Step #3: Making the QB throw a good pass:

The last step in this equation is getting the QB to throw a pass that is appropriate for the coverage that we're facing. In the section above I outlined some general ideas about where you want to place the ball on various routes, and in this section I will conclude with some basic guidelines for executing that on the field.

Throwing the deep lob pass is one of the hardest things to master on NCAA '08 (especially for those of us on 360 who haven't received the new patch yet). As you've all probably heard by now, the main key to throwing the deep lob is to be as stationary as possible when you throw the ball, and if possible to actually step up in the pocket. There are a couple other things that you need to consider. A lot of times, getting the lob throw is also based heavily on timing and the type of route that you're trying to throw. I have noticed that some routes, like posts and corners, are easier to get the lob throw on than others, like streaks and wheel routes. The key to getting the lob pass on this game is to wait until the WR is fairly far downfield before you throw it. A lot of times it's simply a timing thing, where if you try to throw it too early (particularly on streaks and corners), the QB will simply refuse to throw a lob pass regardless of what else you do. This is yet another area where practice becomes important to get a feel for long you have to let each route develop before you throw the ball, because each route can have a different feel as far as the timing goes.

The second element, aside from the deep lob, is getting the QB to lead the receiver correctly. One of the other things that people struggle with is the way that precision passing now works (or as some argue, doesn't work). The main tip that I've picked up on this is that lead passing is most useful if you just pick one axis (deep/short, left/right) and go with that. In real life, you would want to throw a corner route both deep and to the outside, but on the game I've found that it works a lot better to just lead to the outside. If you try to do both, a lot of times the QB seems to do neither. Most of the time, I focus primarily on just leading to one side or the other on the deeper routes, and I just depend on the QB's natural throw to continue to lead the receiver downfield. The main key that I want to accomplish is to make sure that the ball is put in an area where the WR is the only one that has a chance to catch it.

The final tip is not really related to the throw, but I put it in this section because it kind of fits. One of the other things that people really struggle with is the user catch. On the last-gen consoles, we were all used to being able to take a receiver, run to the circle, and jump over the DB to make the catch. This is now a lot harder to do on next-gen, but I've discovered one tip that seems to help. Rather than waiting until you get to the circle to press the catch button, I've discovered that you can actually trigger better jump animations by pressing and holding the jump button as you approach the circle. This tends to work especially well on jump balls towards the endzone with taller or more athletic receivers. The one thing to note with this is that it doesn't seem to work nearly as well during online play. Not sure if it's the lag or what the issue is. But take some time in practice mode and try throwing lobs from the 30 yard line into the endzone with a good jump-ball receiver against single coverage. Press and hold the catch button for several steps as you approach the circle, and you should notice the receiver making a more aggressive jump animation to try and catch the ball.

That concludes my tips for throwing the deep ball on NCAA Football 08. As you can see, it is a somewhat complicated process, but then football is a complicated game. Personally, I find it somewhat rewarding that the game forces you to put your time in the lab to hone a precision passing game, rather than allowing anybody with a pulse to user catch streaks all game.