All the cool kids run the spread

by HenryJames on Oct 24, 2007 1:06 PM CDT in Texas Longhorns and Other Football

There are different variations of the spread. Urban Meyer uses the spread option at Florida, but other teams spread the field without adding the option element. The option element is what makes it so dangerous.

"It's not that big a deal unless your quarterback is a runner, because then it's just shotgun offense," said USC coach Pete Carroll. "If your quarterback is a runner, then it takes on different dimensions."

'The Brother from Another ~~Planet~~ Dimension.'

However, the key for both is getting your playmakers the ball in space and making the defense defend the entire field. What's interesting to me is how teams are defending Florida's version.

"If you take away the deep ball you at least give your defense a chance, not to stop it but control it," says Florida receiver Percy Harvin. That's what Ole Miss did earlier this year in a 30-24 loss to the Gators. Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen says he'd try dropping eight and keeping everything in front of the defense. Neither of these worked too well for Ohio State last year.

Florida would rather run than pass so any team is going to have to focus on stopping the run first. A lot of what Florida does is dictated by how many people the defense puts in the box so teams have to disguise what they're doing. Because Florida uses a lot of option as well as misdirection, the defensive players have to know their assignments and be patient. Above all the defense has to tackle well.

And what happens if you don't do any of these things?

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Back in the ’30s, everybody ran the single wing. The northern teams generally focused on running plays, and the southern teams would throw it around a lot. The advantage of the single wing was that you could get a long gainer now and then. The disadvantage was that all of the pitching of the football led to a lot of turnovers.

Then the “T” was invented, where the key play involved the QB under center, gliding along the line, reading the blocks for the best way to run the ball. He would keep, hand off to a FB, or hand off to a halfback. The QB was like a point guard. The “T” formation brought a steady, consistent running game and dramatically reduced turnovers. Within 10 years everybody except Tennessee and a few minor programs were running the “T”. In that transition time, a lot of older coaches at big programs (Bible) retired, and a bunch of new coaches started legendary careers (Wilkinson, Royal).

I think the spread is having a similar effect. It’s taking over college football, and the innovative coaches are not yet done developing it.

by TaylorTRoom on Oct 25, 2007 6:51 AM CDT reply actions