• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Her Loyal Sons

A Notre Dame Football Blog

  • Home
  • Discord
  • ND Bowl Tie-Ins
  • Merch
  • Extra Life
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • RSS
Home > Notre Dame Football > Inside the Film Room > Purdue Review: Using the “Slash” Concept in the Red Zone

Purdue Review: Using the “Slash” Concept in the Red Zone

September 14, 2014 by Blog Davie

Corey Robinson

With Notre Dame clinging to a three-point lead late in the third quarter against the Boilermakers, Everett Golson connected with Corey Robinson for a 15-yard touchdown. The touchdown was Robinson’s first of the season and is a good example of how Notre Dame uses the “Slash” concept in the red zone.

What is the Slash concept?

Slash is a two-man route combination. The outside receiver runs a seven-yard hitch approximately one yard from the sideline while the inside receiver runs a “Bow” route, i.e., an angled seam route, 15 yards deep and five yards from the sideline. The quarterback reads the boundary corner. If the corner drops to cover the Bow route, the quarterback should throw the hitch; if the corner plays shallow, the quarterback should throw to the inside receiver on the Bow. Like the “Smash” concept, Slash is particularly effective against Cover 2 defenses because it vertically stretches the corner.

Let’s take a look at Robinson’s touchdown.

Slash 1-1

On 1st & 10 from the Purdue 15, the Irish line up in a 3×2 empty formation with Robinson and running back Greg Bryant lined up to the boundary. The Boilermakers line up in a two-high shell with soft corners. Given the defensive alignment, Golson’s pre-snap read is likely Cover 2 or Cover 4.

Slash 2

Slash 4-1

Purdue drops into a two-deep, five-under zone defense. The boundary corner is playing soft and gets caught momentarily leaning toward the hitch route underneath as Robinson heads for the goal line.

Slash 5

Golson recognizes that Robinson has the corner beat and makes a back-shoulder throw to keep the safety from making a play on the ball. The safety is late breaking on the ball, and the 5’11” corner is no match for the 6’4″ Robinson. Strike up the Victory Clog.

Conclusion

Slash is a great concept that fits Brian Kelly’s philosophy of attacking the boundary. It allows big targets like Robinson or Ben Koyack to run fade routes without having to beat press coverage at the line of scrimmage, and it can create favorable mismatches for the Irish offense. Look for Notre Dame to continue using Slash in the red zone as the season progresses.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Blog Davie
Just living life one quarterback draw at a time.
Latest posts by Blog Davie (see all)
  • Purdue Review: Using the “Slash” Concept in the Red Zone - September 14, 2014
  • Rice Review: A Look at the “Pistol Zeer” - August 31, 2014
  • Irish Archives: “Comeback” out of the “Rip” Formation - July 9, 2014

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Filed Under: Inside the Film Room, Notre Dame Football Tagged With: Corey Robinson, Everett Golson

About Blog Davie

Just living life one quarterback draw at a time.

Previous Post: « Shamrock Series Predictions
Next Post: HLS TV (Episode 3): Notre Dame’s a Survivor »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. trey

    September 14, 2014 at 11:53 pm

    He should have had two. He absolutely had his arm held on his second attempt.

    I ran into Corey’s daddy in the Indy airport, incidentally. He’s always great to talk to and very welcoming.

Primary Sidebar

Latest Podcast

Click here to support the pod!

Recent Posts

The Cowboy Beebop "See You Space Cowboy" ending title frame with the HLS logo.

Epilogue

HLS Podcast Finale

Manti Te'o Faux Cover

The Final Fiesta: Notre Dame vs Oklahoma State NCAA ’14 Sim

Penultimate Picks Pod

2021 Bowl Picks: Week 2

Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework · Login

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.