NCAA 2004 game and playcalling

Cafe Society
1

This was almost a Pit thread, but I decided even I’m not that pathetic. Anyway, what is the deal with the run/pass ratio in these football games? I could be talking about Madden, too, but that’s for another time. The problem? The computer passes the ball, and this is a conservative estimate, 3 out of 4 plays. This isn’t so bad if I’m playing Texas Tech, or Hawaii, or something, but about 20 minutes ago Auburn came out flingin’ the rock around like Steve Spurrier was running things. Do they think this is how real football is played?

Actually, I know for a fact that they don’t think this is how Auburn plays football, because if you start a “Dynasty” mode with Auburn, and go to the coaching screen, they have their offensive strategies at like 65% run. So what the hell? Do they play-test these games, or what? Shouldn’t a team whose coaching preferences are set to run the ball ACTUALLY RUN THE BALL? It’s pretty damn infuriating (especially when you’re a degenerate addict like me) when you’re all set for a good matchup against, say, Virginia Tech, and they come out flinging the ball on every first down. For the love of all that is good and holy, man, THAT’S KEVIN JONES BACK THERE! GIVE HIM THE ROCK!

Plus, the teams that do love running the ball IRL, (Auburn, Notre Dame, Air Force, etc) usually have QB’s who aren’t real good throwers, because the system requires an athlete more than a thrower. Well, when Jason Campbell, Auburn quarterback, throws 50 times in a game, guess what? He’s gonna throw some picks, and the whole balance of the game is lost, so I can either bump up the difficulty so they throw for 600 yards and 8 touchdowns, or win every game by sixty.

A secondary problem, which really only affects the real sickos like me, who live for statistics, is that every single team I ever play with ends up being 1st in the nation in rush defense, at about negative six yards a game, and just above Duke in pass defense, at like 280 yards a game.

Does everyone else’s game do this to them? Am I the only one who cares? I’d just like to know that somewhere out there, there’s a disturbed individual like me who just wants the other team to run the freaking ball every now and then.

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I am there with you Jimmy. I don’t have '04 yet, but I was dying for them to run the damn ball. In my version they will only run at the beginning of the game. If I stuff them they give it up right away. The only way to keep the AI running the ball is to allow them good gains in the first few carries. Then they seem to keep a better balance.

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I try that sometimes, too. Thing is, they have to actually run the ball for me to let them gain yards. Actually, I bump up their run blocking and running ability just so maybe they’ll get the hint. Still, even if I let them get 10 yards a carry, they’ll go back to the chuck’n’duck. It’s gotten to the point where I think I’d like it if somebody ran the ball 40 times for 400 yards against me.

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I’m with you as well. I don’t have NCAA, but I have Madden 03 and am playing almost nonstop. Same story, I’m way out in front in rushing D, but dead last in passing D.

I think it’s just an AI flaw. When you get ahead by about 14-21, the AI just starts flinging it like Spurrier. I haven’ seen the excessive passing in tight games, but as soon as the computer falls behind, you can expect about a 90/10 pass/run ratio.

I give up > 300 yds to just about any QB on Madden 03. Usually the line is like 32-75 for 425 yds with 3 tds and 4 INTs.

I’ve given up on ever shutting a team out or holding them to under 100 yds passing (both of which win you bonuses in Madden).

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My experience matches fruitbat’s: The AI will run to start the game but stops soon after taking a few negative plays. Surprisingly, I have had 8, 10, even a 14-sack game with no noticeable deterent to passing. And I don’t even blitz that much.

The one exception for me is the option, which even non-option teams seems to bust out in the second half of games.

Jimmy C., since you are an obvious player, can I hijack your thread to ask for your thoughts on:

(1) Successfully running sweeps (I can’t except on the goal line)

(2) Successfully running screens (I struggle)

(3) Recruiting in dynasty mode (what matters most); and

(4) Off-season training in dynasty mode (does playing time help? does anything?)

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My thoughts on…

It seems to me that the defensive players’ speed and reaction time is too fast to really run the sweep. However, the little success I’ve had on running at the edges comes when the defense is in man, and I clear out that side by motioning my receiver over. In other words, if they have no cornerback to the side I’m running at. If you get that matchup, hopefully to the wide side of the field, you can usually get to the corner, and pick up a couple blocks for a good gain. If you try to run at the cornerback, though, he’ll get you or slow you enough to bring help 99% of the time. I usually audible out of any kind of toss or sweep if the defense has that side zoned up, or if the safety is out there.

If you mean your receivers just have the ball bounce off their hands, me too. As for picking up yards with screens, it’s about a 50/50 proposition, in my experience. Like the sweep, a screen IRL should catch most of the defense out of position or just too far away, but in the game they all can get off blocks and chase you down. What I do is kind of keep dropping back 5-10 yards, and look over at the guy I’m trying to throw the screen to. If he’s got a nice cushion, I’ll fire it to him. If not, I just throw it away or bomb it to the other receiver (most screens in the game have at least one other receiver running a pattern). I don’t ever run the tunnel screens or the bubble screens, because they never catch the ball. I like the ones where one receiver just stands there, not bubbling away or anything. Screens to the running backs work better, I think, because the blockers form a better wall.

Well, I go to FSU, so I’m usually them in dynasty mode. In that case, prestige rules the day. When I have a less prestigious program, I try to stick to in-state or nearby prospects and pitch location. If that doesn’t work, I look at the position, and pick either style or playing time, depending on which is more applicable. I think coaching style only helps if you really focus on one thing or another- if you throw alot, receivers will be digging it, etc. In order of most effective, it seems to go prestige (only if you’re 4 or more stars, though), location, playing time, coaching style. The thing is, I don’t think pitching prestige can ever hurt you unless you’re a real small school, and location can’t hurt you if you recruit in-state. The only pitch that can really hurt you, in my experience, is playing time. “Freddy is concerned about our depth at DE,” is a pretty common result. So, basically, if you’ve got a big program, go prestige, if not, go location, and then just try whatever seems to fit if they don’t respond to those two.

I think the players’ improvements might be based partially on how good you were at that position the year before. FSU’s offensive linemen always seem to end up around 90 overall by the time they’re in line to start. The game might be basically trying to make teams approximately equal talentwise from year to year. I don’t think playing time matters for the offseason training (more on that in a second). The only thing I’ve really noticed is that players who come into camp as the starter (highest rating at whatever position, I mean), improve a great deal. I’m not positive about this part, but I think part of the ratings improvements from year to year might actually happen during the season, and so playing time could be a part of that. I could easily be wrong there, though.

I really play this game too much. The worst part is that with that EA Sports Bio, the total amount of time I’ve spent on that and Madden is right there staring me in the face. I didn’t need to know I was that far gone.

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Thanks, Jimmy. It sounds like your experiences are a lot like mine.

One other thing I find a bit odd is the uneven quality of teams. I’m a Big Ten guy, and I find that the difference between top-25 quality teams and Ohio State to be absolutely enormous – even four and five years into a dynasty league. I can throttle the top-25ers but get into dogfights every game in the 'Shoe.