Just about every football fan remembers the Fiesta Bowl a few years ago when Boise State make a miraculous comeback and beat Oklahoma in the last minute. One of the imaginative plays that won the game for the Broncos was their version of the ‘Statue of Liberty’ play. It wasn’t much different than the same play used in touch football games for generations.There have been many ‘trick’ plays over the years that have been successful. Do you remember the famous ‘Fumblerooski’ play that Nebraska originated in the 70’s. The center snaps the ball to the quarterback but then takes it back from him and, with a wall of blockers, runs to the right or left like a normal power sweep.
Trick plays can work at any level, whether they be designed for a Pop Warner team or the NFL. Here’s one that was successful for a high school team:
“Lining up in our traditional double tight set we snap to the fullback for what appears to be another fullback wedge play, our blocking back at the snap turns his back to the line of scrimmage and as the fullback passes the blocking back on his way to the line, the fullback hands the ball off to the blocking back. The fullback continues on a fake and plunges into the line. The blocking back once he gets control of the ball stays with his back to the line of scrimmage and just flings the football with two hands blindly over his back, end over end and with a fairly high arc. The receiver is a waiting left end that has run about an 8 yard slant. Since the “pass” is blind it needs to have a bit of an arc on it so the left end can run under it, as the pass is rarely right on target. The offensive line just forms a wedge but does not take the wedge downfield. We run this in goal line situations where the other team is expecting a wedge type play and the safety is playing up.’
That’s a trick play that works. We want to hear from you about what you’ve used that has been successful in game situations. It could be unique, bizarre, or just creative. Email us at rlardner@lcclark.com and we’ll include your ‘play.’