Offense

How did 2017 Auburn drop 40 Points on Georgia?

by Jake Hubenak | @hubenak_j

In 2017, Auburn faced a Georgia team that was ranked #1 in the country at the time and was moments away from winning a National Championship. Georgia’s defense gave up 295 YPG and 16.4 PPG and Auburn handed them the first of their two losses that season. So how was Auburn able to put up 40 points and 488 total yards against a team that was more physically talented than them? Motion and tempo. 

Auburn used some sort of motion or tempo on about 90% of their plays and were able to eventually wear down and confuse this talented Georgia defense. Although, Auburn didn’t score their first touchdown until 4 minutes remaining in the 2nd quarter, they stuck with their game plan, protected the football, and eventually blew open the game against one of the best defensive coaches in college football.

Formation Unbalanced - Double Post

Auburn’s First TD

  • Tempo after a first down on their own sideline

  • Georgia defense late on subs and communication

  • Motion causes miscommunication between safety and nickel

  • Double post clears out nickel and occupies backside safety

  • No frontside safety help (caused by confusion) allows for 1 on 1 throw to the outside post for a TD

Split Zone - Arrow Screen

Split Zone - Bluff Keep

Two Different Versions of Split Zone Read

  • Bread and butter play throughout the game

  • Simple read for QB and allows him to play fast and decisive

  • Using different personnel to attack the defense (WR on arrow route/FB to block extra defender)

  • Motion helps QB see the numbers advantage

  • 1st clip, defense adjusts and loses track of the WR back across the OL, QB recognizes numbers to the field

  • 2nd clip, no adjustment and just a straight DE read for the QB with a hat for a hat in the box

Formation Unbalanced - Jet PA RB Throwback Screen

The Dagger TD

  • Have a little fun with it!

  • Jet motion with PA sweep fake

  • Full flow following the PA to get defense chasing

  • Great patience by the RB to allow defense to commit before slipping out

Georgia was the most talented team on the field that day and it showed when Auburn tried to line up and run their base offense. The run game wasn’t as productive and the QB was moved off of his spot time after time. This isn’t to say not to run your base offense, but you also have to understand when you are at a talent disadvantage and help put your players in the best position to win. Auburn put together a great game plan and trusted their guys to go out and execute. 

Motion and Tempo can be the great equalizer!

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QB G/H Counter RPO

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.

TE Leak

What is the most consistently WIDE OPEN pass play against the most sophisticated defenses in football? Based on what I’ve seen, the answer is TE Leak. Somehow, even the most dominant defenses tend to loose track of the TE off a hard Wide Zone fake. Here, the Bills shift the TE to Strong I Rt. They run Wide Zone Lead with the Fullback which is designed to create extra gaps to the playside. The Linebackers and Strong Safety flow to Wide Zone, while the TE Leaks across the formation on a Shallow.

  • Shift to I Rt. with Y-Off

  • Play Action Wide Zone Lead

  • Center takes Wide Zone Step and Spins Out to Protect the Backside C-Gap

  • X Wide Receiver buries the CB and runs to the FS

  • TE Leaks Shallow

What I like most about this design is the Center Lag. What typically gets these types of plays in trouble is pressure. You do not want to True Boot a Leak Concept because it will attract secondary attention. Leaving the Backside C-Gap unprotected is a recipe for getting your Quarterback destroyed. The Center Lag is such an effective protection strategy because it is an extremely difficult read for the Linebackers and Safeties. I referenced this in both The Ultimate Guide to Counter and The Ultimate Guide to Screen - mobility at the Center Position can unlock some creative possibilities for your offense!

Nub Quads Mesh

Variation in formation is another benefit of majoring in Mesh. The general spacing remains the same for the Quarterback while the defense is forced to adjust it’s structure to account for formational oddities. Here, you see 2014 Cal aligning in Empty Nub Quads. The defense will have to choose how to align to both the Nub TE and the Quads - will they travel a Corner or try to keep a balanced back-end shell? The Mesh is set by the TE with the Slot clearing the Mesh and the Running Back on Secondary clear with the Trail Route. To the Quads side, the two outside Receivers switch release to run the Pre-Snap Slot Fade from #2 and inside stem OTB or Crosser from #1.

Protection: 5-Man Protection Big on Big - Inside Out

Coverage ID: Cover 0 with 6-Man Mug Pressure

This is a bit of bust in Empty Protection. Ideally the Offensive Line will squeeze Big on Big and leave the free runner off the edge to give the Quarterback as much time as possible to get the ball out hot. Unfortunately, this concept is not equipped with a built in “Hot.” Ideally we would see a Shoot Route to the 4x1 side (maybe instead of the Trail) for the Quarterback to throw against a 6-Man Pressure. With that being said, the beauty of the Mesh throw is that the Quarterback is often able to retreat to buy time. Since the throw is so short, the QB gain depth and throw the Shallow off a the back foot. So many big plays can happen if the QB is willing to hang in the pocket long enough for the Mesh to clear. 

Michigan Flea Flicker

Josh Gattis was just given the Broyles Award as College Football’s top Assistant Coach. Michigan has had a great year and I have been impressed with the sequencing of offensive play calls and the creativity of their trick plays. Their Flea Flicker series has led to some big plays in crucial situations. The ability to execute these plays has given them important swings in momentum.

  • Formation Unbalanced

  • TE/Wing Trey

  • Jet Motion from the Boundary WR

  • Flea Flicker Max Protection

  • Post/Wheel the Field

  • Bunch into the Boundary

  • Jet Motion

  • Flea Flicker (Center Pull 6-Man Protection)

  • Post/Wheel + Crosser

Flea Flickers are obviously categorized as trick plays, but if repped properly they can become an intensification of your Play Action Passing Game. If you see Flea Flicker as Play Action, it allows you to layer in Passing Concepts like “Yankee” and not just use it to take a deep shot. Purdue coach Jeff Brohm uses Flea Flicker so consistently that he throws Screens off of it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Michigan add in another wrinkle off Flea Flicker in the playoffs.

Pulling the TE on Counter

GT Counter can be difficult to execute consistently once the defense begins to pick up on your “tells.” They may be able to key on the alignment of your RB or force a QB keep by bending. G/H Counter can also run into issues if the defense rotates their safeties to the H-Back. One way to combat these difficulties is to run G/Y Counter and pull and in line TE. G/Y Counter offers you all the benefits of G/H Counter with the Backside Protection of a hinging tackles. In addition, it’s very difficult for the defense to key on an attached TE.

  • 2x2 Deuce (Attached TE + WR)

  • Counter with QB Reading the D-Gap after TE Pull

  • Playside Tackle Pins the 4i

  • Guard & Center Double Nose & Climb Backside

Running G/Y Counter requires mobility from your TE. It is an extremely difficult block to make if you ask your TE to pull down the line and read the Guard if you run G/Y Counter you have to be clear on your Playside Plan. Because the attached TE is not coming from depth like the H-Back, adjusting on the fly to Wrap/Run will not lead to a successful play. The gameplan should help you dictate the Playside Plan - if you’re playing a Tite Front you should be able to Kick the Overhang and Wrap to the Will LB.

Here’s another look from 2021 Princeton running it with “Same-Side” RB Flow against an Even Front.