FILM ROOM: How well did Stephen Johnson play? Every pass play dissected
Stephen Johnson.
Only say the name and you're bound to evoke a powerful range of emotions from any Kentucky fan listening. Football fans and pundits always have strong opinions on quarterbacks, but how informed are those opinions by reality versus perceptions?
Cats Illustrated went back over the film of Saturday's game, several times, and here breaks down every single passing play and how Stephen Johnson performed.
Pass Play 1: On the game’s first play Stephen Johnson completed a beautiful comeback route to Kayaune Ross, hitting his outside shoulder with precision having released the pass before Ross turned to locate the ball. He effectively threw to the spot with the right touch and trusted his receiver to make the play. Johnson fitted the ball nicely between the corner, from whom Ross had gained two yards of separation, and the linebacker who had showed blitz but drifted back into coverage. Throwing outside prevented the possibility of an interception so it was a good, accurate, safe pass.
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Pass Play 2: On 3rd and 13, on the game’s first drive, Johnson dropped back with nice protection initially. Garrett Johnson, Charles Walker and Kayaune Ross were running routes downfield. Benny Snell set up to help right tackle George Asafo-Adjei in protection, but a delayed blitz from USM’s Racheem Booth wasn’t recognized quickly enough by center Bunchy Stallings. Johnson did get rid of the ball but Stallings’ missed assignment led to a hurry and incompletion that ended the drive. The picture illustrates Stallings is late leaving his double to pick up the blitz. It seems like Johnson's best throw might have been Walker, who the camera pictures as having a slight step, but Johnson had already moved through his reads.
Pass Play 3: Johnson throws a deep route to Garrett Johnson but there was double coverage, including very close coverage from Curtis Mikell, and the ball was thrown on too much of a straight line for Johnson to have a chance to go up and make a play on it. The ball probably could have used more arc. The protection was solid across the board but Nick Haynes was bull rushed and Johnson felt some pressure after he was tossed aside.
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Pass Play 4: Solid protection, though an edge rusher did turn the corner and force Johnson to step up in the pocket. Johnson sensed an opening an effectively stepped forward, cut outside and moved the chains on the ground. At this point in the game the Southern Miss defensive line is doing a lot of movement, twisting guys around, throwing a lot of confusing looks early in the snap at the UK offensive line.
Pass Play 5: Looked like an RPO with Conrad going over the middle of the field. All three Southern Miss linebackers converged on the box when they saw Kentucky’s offensive line down blocking and Snell leaning his head forward as if to plow between the tackles. This turned into a shallow crossing route for C.J. Conrad, and Johnson fit the ball perfectly between two defenders right into Conrad. Last year sometimes the ball was a bit too high in this situation. On this attempt Johnson and Conrad had perfect timing and Johnson didn’t have to put the ball high on an arc, he put it more on a line between the converging defenders who were farther out wide and late converging because the inside linebackers were inching up to stop Snell. This play will be open all year. In the photo above, see how clear the passing lane and middle of the field becomes with the right timing and play action.
Pass Play 6: Snell went in motion to Johnson’s right before the snap and slipped out into the flat but was covered well enough. Walker and Bone, lined up left, both ran short out routes towards the sideline and were in the same spot so easily defended. Johnson patiently waited for Tavin Richardson to move behind the defense and made the right read but sailed the ball well over his head. He had an open pocket to go through his reads, although Racheem Booth did sneak by George Asafo-Adjei at the last moment, but this was just a poor throw. It would have at least moved the chains and could have been a huge play.
Pass Play 7: Sihiem King again motions and runs into the flat but Johnson looks for Juice on a little curl route over the middle of the field and in between defenders. It was the right read, put on point, and allowed Johnson to turn upfield and pick up the first down and almost a big play. There was a huge passing lane making this an easy throw to either Johnson or Walker, but the pass to Juice was the right decision because he had more open field if the ball was accurately thrown allowing him to turn up, which it was.
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Pass Play 8: Screen to Clevan Thomas. Well thrown ball, put in a position for Thomas to make a play. Bone didn’t block especially well.
Pass Play 9: Snell lined up behind Johnson in the pistol, Conrad to the right side. Offensive line downblocks, Mason Wolfe pulls over to the left side. USM only had five guys in the box with nickel personnel and Kentucky spreading the field with three wide receivers. Johnson sold the play fake very well, Conrad stayed low and sold the blocking motion very well before finally releasing when no linebacker was anywhere near his catch radius. He dragged defenders five yards into the end zone. USM was playing zone coverage and note the safety having to account for the wide receiver at the top of the screen.
Pass Play 10: Snell lined up off center right beside Johnson, Kentucky’s offensive line picked up the USM blitz well. Meadows and Young neutralized the pass rush and gave Johnson time to drop back, the receivers time to get down field, and Johnson put one perfectly on point downfield to Charles Walker on a seam with a corner playing about a yard off and a linebacker trailing the play from behind. He made the right read throwing to Walker on the inside because the inside linebacker had come on the blitz opening up a passing lane in the middle of the field and he had single coverage with the broadest space. Pictured above, a perfectly thrown seam route to Walker, with the ball thrown inside and away from the trailing defender.
Pass Play 11: From the gun with Snell in the backfield and four receivers out, Johnson takes the snap and a very nice pocket forms. UK’s line picks up the first blitzer but Haynes is late getting to the second. He needed to take the man head on and get into him but instead he looked like he saw he was beat and didn’t want to get called for a hold, so he pulled back and watched as Johnson was flushed out and sacked on the delayed second blitz. From a limited vantage point Johnson could have hit Walker on a crossing pattern but it’s tough to tell. Meadows was flagged for a hold but it was declined. Pictured above, see Haynes late picking up the delayed blitz that results in a sack.
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Pass Play 12: No tight end blocking help, Kentucky’s line picks up the blitz fairly well but Meadows gives up some pressure to an edge rush and that causes Johnson to release quickly on a deep route to Tavin Richardson inside the five yard line (from around midfield on 2nd and long). It was the right throw and very good considering the pressure, because the safety was caught behind the play by a couple of yards and he had, effectively, single coverage. The ball was placed right into Richardson’s hands and could have been a huge catch near the goal line in the last minute of the half, but for a really good defensive play by Curtis Mikell the cornerback. An aside, but Mikell was simply better than any of Kentucky’s receivers on Saturday. Above, see the ball perfectly placed in Richardson's hands deep down inside USM's 5 yard line.
Pass Play 13: On 3rd and 18 with the half winding down in USM territory, Kentucky opts for the conservative screen to Isaiah Epps. They send Mason Wolfe out to cut the defensive back who is trying to fight through Charles Walker’s block. That springs Epps to pick up the pass but he’s cut down about six yards shy of the chains. Above, see the Walker-Wolfe double that effectively eliminates the inside defensive back (with Stenberg almost there to help as well). That left open the outside corner, however.
Pass Play 14: On the first play of the second half, with Snell in the backfield and Conrad in the H, Johnson is given a tremendous pocket but he misses Kayaune Ross down the left sideline about 15 yards from scrimmage. Ross definitely had room to make a catch and a well-placed ball would have been an easy first down and big gain to start the half. In real time it probably looked like Johnson just made a very errant throw. It was certainly an uncatchable ball, but a closer look shows it was off the mark towards the sideline, away from defensive back Kelsey Douglas, who was providing double coverage. There’s no question Johnson was making the throw while trying to minimize the possibility of an interception because on that route it would have been a pick six, but he also had more room than it seems he accounted for. This throw was similar to the first play of the game, only deeper (same route, first play of each half).
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Pass Play 15: Kentucky shows four receivers with one, Conrad, on the inside and motioning towards the line. At the snap Conrad cuts in and doubles the defensive end with Meadows (RT). Snell leads Johnson as he rolls the pocket to the right side. Snell comes back and makes a very solid block on a pass rusher who appeared to be unabated to Johnson’s blind side, allowing Johnson to throw on the run to Walker. It was an incompletion but only by a couple of inches. That’s a hard throw but Walker probably had enough space to make a more accurate throw without risking a pick. By this point it seems like a trend on the incompletions is developing: Johnson is trying to keep the ball as far away from the defender as possible, perhaps at the expense of making the most accurate throw possible.
Pass Play 16: On 1st and 10 with under six minutes to play in the third quarter, on the first play of Kentucky’s drive, the Cats show two tight ends with Conrad on the line right of Meadows (RT) and Hart in the ‘H’ on the right side as well. Snell has returned to the game. Hart goes into the left flat with Snell coming up in pass protection while Johnson rolls left and finds Conrad, who has come over on a crossing pattern all the way left of the opposite hash towards the sideline. This play call was particularly impressive because Snell had just returned following an injury so was an effective decoy, as was Hart, who drew two linebackers in coverage. One linebacker trailed Conrad, but he showed impressive speed on his route and the defender wasn’t able to close. It was an accurate throw on the move from Johnson throwing across his body. See above image.
Pass Play 17: On the first Kentucky offensive play of the fourth quarter, with the Cats starting farther back in their own territory than ever before to that point, Johnson passed on first down. It was a quick play action pass to Johnson in the slot with the defensive back giving plenty of cushion so Johnson took the easy eight yards on first down.
Pass Play 18: In a more obvious passing situation, 1st and 20 following the hold on Landon Young, Johnson drops back and forces an ill-advised throw into Greg Hart and double coverage. The ball was in there but incomplete because Hart was drilled as soon as he got his hands on it. Johnson had to rush the throw because Meadows was beat by a speed rusher on the right side. Sihiem King picked up a blitz very well. Johnson had to get rid of the ball or take a sack, but in this case. It wasn’t necessarily a bad throw or a bad read because of the pressure. He had to get rid of it and it could have been a catch.
Pass Play 19: On 2nd and 20, the very next play, King releases on a pass route while Kentucky’s offensive line gives Stephen Johnson all day to make a deep throw down the sideline to Isaiah Epps on the outside. The ball wasn’t catchable but Epps didn’t have any separation and the other receivers were crossing on the other side of the field and didn’t appear to be especially open either.
Pass Play 20: Johnson tossed a shovel pass to Benny Snell on 3rd and 20 of the same drive. It was well executed and picked up some yards but not the first down.
Pass Play 21: On first down of the next drive, after Courtney Love recovered a fumble, Johnson threw to Tavin Richardson wide at the line of scrimmage off play action with Snell. The corner was giving a cushion and UK picked up a few yards.
Pass Play 22: On 3rd and 10 after the last play’s presnap penalty Landon Young gave Johnson good protection and he had the pocket to comfortably make a deep throw to Isaiah Epps. He could have made a play on the ball if it wasn’t overthrown but he put the ball out of reach. This was overthrown.
Pass Play 23: On a crucial 3rd and 11 following a false start penalty, Johnson is given a nice pocket and short hops the ball to Charles Walker on a comeback. However, Walker was being held on the route and the penalty was called, giving Kentucky an automatic first down. If Johnson knew Walker was being interfered with and put the ball in the air there to draw the flag then it was a stroke of genius, and fortunate, but if that wasn’t in his mind then it was a poor throw because he had time, Walker was in front of the sticks and it was inaccurate.
Pass Play 24: The route concepts are unclear but what is clear is that Johnson didn’t have much time because Haynes was absolutely dominated by a bullrush straight into the backfield, pushed backwards straight into the quarterback’s lap. Johnson did manage to escape the pocket to the left side and scramble close to a first down but he was tackled short.
