By Brent Dearmon, Offensive Coordinator
Arkansas Tech University
At Arkansas Tech University, we are a run first offense that mixes in complimentary RPO’s to replace our quick game. We base out of 20 personnel formation, so we see 6 guys in the box every snap. Most of our RPO’s are designed to control the 7th and 8th hats in the run fit. With every RPO we run, we have to figure out the following questions.
1. Who is the extra run fitter to the side of the field we want to read? Which secondary player is designed to get his hat in the run fit to the field and to the boundary? Since we are a run first offense, our RPO’s are based upon getting an extra hat out of the run fit each week.
2. Are we protected? We rarely like to let DE’s run free in our protection unless the QB has a run option. If the RPO is designed to stay in the pocket, then we will read safeties or linebackers.
3. What do we do verses blitz or man coverage? Do we have built in hots to serve as answers verses blitzes to get us out of bad plays?
1. SPLIT ZONE WITH GLANCE POST (20 personnel)
This is a boundary ‘run fitter’ read attached to split zone. We see a lot of invert coverage into the boundary so this run concept is designed to read the boundary safety. So we had to ask ourselves the three questions from above:
1. Who is the extra run fitter? With this concept it would be the boundary safety.
2. Are we protected? Yes we are protected because we are running zone to the field with our HB blocking the backside edge on the split zone.
3. What is our blitz answer? Because it is an inside zone scheme and we are blocking the backside edge, no pressure can hurt this run scheme so no blitz answer is needed.
Diagram 1
2. ZONE WITH FLAT ROUTE (20 personnel)
This is a boundary ‘run fitter’ read attached to split zone. This is a great compliment to the first concept. If the CB is playing a hard inside leverage technique so we can not run inside routes, then we have to counter that with out cutting routes. So we had to ask ourselves the three questions above:
1. Who is the extra run fitter? With this concept it would be the boundary safety.
2. Are we protected? Yes we are protected because we are running zone to the field with our HB blocking the backside edge on the split zone.
3. What is our blitz answer? Because it is an inside zone scheme and we are blocking the backside edge, no pressure can hurt this run scheme so no blitz answer is needed.
Diagram 2
3. Split Zone Read with Flat Route (20 personnel)
This is our first read zone with the option to throw. If you have a mobile QB, this is a way to get him on the edge without having called bootlegs. Now we will read the DE and have the HB block the alley defender that is assigned to QB run. So we had to ask ourselves the three questions above:
1. Who is the extra run fitter? In this concept since we are releasing the DE, he is the extra run fitter. If the DE can make the play on the inside zone, we pull and attack the flats with the QB. If flat route is open, you throw; if not, then continue running.
2. Are we protected? Yes we are protected because we are running zone to the field with our HB blocking the alley player to the boundary.
3. What is our blitz answer? Because it is an inside zone scheme and we are blocking the backside alley, no pressure can hurt this run scheme so no blitz answer is needed.
Diagram 3
4. Inside Zone Stick/Slant Concept (20 personnel)
This is our first field pass concept RPO. We want to control the field alley player or run fitter. In most defenses this is the Sam LB but could be the field safety in the 4-2-5 defense. We will push the inside zone to the boundary and have the HB handle the field DE or C Gap. So we had to ask ourselves the three questions above:
1. Who is the extra run fitter? In this concept we will read the field alley player or run fitter. This concept works best against a scheme that has the Sam LB in apex position to help aid in run support.
2. Are we protected? Yes we are protected because we are running zone to the boundary with our HB blocking the field C gap.
3. What is our blitz answer? Because it is an inside zone scheme no blitz answer is needed.
Diagram 4
5. Outside Zone with Glance Post. (20 personnel)
The outside zone is a great way to control DL movement. We were looking for a way to handle the alley run player while also controlling the backside end without being a QB Pull read. We will run outside zone to the boundary with a glance post by our boundary WR. If the boundary safety fits the run into the alley, we will pull up and throw the post. We use our HB to block the backside end to protect us on the pass. This is also a run play that goes away from the HB to help break tendencies.
1. Who is the extra run fitter? In this concept we will read the boundary safety. If he stays high we hand off the outside zone.
2. Are we protected? We are protected if no blitz because we have the HB to block the backside C gap.
3. What is our blitz answer? If we get pressure, we have built in slants to the field as our hots. We do not want our QB to get hit on a pressure if he pulls for the post. This is why the slants are important.
Diagram 5
