As promised, for today’s Concept Wednesday we look at the second option variant run by Scott Frost in Lincoln. It’s only fitting that one of Nebraska’s last great option QBs is now calling them for the Huskers. Last week we looked at the Triple option from split backs. This week we look at the Speed option from shotgun and a fake inside zone variant Frost likes to run that I call Bluff option.
Outside of the fullback trap and the fumblerooski, there is no football concept Husker fans love more than the option. Even today, when you walk up to an out-of-stater and start talking Nebraska in the glory days, they’re likely to mention the option before anything else. Scott Frost did away with the fullback and the NCAA did away with the fumblerooski, but the option lives on forever in Lincoln. For the next two Concept Wednesdays, we’ll talk about three variations of option that Scott Frost runs.
For now, let’s focus on the grand prize of them all: the triple option out of split backs. The concept itself is nothing new. Oregon was running it during the Chip Kelly era, and several other teams have had it in the playbook after Chip’s initial success. And no, Tom Osborne didn’t run the triple option. But what makes it work for his protege Frost and how he’s different from Kelly is how Frost (a) uses a hybrid player as the second back and (b) marries the concept with a variety of different motions to avoid tipping the play. Today, we’ll look at a few of those variations for Concept Wednesday #2 of this season.
Continue reading “Concept Wednesday: Triple Motherf*%&^#$ OPTION!”
It’s that time of the year where we hear the old tale about “not opening up the playbook” for the non-conference schedule. Well, with a game washed out and a Power 5 opponent on deck, new head coach Scott Frost didn’t have that option. Against Colorado, he unleashed a ton of stuff en route to 329 rushing yards and 565 total yards. Ultimately, untimely turnovers kept him from getting his first coaching win in Lincoln, but the full arsenal was there. Unbalanced formations. Triple option. Multiple pulling concepts. QB runs. Various motions. Double screens. And one hell of a true freshman QB managing all of the noise that comes with a first career start.
In its return, Concept Wednesday this week takes a look at QB Wrap/Dart, one of Frost’s core run concepts that he brought from UCF and one which molds perfectly to Adrian Martinez’s game.