


What makes these plays so terrifying for a defensive coordinator is that even if the defense cheats a linebacker away from one of the slot receivers to get even numbers up front, there is still a blocker for every defender in the box. Some of the most devastating against UNC included their QB counter play:
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So Briles rotated 3rd string QB/WR Chris Johnson, WR Lynx Hawthorne, and their full stable of RBs at the QB position and unloaded a salvo of different run schemes that combine their max spread sets with two-back runs. Most of the Baylor offense is geared around setting up their deep routes so they can score as many points as possible as quickly as possible.īut without Seth Russell or Jarrett Stidham available to throw and no Corey Coleman to receive their passes, those deep routes could no longer be the ends of an elite offense. Ordinarily Baylor's favorite formation is a "spread-I" set with a TE in an H-back alignment where he can allow them to utilize different lead runs and set up their play-action passing game and run/pass option plays (RPOs). The Bears already have a diverse run game in their "veer and shoot" offensive scheme and it was all too easy to adjust these schemes to feature the QB as the runner rather than the RB. This will unquestionably be dismissed as another clever gimmick from Briles but there are sound principles at play in what Baylor did and it's not terribly simple to stop. The result? 1045 rushing yards in two games and a bowl victory for a program desperate for postseason success and national recognition. The way to do this is with the " ultimate spread formation" which combines single-wing run game tactics with spread formations.Īlways looking for ways to spread out opponents only to run them over and needing an adjustment to his normally pass-heavy attack in the wake of losing all his good QBs, Art Briles adopted this approach against Texas in Baylor's season finale and then doubled down against North Carolina in the bowl game. However not many teams have been able to take the final step to produce an equivalent to Golden State's "lineup of death" that puts maximal stress on an opposing defense. The spread revolution is nothing new to the world of college football, where even the formerly staunch pro-style Crimson Tide are now embracing the trends. WIth their "lineup of death" the Warriors took down LeBron James' Cavaliers and are now threatening the '96 Bulls record for most wins in a regular season. Last year the Golden State Warriors took this style of play to its logical conclusion with a five-out lineup devoid of a traditional big man and loaded with elite shooters and devastating spacing.

The spacing that the Heat were able to get on offense made it virtually impossible to handle the freakish, 6'8" 270 James on his drives to the basket. The NBA world has been rocked by the introduction of "spread" tactics over the last several seasons with the major shift coming when the Miami Heat won consecutive championships thanks to "small-ball" basketball lineups that confronted opponents with LeBron James playing a "power-guard" position while surrounded by three point shooters.
