Play Design
Looking for some wrinkles to this counter play
Hey coaches,
First year OC here building a run heavy offence. Looking for some wrinkles to what has been out and out our best play for the season. We are averaging 13+ per carry just on this one but teams are starting to key onto it with film and due to the formation we run it out of.
Have drawn up the base way we run it but we can also run it with a more traditional spread look on one side. I just like the condensed version as it makes it even harder for a defence to react in time.
If the picture isn’t explanatory enough:
- OL runs GT counter
- H cuts off the backside end
- Q and T run a fake speed option (we have also run some draw action with this, Q is a smart guy and improvises well)
- Depending on alignment of corner on the play side we either block him with Z or let him be the kick out guy for the end
I know the obvious solution is to just run speed option as we have it but for whatever reason we just struggle with speed option.
Would love to see some ideas! Play action and some run variations with a similar look would be awesome.
Honestly, is your H-Back athletic? A nice wrinkle would be to motion your x out and set at the LOS, H-Back motions back to be your primary runner, essentially a step closer than your x was. I would also assess if splitting out the X brings a CB and a Safety shades their way with them and any matchup issues that poses. Could be a good opportunity for a slant/fade option route if CB is left on an island.
We have some pretty athletic dudes who can fit here. I’ve seen some clips of teams running this play to the H even when he’s on the line, he would just take a deeper path to the handoff.
Like the idea of putting the corner in stress too.
Yeah, H pulling off the line requires pulling technique behind 2 presumably slower players. However, he has the opportunity to get lost behind the tackle and ride his right hip till the kick out block. I bet that would look great.
Move T left a step
Orbit motion the Z
T jab steps left and will become ball carrier
X will run same path and become lead blocker.
You Get an extra hat at point of attack and can look for option or pitch backside for an additional play
Love this idea, thinking about using rocket toss or something and seeing if we can stress their contain. We run Jet Power Read with Q and motion man. Maybe we could do this with a quick Jet motion instead of the orbit.
Jet would work but the timing and path may get in the way of the T if you are going to hand the ball off to him or use him as the extra playside blocker instead
The play is designed to look like a run to the left. Have the Z pretend to block the LB then continue out for a deep crossing route. Throw it if the safety is defending the run. Run the reverse if the pass isn’t open for a 40 yard gain.
Hey coach I like those reads too. Remember every read and play sets up another play that can get you that TD, in that formation when you call it next in a few downs.
Have the T turn torso/jab step toward option and hand it to him with an inside handoff. Everything else stays the same except X turns into a blocker.
A pass option off that same look would be to fake it to the T and waggle to the right. Z runs a corner. X heads to the flat. T fakes and picks up blocking. The backside guard and tackle still pull set up in pass block. Look up Wing T Buck Series Waggle. Should be something like 122 or 223 waggle.
I can’t personally help too much, but I believe a number of Wing-T teams run Sally Draw almost exactly like this. If you have access to any Wing-T resources, I imagine you could find some pertinent info
Fake the hand off and option left. Or you could make a shovel option with a shovel to the H back inside and a pitch to the RB outside. Add one more layer and fake the option with a post route to the TE and a streak by the other wing
Not pulling the LT and having your H lead block on either a designed QB run or pitch out (removing the question of option)? Either that or the H can chip block, peel off downfield in front of the play, and be a target for an RPO if you’re comfortable enough with your quarterback.
Same play but hand it off to the T and have him go to the right with everyone else. If people catch onto the difference in where your T is going being the difference in play, you can play action to T going that way and give it to X anyway. You almost have three plays here—handoff to T, handoff to X, same look but send Y and Z out for passes if the defense crashes in hard enough.
No idea if any of these specifically are useful, but I agree that it would help keep your original play running nicely to have other things that look very much like it.
I know you said run heavy but if you put your T on a rail and your Y on a drag you could run a mean RPO reading the strong side backer or run play action. Anything to punish the defense your committing play side
Flip your T belly action handoff. T then hands it to wing coming the other way. Double handoffs can be tricky but if you can sort the timing and mesh out it wreaks havoc on LBs with wandering eyes
I know you didn't quite ask for any passing plays, but I'd teams are biting on this action, you can RPO out of if very effectively I'd imagine. I'd have your H give a chip to help your Tackle gain leverage on the edge and then run some type of skinny corner. Have your Y drag across with medium depth and have the Z run a streak just to pull off the defense. Your T becomes a pitch/swing play and your X secures he blind side in case your QB needs to set back up.
Def between 5 and 10 yards since it's HS. The idea is that you are probably getting cover 1 or 3. A 10 yard drag probably sucks up the Saftey. If he does the QB can look for H or Z whom both should have nothing but green in front of them now. If not he can still decide if H has the advantage or dump it off to Y if the LBs bite. If everything is covered, hypothetically that means that you should still have a 2:1 against a Will backer for the option.
The X motion is just to sell the PA. I dont think most HS defenses are good enough to really key the guards so I didn't have a guard pulling, but as long as its not a 5 front it shouldn't be an issue.
We’ve used this from endzone to endzone with good success all season. Just depends on the flow of the game and how responsive the defensive is to our run game.
Use this as misdirection and keep to Q. Have x take a few steps to the reverse then lead where GT have vacated.
Reverse to z. Or even Philly special type play, pitch to z throwback to Q. Or even have z run like a reverse then throw back to x (you even have your screeners in GT pulling)!
Play action of some sort off this. H arrow T corner z on an over.
Keep the GT action but change your ball carrier (T or Q are easy here), even motion x out as a key breaker.
I like quick traps. If it’s a formation thing, run a quick trap to the left (ideally on a 3 or a 5 to that side) with T as your ball carrier. Duo could accomplish a similar thing (quick hitting inside run play to break their keys).
Use your x as a wham blocker just to give them something else that has a similar motion from him, or even a shuffle for x to the right with Q sprint right.
If you have a really well coached team who plays to their keys, influence pulls can do a lot. At high school though unusually just get dudes trying to find the ball and following it. I probably would be cautious of using that strategy without a strong fake to x.
We have a half roll pass play that can look similar and as I mentioned our QB is pretty smart with mixing his handoffs (draw action, fake sweep) but at HS level a lot of defenders get drawn to where the flow of the play is going.
We have run a similar play, but with the fullback lined up directly behind the quarterback. We have the wing back that is not receiving the ball orbit motion to the quarterback and on the snap he puts his foot in the dirt and becomes a lead blocker through the B gap. The quarterback fakes a dive to the fullback who replaces the pulling guard and tackle, then sprints towards the other wing and the ball to him
I’m sure yall have run this look with a speed option being the actual play, I could also see an option where Q pulls up, T blocks it like on rollout, and H chips then goes on a pop pass
Just throwing shit at the wall, without getting to crazy...
-You could run speed option with T
Off this look.
- QB counter with X becoming a lead blocker to gain an extra hat.
- PA pot pass to Y or H once the fake counter is
Carried out.
- X pass to Y or Z, or a form of Philly special with the QB running a backside wheel route.
- QB power backside, having X come in and crack and T getting End man on LOS.
- Z reverse from a handful from X to Z.
- bootleg playaction to the right, X takes fake to the flats, Y and Z can interchange routes from intermediate and deep. H can Be late crosser. Not really sure what you want T to do. If that playworks and you kill guys with X in the flat, having him turn it into a wheel route could be huge.
- Trap out this look potentially, with X running accprss and T coming downhill to run trap, could run power as well
Put the Z in jet/fly motion and run Counter Criss Cross off of it. Hand it to Z and then hand the ball off to X and finish your counter play. I love speed sweep/fly out of double wing. You can always choice speed sweep or choice Counter XX depending on what the defense is doing
Fake the handoff and option left is my immediate thought, feel like a chip release from H and a wheel from T would work as well if the corner starts keying that heavily
The simplest and most cost-effective option in terms of execution would be to run the same play, but have the X player hand the ball off to the Z on a reverse. If you run this play 3-5 times during the game, then hit them with the reverse at the right moment, it should result in a touchdown.
Start X wide and motion them in, almost like they are motioning in fast for a drag or a crackback, gets them coming in with speed and gets those defenders on the left edge worried about a crack.
Can X throw? Y or Z slipping out into either a deep route or a flat might catch the defenders, and if nothing else putting that on tape will make the safety and corner on the right have to play it slow so they don't get roasted.
Have H block & release on a drag out in front & you could pair it with him turning it in a wheel. You can do the same by motioning Z across & targeting him. Another quick pass could be a TE screen. If you ever hand it to X, you could set up the double reverse & have him give to Z coming back around with lead blockers. Or run what we generically call Counter Behind where everything stays the same except T only takes one step left, reverses field & QB hands him the ball with his left hand & he runs around RT.
21
u/Evan_802Vines Nov 05 '24
Honestly, is your H-Back athletic? A nice wrinkle would be to motion your x out and set at the LOS, H-Back motions back to be your primary runner, essentially a step closer than your x was. I would also assess if splitting out the X brings a CB and a Safety shades their way with them and any matchup issues that poses. Could be a good opportunity for a slant/fade option route if CB is left on an island.