North Texas came out in Week 0 with a nice game plan. This Red Zone wrinkle was particularly impressive. Quarterback Austin Aune has enough juice to be a running threat and this particular call was reminiscent of some of the things Seth Littrell did in his time at North Carolina with QB Marquise Williams. QB Counter with an RPO RB Rail out of the Backfield. If the defense fits Counter, throw the Rail. If the defense bails to Rail, keep Counter.
Formation Unbalanced to the Field (X is covered up)
H-Back Off
QB G/H Counter
RB Rail
QB Reads Leverage on the Rail while attacking downhill
Haters will say this is illegal man downfield, but they probably coach defense. I said this often in The Ultimate Guide to Counter, but the best way to run RPO tags with Counter is with G/H Counter. Ideally the Guard kicks out and the (eligible) H-Back climbs to the LB which prevents illegal man downfield. North Texas gets into a little bit of trouble when the Left Tackle Climbs to the Mike LB. Whenever you call an RPO, tell that “Deuce” Block to be a little more patient - don’t chase, wait to gather the LB when he comes to you.
All that being said, this is a nice little RZ play that can cause some confusion for the Defense.
