s Incredible Block of Florida State game-related extra point attempt to punctuate his crazy 24-23 week 1 win over the Tigers. One team’s playmaking ability is often exploited by another team’s goof. Thing is, LSU had some issues leading up to this point, which, in retrospect, made the blocked kick the unfortunate culmination of a night of protection issues.
The Tigers actually landed their first kick when Damian Ramos connected on a 36-yarder on the game’s first drive, but if you look closely you can see the short kick could have been an early disaster. .
Tigers senior Cameron Wire (#61) actually does an admirable job of anchoring when two Florida State defenders nearly bring him down to Ramos as he completes his kicking move. LSU benefits from the fact that the running time (a term for the time from the snap until the kick leaves Ramos’ foot) is good. Anything over the optimal 1.3 seconds and Ramos may have had to modify his shot, causing a stray kick or the kick hitting Wire to the back.
But on Ramos’ second kick attempt, blocked by FSU, the fine margins bit the Tigers.
FSU again sends two defenders (#38 Shyheim Brown and #5 Jared Verse) to Wire, but this time in a slightly different way. On the first kick, both defenders take a piece of Wire to roll him back. On the second, Brown takes Wire thicker through the middle of his body, and Verse sneaks up to block the barely-hindered kick.
“As for the basket, it came from the same left side,” Brian Kelly said after the game. “We made an adjustment after the [blocked] field goal and changed personnel, and that didn’t work out either. It’s on us. We need to do a better job of coaching.
The personnel change he is talking about is Wire coming out for No. 50 Emery Jones. FSU isn’t really trying to completely rush LSU the next two times the fielding unit is on the field for PATs done on LSU’s two touchdowns, but on the final PAT – as we all have seen – the Noles bring the heat and get the block.
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This time the pressure comes from a gap to the left between Jones and tight end Mason Taylor (#86), who plays wing at the end of the line of scrimmage for the Tigers. Verse keeps Jones busy this time, but when Florida State’s Kevin Knowles II (#3) rushes over the edge, Taylor widens to try and get a hold of him. The combination of the two things allowed Brown to go scot-free to win the match.
“It was the type of block [special teams coordinator John Papuchis] called who secured the block and was able to get it”, Brown said after the game. …”It’s because of Jared Verse and [Knowles] on the rim they bring the pressure to make my hole open straight. I was able to get through, shoot with both hands and block the kick.
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