Rosen really is good, but I have a hard time thinking he'll duplicate that again.
UT fans had attached a phrase to Chief when they shipped him to us, "3rd and Chavis." That never really manifested itself at LSU, but we did experience what came to be known as "late and Chavis," referring to having a lead, perhaps even a comfortable one, and switching the defense late from the aggressive look that's been working into a clock-draining exercise which trades yards for time. Sometimes it did what it was supposed to do, but it also cost us some games, notably the '12 Alabama game. It's not a prevent, technically, it's just a deviation of the base where the corners start playing 5-7 deeper than they have been, typically with safeties back, and the front not pressuring as hard, giving all their focus to lanes, keeping backs in front of them, and preferably not getting out of bounds. It mostly prevents big plays and does eat up clock, the problem being that if you hurry and the QB can catch fire when not under pressure, it can also be ate up quickly down the field.
I saw it again in that game, and while the mind-boggling offensive decisions Aggie made were unfamiliar, that defensive shell they crawled into was not. Aggie basically said "Here, have at it, we just don't think there's enough time left." I guess Chief also was expecting some first downs from his offense.
I just have to wonder if Rosen is going to get more gifts like that.
