Only two incompletions!

Only Two Incompletions!

ONLY TWO INCOMPLETIONS!

Maybe you've heard that phrase a lot since Saturday night, and probably with good reason, it's a really impressive stat. The more I heard it though, I started to wonder what is the difference between a really good game and a perfect game. I decided to dig a little deeper into Zach Wilson's two incompletions to find out just where things went wrong on his quest for perfection. Did our sure-handed receivers drop the ball? Did stellar defense get in the way? Was poor play-calling to blame? Or was Zach just not up the the task?

We'll jump right into the analysis with the first incomplete pass of the day when the game was still interesting and BYU was worried about making good plays. 6:56 left in the 2nd quarter, score at 14-7. I watched this play about 30 times, but still couldn't see all the details because the default camera angle doesn't show hardly any of the downfield action. My best guesses as to the development are as follows.

Milne comes in motion from left leaving that side of the field empty. He ends up running a slant or post and then scramble-drills into a comeback toward the sideline. Pau'u on right runs post or fly route about 5-yds ahead of Milne (can't see where he ends up going.) Wheat is in the Hback spot and only blocks on this play. Katoa starts behind Wilson is faked the hand off then runs out to field flat, but gets tripped up by linemen.

Wilson gets the snap and looks right (first read must be to Pau'u), Neil is the ONLY receiver beyond the LOS, and as such has the attention of at least three LATech defenders. Wilson's next look is to Katoa, but he isn't there. One of the D-lineman seems to have thought that Katoa actually had the ball and wrapped him up as he passed. (I think this play may actually be a designed screen to Katoa, with the first read being a fake-out for the safeties, if so, big props to that defender who unknowingly or knowingly blew it up).

You can see Wilson look around toward the field side for a second or two, trying to see where Katoa went. He either sees him on the ground or just realizes his clock is ticking and so he looks back right and starts to scramble. Only problem is, there's only two receivers out there and at least four defenders swarming around them. As he nears the sideline he targets Milne about 13 yds downfield with a perfect pass to his chest, but the LAtech defender hits him as the throw comes in (or right after the catch) and he drops the pass. It's hard to see exactly what happens because a camera guy is right in the way of the main view there, but I think the defender actually hits the ball out of Milne's hands as he pushes him out of bounds.

So as far as Zach is concerned, that is basically a perfect pass (while scrambling), right where it needed to be (not at all intercept-able) and just some superb defense and/or perhaps a little lapse in concentration from Milne. If the play doesn't get blown up, then it's an easy completion to Katoa in the flat. I'm comfortable calling this a completion as far as Zach is concerned, he did everything right and just too many things went wrong to overcome (but he still almost did overcome it).

Just one more pass before we can know if Zach is actually the perfect quarterback!!

This one comes in at 7:30 in the 3rd with BYU up 35-7, so we're nearing garbage time (if it hasn't already started). Two wide right, one left (Milne) Algiers at his left hip, TE as Hback. Wilson just watches Milne on this play, who runs a comeback or back shoulder throw on the boundary side. A linebacker does a bit of a delayed stunt and pops out from behind some linemen at the last second, jumps in the air and bats down the pass.

It goes down in the game log as an incomplete pass to Milne, but being batted down at the line is a different thing. However after intensive review, there's nobody else to blame but Zach. Whether it was a lack of effort or concentration, or just an innocent mistake, a super human capable of perfection could have done it better.

I think at this point he was starting to turn down the intensity and focus just a little. He stares at one receiver, he doesn't pump fake, his footwork is fine, but there's no intensity or care behind this throw. If that linebacker misses his flailing arm, then the pass is probably a completion, but it's Zach's job to get it beyond the LOS, which he doesn't here and just a little more attention to detail could have made for completed pass here. He was locked on and went to Milne, but if he sees that linebacker and decides not to throw down that lane then he could have gone to the tight end who ran a slant, or either of the two wides on the right who did some kind of weave or screen together (I think).

So all in all, no he wasn't perfect, and yes it was close, but I think there's still room for improvement. Even if we're really splitting hairs. Zach still did play a heckuva game. If you want to judge those plays for yourself, go watch the game replay and let me know what you think happened on those plays.