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Topic: You're the OC/HC of any program you want - what offense are you using?

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OrangeAfroMan

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Re: You're the OC/HC of any program you want - what offense are you using?
« Reply #14 on: June 02, 2020, 12:59:45 AM »
Does anyone think there was a player/moment/season where HCs went from fearing for his QB's health to using them as a main ball-carrier (aside from traditional option teams, of course)?  Was it Harris at BG with Urban Meyer?  Someone before then?  


Pre-Tebow, there's Pat White (WV) and Brad Smith (MIZ) for sure.  I put Vince Young separately, because so many of his runs were scrambles.  I think most HCs would hate that, except for VY, the scrambles were obviously effective.

Josh Cribbs at Kent St.


Was there someone pre-mid 2000s?
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MaximumSam

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Re: You're the OC/HC of any program you want - what offense are you using?
« Reply #15 on: June 02, 2020, 07:07:51 AM »
Antwaan Randle El comes to mind
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Cincydawg

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Re: You're the OC/HC of any program you want - what offense are you using?
« Reply #16 on: June 02, 2020, 07:41:02 AM »
Obviously, back in the 30s and 40s, there was often little distinction between the RB and QB positions.

Ray Goff in 1975 ran the ball about ten times a game, designed plays.
« Last Edit: June 02, 2020, 08:11:18 AM by Cincydawg »
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CWSooner

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Re: You're the OC/HC of any program you want - what offense are you using?
« Reply #17 on: June 02, 2020, 10:49:20 AM »
The Split-T offense, started by Don Faurot at Missouri and popularized by Bud Wilkinson at OU, used the QB as a runner a lot, but it was an option-ish offense.
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OrangeAfroMan

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Re: You're the OC/HC of any program you want - what offense are you using?
« Reply #18 on: June 02, 2020, 11:29:23 AM »
I feel like option QBs could risk injury because they weren't great passers to begin with.  Most everyone ran the option in the 70s and into the 80s, where most teams broke away from it and started passing more in the 90s.

When that happened, it seems like HCs treated their QBs with kid gloves - (perhaps) over-valuing the pocket-passers and wishing they could put their QB in a green, no-hitting jersey in games.

But then that changed.  I know for certain Meyer threw his QBs to the wolves, but I'm not sure who did it before him, in the early 2000s or even the 90s maybe.  
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Cincydawg

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Re: You're the OC/HC of any program you want - what offense are you using?
« Reply #19 on: June 02, 2020, 12:47:39 PM »
A mobile QB is a nightmare for defenses, even today.  He doesn't have to run a designed play, but if can seriously scramble on a pass play, you almost need to spy on defense.

And the QB draw is always a threat.  A guy like Fields who is big and used to contact as well as elusive and unafraid if very tough to defend (duh, great insight CD).  

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OrangeAfroMan

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Re: You're the OC/HC of any program you want - what offense are you using?
« Reply #20 on: June 02, 2020, 01:01:28 PM »
Well I think Meyer utilized his QB as a running threat due to the numbers game.  Instead of the QB being a fragile piece you want out of harm's way, which virtually makes the game 11 defenders vs 10 on offense, he figured "No," it needs to be 11 on 11.

Running with the QB makes the RB an 'extra' blocker - extra when compared to traditional running plays.
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FearlessF

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Re: You're the OC/HC of any program you want - what offense are you using?
« Reply #21 on: June 02, 2020, 01:14:04 PM »
Tom Osborne and Barry Switzer understood this in the 70s
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OrangeAfroMan

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Re: You're the OC/HC of any program you want - what offense are you using?
« Reply #22 on: June 02, 2020, 02:34:44 PM »
Quote from: FearlessF on June 02, 2020, 01:14:04 PM
Tom Osborne and Barry Switzer understood this in the 70s
Right, but sometime between Red Blaik running the single-wing in the 40s with half the offense tossing the occasional forward pass and the option attacks of the 70s, with athleticism trumping arm talent, the passing QB became a thing.  And post-option college football held that thing on a pedestal...until it didn't. 

I'm just thinking about when it started taking passing QBs off that pedestal.  
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FearlessF

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Re: You're the OC/HC of any program you want - what offense are you using?
« Reply #23 on: June 02, 2020, 02:39:07 PM »
Switzer and Osborne didn't have many passing QBs, thanks to recruiting, but they had a few

Troy Aikman comes to mind
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OrangeAfroMan

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Re: You're the OC/HC of any program you want - what offense are you using?
« Reply #24 on: June 02, 2020, 02:40:07 PM »
Quote from: FearlessF on June 02, 2020, 02:39:07 PM
Switzer and Osborne didn't have many passing QBs, thanks to recruiting, but they had a few

Troy Aikman comes to mind
He's included in the 1985 Whoa Nellie team set for OU.  He was running that option, too, if you watch old videos, pre-injury.
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MaximumSam

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Re: You're the OC/HC of any program you want - what offense are you using?
« Reply #25 on: June 03, 2020, 07:36:16 AM »
Quote from: OrangeAfroMan on June 02, 2020, 01:01:28 PM
Well I think Meyer utilized his QB as a running threat due to the numbers game.  Instead of the QB being a fragile piece you want out of harm's way, which virtually makes the game 11 defenders vs 10 on offense, he figured "No," it needs to be 11 on 11.

Running with the QB makes the RB an 'extra' blocker - extra when compared to traditional running plays.
Absolutely.  It's not like the spread is rocket science - it's a lot of similar concepts to old option attacks just with guys spread out so there are fewer defenders in the middle of the field.
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Cincydawg

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Re: You're the OC/HC of any program you want - what offense are you using?
« Reply #26 on: June 03, 2020, 08:46:17 AM »
CFB oscillates, I think, between some basic concepts, QBs running fairly often and QBs running only on broken plays.  The read option is a useful device, I don't know when that started, or if it was used in the 40s.  Obviously the triple option was a read option, but I think most of the reading was after the snap.

I guess many plays are "read options" other than a simple handoff, and even there the QB is reading at the line.
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bayareabadger

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Re: You're the OC/HC of any program you want - what offense are you using?
« Reply #27 on: June 03, 2020, 12:10:12 PM »
Quote from: OrangeAfroMan on June 02, 2020, 11:29:23 AM
I feel like option QBs could risk injury because they weren't great passers to begin with.  Most everyone ran the option in the 70s and into the 80s, where most teams broke away from it and started passing more in the 90s.

When that happened, it seems like HCs treated their QBs with kid gloves - (perhaps) over-valuing the pocket-passers and wishing they could put their QB in a green, no-hitting jersey in games.

But then that changed.  I know for certain Meyer threw his QBs to the wolves, but I'm not sure who did it before him, in the early 2000s or even the 90s maybe. 
It's hard to get an overall read because by the time the option was fully getting chased out (late 90s), the run spreads were starting up with Northwestern and Clemson under Rich Rod.

But they have kind of variations. Are we talking high-usage QBs? Medium-usage QBs next to a single high-usage tailback? QBs next to a fleet of medium-to-low-usage tailbacks? It gets wonky. 
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