game-theory Stories - I Am The 12th Man
Kerry Coombs and the Prime Directive
This topic is a bit old, but since I just started this operation I think it is a good idea to take a look at the football staff that Butch Jones has compiled, but one guy in particular. Kerry Coombs is hands down the most important person that Jones retained. Recruiting is the life blood of any...
In Sherman's Offense, Our WRs Are Being Utilized As FBs
I was watching through the game film of the A&M-SFA game, fully intending to analyze how many different ways we use Ryan Swope in the offense (he was used as a WR, a TE, a FB, and an H-back against SFA) when I noticed something: In the interest of keeping things multiple, Sherman utilizes all...
Tracking Odd-Front Defenses
Of the 120 D-I football programs taking the field this Fall, only 19 of them will be using an odd-front as their base defense. Alabama, Army, Brigham Young, California, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Houston, Navy, Notre Dame, SMU, Stanford, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M will be running a 3-4 defense,...
Zone Blitz Explained: Stopping The Running Game
Last Thursday, we began looking at the zone blitz, and how it is used to effectively bring pressure and shut down the passing game. Today, we'll look at how it can be an effective scheme to defend the running game, too. As we explained before, the first thing you need to teach in the zone blitz is...
Zone Blitz Explained: Stopping The Passing Game
The zone blitz, which is also called the 'fire zone' or 'storm blitz' is a fairly simple concept; seven or eight defenders attack the line of scrimmage at the snap of the ball, giving the illusion that the defense is sending the house. With the offense reading all-out blitz, and the QB going...
Breaking Down The Hanover Bunch
During football games last season, those of you who listened to Dave South often heard him describe a "broken pyramid formation" during some of our games. The actual formation is the Hanover Bunch, a trips formation we would run often during the season. The bunch formation typically consisted of...
3-4 Run Defense: Part IV
This is Part IV, and the final installment of a series on run defense in the 3-4 scheme. Today, we look at defending the running game from 10 personnel. In the Big 12 right now, most teams runs some version of the spread offense, which means we'll be seeing 10 personnel a lot. The advantage for...
3-4 Run Defense: Part III
This is Part III in our series on run defense in the 3-4 scheme; today we look at defending the run against 20 personnel. You don't often see much 20 personnel sets in college football today. If a team is running true 20 personnel, 90% of the time it is on third down, and you are going to see a...
3-4 Run Defense: Part II
This is Part II in a series of posts on run defense in the 3-4 defensive scheme. We will look at defending against 21 personnel today. While there are eight possible gaps to attack in the running game on offense, the gaps don't necessarily come from just the offensive line's alignment. In the case...
3-4 Run Defense: Part I
This is Part I in a series of posts I'm going to do in looking at 3-4 run defense. Today, we start by looking at game theory in the running game, run fits, and how to attack the Ace formation. The two fundamental skills in football are blocking and tackling, as I have said before; the two...
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