It had been over a year since Stacy Sneed last found the end zone on a rush. Sneed’s most recent running touchdown was in the 2023 Rice game when he scored from 14 yards out late in the 4th quarter to get UH within a score. Last week, Sneed hit paydirt against the Owls again, this time from long distance.
In 2023’s Bayou Bucket, Stacy snaked through the middle of the field, breaking two tackles and getting in. Saturday was different, as he bounced to the right side and followed a critical downfield block by Joseph Manjack to go 65 yards.
“We talk about slow to it, fast through it,” Willie Fritz said Monday about running backs getting to the hole. Manjack helped turn a good run into a scoring play by waiting to engage the cornerback. “Manjack allowed that. Instead of being a 30-yard gain, it was a 65-yard touchdown because of him giving that extra effort,” Fritz said.
From UH’s 35 yard line, in man-to-man press coverage, Manjack knew he had to run the cornerback off the line and do it quickly. To get the defender out of Sneed’s way, he had to fake a move, then explode down the field. He released outside Rice’s Sean Fresch, keeping the defender on his inside hip for 15 yards downfield before engaging him.
“I ran him off, and the whistle hadn’t blown yet, so I attached to him,” Manjack said Tuesday. “He reacted, and I reacted with him.”
When #0 broke his stride to engage, the defender looked back towards the play, giving Manjack the chance to get position, mirroring the DB’s body in order drive him. That helped create a lane and tipped Sneed to go outside him. Fresch tried to break to the sideline, but with position, Manjack kept his feet moving downfield, continuing to drive the DB while his hands were inside the corner’s chest plate.
“The only way I can block him is if I get hands on him, my butt’s already to the sideline. Luckily, he was inside me, so all I had to do was stay in front of him or stay attached to him, and Stacy cleaned it up.”
Sneed said he understood the offensive line had to work double teams to get to the linebackers. “I’m basically just setting it up to bring the backers down to the o-line, and then I just make my move and bounce it,” Sneed said.
“With my speed, I don’t think they’re going to catch me.” According to UH Athletics Communications, Sneed hit 21.3 MPH on the run.
Manjack was in to block on 21 run plays against Rice, most among the receivers.
“I treat it as, if I have the ball in my hands, I would want someone blocking for me,” Manjack said. “So I’m gonna block my ass off as I expect my teammates to do the same.
“So it’s full circle, if everybody blocks, then someone gets in the end zone and that means the Coogs are winning.”