The Spread Triple Option

[digamma]

We've seen Navy run it for years, but Paul Johnson's move to Georgia Tech last season brought the triple option, or spread option, or spread triple option, or whatever you want to call it (some Georgia Tech fans call it "Steve" (not kidding)) brought more attention to the option attack. If my memory serves, there are number of fans on the board of "option football." After all, when executed, it is a ton of fun to watch. A Navy football fan does a blog and focuses from time to time on the intricacies of the triple option offense.

Admittedly, I enjoy this entry more than others because it focuses on the Georgia Tech-Georgia game from last year, but I found it to be a great read. In particular, note the simple adjustment in blocking a safety rather than an LB as well as the importance of a the QB read.

Enjoy.

The Navy Bird Dog

[Poli]

I've got a dvd of Tony Demeo working through/coaching the triple option. It's a thing of beauty.

[StLee]

The triple option looks like a fun offense, but I just don't see how it can be very successful at high-level football. I know Georgia Tech won some games against good teams, but they were also dismantled in the Peach...er, Chik-Fil-A Bowl by LSU. Give a team time to prepare for it, and that offense can become neutralized quite easily. The most successful teams concentrate on a balanced offense because it is necessary to win championships in college football, just like it is in pro football.

[BYU 14]

It will still be effective if only a few teams do it as it is hard to prepare for in a week. You have to play with extreme discipline and be sound in your assignments. This is why programs like Air Force, Navy and Rice (a few years back) use it. It helps them be competitive when they are overmatched.

I think conference teams will do a little better against Tech this year after having time to break it down more in the off season, but the Jackets will still win their share of games. Johnson should be able to get athletes that played QB in High School, that be a receiver or DB at other schools to come play QB for him and if he lands one that can throw it makes it that much more dangerous.

It is a fun offense when executed correctly and things like this are why College Football wil always be better than Pro in my eyes.

[CU Tiger]

Johnson better add Oline help.
The Triple option killer is a stud d lineman who blows up the OL.....

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by StLee

The triple option looks like a fun offense, but I just don't see how it can be very successful at high-level football. I know Georgia Tech won some games against good teams, but they were also dismantled in the Peach...er, Chik-Fil-A Bowl by LSU. Give a team time to prepare for it, and that offense can become neutralized quite easily. The most successful teams concentrate on a balanced offense because it is necessary to win championships in college football, just like it is in pro football.

Umm, Nebraska up until 2003 says hello. The 1995 team was probably the best team of my lifetime. (Although 2003 Miami may have been if FOFC's Glenn Sharpe hadn't gotten called for the late PI.) From 1993-1997 they went 60-3.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Umm, Nebraska up until 2003 says hello. The 1995 team was among the best teams of my lifetime.

Fixed.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Umm, Nebraska up until 2003 says hello. The 1995 team was probably the best team of my lifetime. (Although 2003 Miami may have been if FOFC's Glenn Sharpe hadn't gotten called for the late PI.) From 1993-1997 they went 60-3.

I think you mean the 2002 Miami team,and they weren't quite as good as the 2001 Miami team. The 01 squad is probably the most talented college football team ever. They had 11 players on that team that would be NFL pro bowlers.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Johnson better add Oline help.
The Triple option killer is a stud d lineman who blows up the OL.....

Yes, this is the key. And is the answer to StLee's observation in the Peach Bowl. The Bird Dog article even alludes to it by pointing out poor guard and tackle play in a couple of the plays he links.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

I think conference teams will do a little better against Tech this year after having time to break it down more in the off season, but the Jackets will still win their share of games. Johnson should be able to get athletes that played QB in High School, that be a receiver or DB at other schools to come play QB for him and if he lands one that can throw it makes it that much more dangerous.

It is a fun offense when executed correctly and things like this are why College Football wil always be better than Pro in my eyes.

I think this year Tech may be better and next season may be the season you see teams catching up. I think the Tech offense will be more natural this year, having worked on the system for a full season and an extra spring and pre-season. Their improvements should allow them to add the extra wrinkles people saw in the Navy offense.

But, yes, it's part of what makes college football so unique.

[digamma]

By the way, I really didn't intend for this thread to be a referendum on how Georgia Tech will do or if the triple option could succeed. I thought the blog entry was excellent, particularly in showing a few of the little things that we, even as smarter than average fans, may not look for in the game.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

I think you mean the 2002 Miami team,and they weren't quite as good as the 2001 Miami team. The 01 squad is probably the most talented college football team ever. They had 11 players on that team that would be NFL pro bowlers.

Correct on the year- I was thinking 2003 Fiesta Bowl, so 2002 Miami. As for the 2 teams, it's hard to say 2002 was better when there were 6 Miami players drafted first 51 picks of the 02 draft, but I think there's a case there because of the 3 pro bowlers that graduated Portis was easily replaced by McGahee and Shockey by Winslow Jr. Even Ed Reed was replaced as a starter by Sean Taylor. That leaves starters like Ken Dorsey, Andre Johnson and 6 of the front 7 returning (all who were drafted into the NFL, with Vince Wilfork and Rocky McIntosh backing up.) as well as the other pro bowlers who had an extra year of experience.

Obviously the title game performance from 2001 against Nebraska was better (34-0 at halftime), but Ohio St was also a much better opponent. 01 did have the back to back 59-0 and 65-7 wins over #12/#14 Syracuse and Washington, but they were surrounded by scares against BC and Va Tech. Both seasons look like TCY schedules on easy though, so neither is really a bad pick imo. I'd still be fascinated to see either matched up against the 1995 Tommie Frazier-led Huskers in a game. The triple option run to perfection with all-pros at the important positions against a defense stacked with speed, disruptive defensive linemen and eventual all-pros at every level.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Correct on the year- I was thinking 2003 Fiesta Bowl, so 2002 Miami. As for the 2 teams, it's hard to say 2002 was better when there were 6 Miami players drafted first 51 picks of the 02 draft, but I think there's a case there because of the 3 pro bowlers that graduated Portis was easily replaced by McGahee and Shockey by Winslow Jr. Even Ed Reed was replaced as a starter by Sean Taylor. That leaves starters like Ken Dorsey, Andre Johnson and 6 of the front 7 returning (all who were drafted into the NFL, with Vince Wilfork and Rocky McIntosh backing up.) as well as the other pro bowlers who had an extra year of experience.

Obviously the title game performance from 2001 against Nebraska was better (34-0 at halftime), but Ohio St was also a much better opponent. 01 did have the back to back 59-0 and 65-7 wins over #12/#14 Syracuse and Washington, but they were surrounded by scares against BC and Va Tech. Both seasons look like TCY schedules on easy though, so neither is really a bad pick imo. I'd still be fascinated to see either matched up against the 1995 Tommie Frazier-led Huskers in a game. The triple option run to perfection with all-pros at the important positions against a defense stacked with speed, disruptive defensive linemen and eventual all-pros at every level.

I'd put the '91 Huskies up against any of those teams.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

I'd put the '91 Huskies up against any of those teams.

Of course you would (I'm also talking about my lifetime - I was 5 in 1991 and have never seen that Husky team play a game. I only vaguely remember a couple Notre Dame-Michigan or ND-Penn State games before about 1994.)

[Klinglerware]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Umm, Nebraska up until 2003 says hello. The 1995 team was probably the best team of my lifetime.

It can be argued though that Nebraska never ran a true triple option since its base formation was the I. Combined with the monster o-lines that Nebraska could recruit and develop, Nebraska was able to run between the tackles a lot. I remember them doing a lot of power running for an option team.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Johnson better add Oline help.
The Triple option killer is a stud d lineman who blows up the OL.....

This tends to be effective regardless of offense, no?

Same with LSU destroying GT in last year's who cares what its named Bowl. They were far more talented. It was not the scheme, it was the better players.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Of course you would (I'm also talking about my lifetime - I was 5 in 1991 and have never seen that Husky team play a game. I only vaguely remember a couple Notre Dame-Michigan or ND-Penn State games before about 1994.)

Man, has it really been that long ago? I guess I'm older than I thought...

[miked]

I enjoyed watching Tech put up 450 yards of rushing on the "u" for the white out. I actually thought Tech would start passing it in the 4th quarter, as that would have been their version of taking a knee.

That being said, I think the key is preparation. But it seems to me (from watching a few ACC games) that the ACC focuses a lot on power football with a few finesse teams here and there. Tech's style is quite unique and one that most coaches won't spend weeks preparing for because you only face them once a season.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Klinglerware

It can be argued though that Nebraska never ran a true triple option since its base formation was the I. Combined with the monster o-lines that Nebraska could recruit and develop, Nebraska was able to run between the tackles a lot. I remember them doing a lot of power running for an option team.

What about West Virginia, then, for the last 5 years or so (even though they called it the "speed option")?

[Klinglerware]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

What about West Virginia, then, for the last 5 years or so (even though they called it the "speed option")?

But West Virginia's offense relies more on double option rather than triple option, which is an important distinction because a greater focus on double option plays (usually) implies more balanced formations and playcalling relative to teams that use triple option a lot.

In any case, my point was that Nebraska was not a pure option team--they ran a mix of double and triple option plays, but their bread and butter formation was the I, where they did just as much power running as option.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Klinglerware

But West Virginia's offense relies more on double option rather than triple option, which is an important distinction because a greater focus on double option plays (usually) implies more balanced formations and playcalling relative to teams that use triple option a lot.

In any case, my point was that Nebraska was not a pure option team--they ran a mix of double and triple option plays, but their bread and butter formation was the I, where they did just as much power running as option.

Plus when Eric Crouch was there it stopped being an option because he never pitched the ball.

I think the overall point is still valid. Unbalanced run-heavy offenses can work at the highest level of college football if you get the talent.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by Samdari

This tends to be effective regardless of offense, no?

Same with LSU destroying GT in last year's who cares what its named Bowl. They were far more talented. It was not the scheme, it was the better players.

Not really.
Over penetration by Dlinemen will actually kill a team against a good zone and trap blockline running a cut offense.

And a speed option/read option offense almost relies on D line pressure to open holes.

By definition a triple option has to include down line progression by the QB. If a Guard is ate up, he blows the 4 back hole or the gut read, and he kills the QBs progression down the line, forcing an early pitch...which is easy to contain.

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

What about West Virginia, then, for the last 5 years or so (even though they called it the "speed option")?

WVU ran a spread "read option" or speed option. This isnt even a true option, its a bastardization, and a damn good one. I had the chance to experience it first hand during my 2 years as a GA, while RR was the OC at Clemson. Woody Dantzler taught Rich Rod wrinkles to that offense he had never considered, mainly because of his inability or unwillingness to follow direction...Rich just learned how to adapt it. There were some very colorful group film sessions meetings where Dantlzer was getting dressed down for 60 yard runs...

[digamma]

Different offense but another nice break down on some of the basics of the reads and decisions in the Texas passing game. Smart Football article here.