Post by Coach Campbell on Feb 2, 2020 0:02:15 GMT
Option football in college football
Some colleges, such as the University of Florida, run a spread offense that utilizes portions of the option, dubbed the spread option.There has been a resurgence of option offenses in major college football. When implemented properly, option offensive schemes can be very successful, as demonstrated by the success of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oklahoma Sooners, Georgia Southern Eagles, and Syracuse Orange in the 1970s through the early 2000s. Despite its success, many teams favor more "professional style" offenses that athletes who may want to play in the NFL (where option offenses are non-existent.)
Recently Urban Meyer, and other coaches, have developed extraordinarily competitive schemes using an option attack out of the shotgun formation. These combine elements of the West Coast offense and the single wing with sorted elements of the flexbone and the wishbone. Meyer used his spread option offense with great success at Bowling Green, Utah, and most recently at Florida, where he has won the 2006 and 2008 Division I FBS national titles.
Urban Meyer's version is based on the spread offense developed by University of Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez. Rodriguez earned "pioneer" status for incorporating wishbone-like running principles (e.g., the QB zone-read, option pitches) into the primarily passing "spread offense." However, it is unclear whether Rich Rodriguez developed the system, or whether Kansas State coach Bill Snyder developed the zone-read philosophy with QB Michael Bishop in the late 1990s, or whether the two coaches coincidentally developed the system at the same time.
The option remains popular at mid-major levels as well. The Appalachian State Mountaineers, who won an unprecedented three consecutive titles in Division I FCS from 2005 through 2007, rely on the spread option offense. Additionally, the Cal Poly Mustangs achieved unprecedented success with its flexbone-style option offense under former head coach Rich Ellerson.
Option offenses are considered to be "equalizers" on the playing field – allowing less athletic teams to compete with larger and faster defenses. Appalachian State proved this theory by defeating the heralded Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium during the 2007 NCAA season. Still, some critics label option offenses "gimmicky." This is most likely due to the lack of acceptance of the schemes at the professional level.
Option offenses remain very popular among the United States service academies. The Navy Midshipmen, Army Black Knights, and Air Force Falcons each use option offenses. If run properly, an option offense should be able to gain 2-3 yards before the linebackers and defensive backs can identify who has the football and make a tackle. Due in part to this, Navy rarely punts the ball, which has led many Navy fans to jokingly refer to 4th down (normally a punting situation) as "just another down."[citation needed] Coach Paul Johnson was particularly effective using this offensive scheme, leading Navy to 43 victories between 2003 and 2007, and Navy led the nation in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in 2007. He left Navy for Georgia Tech after the 2007 season, where he continues to successfully run the option.
Former Army coach Bob Sutton joked that the Army–Navy Game could be played in an hour (because the game clock rarely stopped). Army went away from the option offense in 2000 in favor of a Pro Style, under head coach Todd Berry. After eight years of poor performance on the field (with a record of 17-76 from 2000-2007 including the only 0-13 season in NCAA history), Army returned to a flexbone triple-option scheme in the 2008 season. Many Army alumni pushed for a return to an option-based offense in hopes of regaining the success they saw under head coach Jim Young in the 1980s and early 1990s. Under Young, from 1983–1990, the cadets went 51-39-1, including 3 bowl appearances. With the beginning of
Some colleges, such as the University of Florida, run a spread offense that utilizes portions of the option, dubbed the spread option.There has been a resurgence of option offenses in major college football. When implemented properly, option offensive schemes can be very successful, as demonstrated by the success of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oklahoma Sooners, Georgia Southern Eagles, and Syracuse Orange in the 1970s through the early 2000s. Despite its success, many teams favor more "professional style" offenses that athletes who may want to play in the NFL (where option offenses are non-existent.)
Recently Urban Meyer, and other coaches, have developed extraordinarily competitive schemes using an option attack out of the shotgun formation. These combine elements of the West Coast offense and the single wing with sorted elements of the flexbone and the wishbone. Meyer used his spread option offense with great success at Bowling Green, Utah, and most recently at Florida, where he has won the 2006 and 2008 Division I FBS national titles.
Urban Meyer's version is based on the spread offense developed by University of Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez. Rodriguez earned "pioneer" status for incorporating wishbone-like running principles (e.g., the QB zone-read, option pitches) into the primarily passing "spread offense." However, it is unclear whether Rich Rodriguez developed the system, or whether Kansas State coach Bill Snyder developed the zone-read philosophy with QB Michael Bishop in the late 1990s, or whether the two coaches coincidentally developed the system at the same time.
The option remains popular at mid-major levels as well. The Appalachian State Mountaineers, who won an unprecedented three consecutive titles in Division I FCS from 2005 through 2007, rely on the spread option offense. Additionally, the Cal Poly Mustangs achieved unprecedented success with its flexbone-style option offense under former head coach Rich Ellerson.
Option offenses are considered to be "equalizers" on the playing field – allowing less athletic teams to compete with larger and faster defenses. Appalachian State proved this theory by defeating the heralded Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium during the 2007 NCAA season. Still, some critics label option offenses "gimmicky." This is most likely due to the lack of acceptance of the schemes at the professional level.
Option offenses remain very popular among the United States service academies. The Navy Midshipmen, Army Black Knights, and Air Force Falcons each use option offenses. If run properly, an option offense should be able to gain 2-3 yards before the linebackers and defensive backs can identify who has the football and make a tackle. Due in part to this, Navy rarely punts the ball, which has led many Navy fans to jokingly refer to 4th down (normally a punting situation) as "just another down."[citation needed] Coach Paul Johnson was particularly effective using this offensive scheme, leading Navy to 43 victories between 2003 and 2007, and Navy led the nation in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in 2007. He left Navy for Georgia Tech after the 2007 season, where he continues to successfully run the option.
Former Army coach Bob Sutton joked that the Army–Navy Game could be played in an hour (because the game clock rarely stopped). Army went away from the option offense in 2000 in favor of a Pro Style, under head coach Todd Berry. After eight years of poor performance on the field (with a record of 17-76 from 2000-2007 including the only 0-13 season in NCAA history), Army returned to a flexbone triple-option scheme in the 2008 season. Many Army alumni pushed for a return to an option-based offense in hopes of regaining the success they saw under head coach Jim Young in the 1980s and early 1990s. Under Young, from 1983–1990, the cadets went 51-39-1, including 3 bowl appearances. With the beginning of