No Risk It, No Biscuit
11/16/2018 2:21:00 PM | Football
No Risk It, No Biscuit
On the third drive of the season opener at Illinois, head coach Sean Lewis called a play that would define the season and welcome in the new coaching staff. The ball was on the Illinois 44-yard line. It was fourth and nine, a down and distance in which most teams would punt.
But Lewis called a draw for sophomore quarterback Woody Barrett, and Barrett ran 20 yards up the middle to pick up the first down. Coach Lewis and junior center Nate Warnock both pointed to this same fourth down play in week one against Illinois. Lewis said this was the most important fourth down conversion of the season.
"We wanted to show the kids that we were going to go for it in those situations," said Lewis. "We ran the quarterback draw with Woody [Barrett] and he was able to convert. I think at that point in time it was fourth and eight or nine. That ultimately led to points which led to the first touchdown of the #FlashFAST era. That was the start of it. It turned our words into actions and our actions and beliefs into reality. Our kids knew that everything we had been saying and had been preaching was legit in that moment."
Warnock could tell immediately that this year was going to be different than years past. Not only was he in a completely different offense than a season ago, but he was transitioning from guard to center. And when the Flashes went for it on fourth and nine on the road against a power five team, Warnock was surprised to say the least.
"We didn't go for it on fourth down very much at all last year," said Warnock. "I'm usually used to going for it on fourth and one or fourth and two, but we are going for it on fourth and nine and still converting. It is just a really great feeling to keep the drive going and take the air out of the defense. Once you get the offense in fourth and nine, you're expecting a punt, but when we go for it and get it we kill the other team's mojo."
The new #FlashFAST offense has went for it on fourth down 21 times in 10 games this year. A year ago, the Flashes went for it just 20 times on fourth down the entire season with only four conversions. This season, Kent State has converted 13 fourth downs for a 62 percent success rate which ranks 28th in the country.
This increase in fourth down production is a direct reflection of the personality of Coach Lewis, who is willing to go for it any time he feels it gives the Flashes a chance to win. Lewis has confidence in the players to make plays, and they are proving that they can do so at a highly efficient rate.
"It tells me that our kids have a heightened sense of awareness when it comes to fourth down and that they understand the situation," said Lewis. "We want to pride ourselves in being situational masters whether that is third down, fourth down, one minute situations or redzone situations. It is a testament to the kids and the way in which they prepare. They know that it is another opportunity for them to make a play. They are buying into our philosophy of attacking and, for us, we can confidently call the game to win it because we know that the kids are going to be locked in and execute to the best of their ability."
Instilling in the player's minds that this new style of offense is the standard has been a priority for Lewis and this coaching staff since day one. Lewis has confidence in his guys and shows them that by putting the ball in their hands on fourth down and expecting them to make a play. Not only does the offense have to do their part, but if the offense fails the defense has to respond.
"It is huge to let them know that we believe in them and have a confidence in them," said Lewis. "It also speaks to how our defense goes about their business. Everyone looks at it from the offensive point of view, but there were those eight opportunities where we did not convert. Our defense comes out and they are ready to roll. No matter where the ball is put down, they are ready to compete. Because of that, it gives us confidence that all three phases are playing together and they can lift each other up whether they get the first down or not. We know that we are going to be fine, the family is not going to flinch and we are going to move on and play the next play whatever it might be."
The confidence that Lewis has in his players can be seen along the offense, and that motivates them to step their game up.
"It puts a lot of confidence in us for him to show us that he is confident putting the ball in our hands," said Warnock. "We have developed quite a bit since last year. Our offense is completely new. It just proves that the offense works when we put our mind to it. It doesn't matter if it's fourth and one or fourth and 21, if Coach Lewis wants to go for it we are going to get it. That's how I think of it."
This confidence and execution have led the Flashes to go for it 13 times on fourth down in the first five games, converting eight of their attempts. But after only going for it on fourth down once in the next two games, Lewis will be the first to say the team strayed away from who they are. Luckily, for Lewis and the rest of the coaching staff, they recognized it and corrected it.
"We just want to be true to who we are, and I want to be true to myself," said Lewis. "During the middle of the season, we kind of got away from who we are, what got our staff to this point and what gave our kids confidence in playing that way. I am glad that we realized it when we did. Since then we have jumped back into it and we were 50 percent against Buffalo and gave us a little bit of a spark. That is just one thing that you have to be true to who you are no matter what you are going to do. I'm glad that we got back to being true to ourselves."
Since going back to who they are, the Flashes have went for it on fourth down seven times in the last three games, converting five of those. If it were up to the players, they would go for it every time on fourth down.
"The kids want to go for it every single fourth down, which I love," said Coach Lewis. "I would rather have them being that way and have to pull them back than to get them going. Again, that shows me that they are completely bought in to what we are doing and our way of thinking about things."
Warnock and the rest of the players have bought in to the new coaching staff from day one, and they have proved that by following their coach and extending drives on fourth down to get points.
Extending drives with fourth down conversions has been another point of emphasis with the offense all year. Whether that be a fake field goal, a fake punt or the offense going out and picking up the first down, the Flashes offense turn those conversions into redzone opportunities more often than not.
"Converting those fourth downs are huge because it gives you another set of downs," said Lewis. "It allows you to extend the drive which gets you closer to the goal line to get points. And that is obviously the end goal. You want to score one more point than your opponent. Any time that you can get more points and more opportunities to score points, you are better off for it."
When they get redzone opportunities, they turn those into points 90 percent of the time which ranks 21st in the country. Twenty of the 28 times they have scored in the redzone have been touchdowns and freshman kicker Matthew Trickett is a perfect 8-for-8 on field goals from inside the redzone.
The Flashes are highly successful in the redzone this season in part because of their success on fourth down. With his first year as a head coach almost under his belt, Lewis has shown he's willing to do whatever it takes to win. If that means going for it on fourth down every game, he's going to go for it. And the players are right next to Lewis, ready and wanting to go for it every single time.
