On the running up the middle, yes the Tice run, and several others this year were up the middle. However, the 4th quarter Tice run on 3rd down worked in part because we ran jet sweep action to at least threaten the outside run. It would be great if we didn't need all the "window dressing" but we do more often than not.
Also, after that long Tice run they lined up and ran a tired Tice into the line again. The average looks good but running Q there or rolling out and passing creates more problems for the D than throwing a tired back into the line.