Spread Option
A newer form of the option offense has emerged that is run out of a spread formation. Spread Option offenses generally run out of the shotgun formation, usually with a single running back. Depending on the quarterback's read, he will generally hand off to the running back, run the ball himself, or pass. This offense was primarily devised by Rich Rodriguez, the former head coach at West Virginia University and Michigan, and has been adopted by several other important college programs. Rodriguez's success with the spread option at WVU changed the college football landscape in the 2000s. Vince Young and the 2005 Texas Longhorns ran a version of the offense to suit Young's strengths, which ultimately culminated in a national championship in the 2006 Rose Bowl. Notably, Urban Meyer adopted the offense to add more passing elements, and has used it successfully first at Bowling Green, then at Utah (becoming the first team outside the BCS conferences to participate in a BCS bowl game), and then at Florida, where he won the 2006 national championship and the 2008 national championship while implementing the scheme. It also has fueled Appalachian State's run to 3 straight national titles in the former I-AA and now FCS subdivisions. The speed required to run the spread option is considered a main factor in ASU's upset of the University of Michigan on September 1, 2007 in which the Mountaineers used their speed to outrun the much bigger Michigan defense. After Tim Tebow replaced Kyle Orton as the Denver Broncos' starting QB in 2011, head coach John Fox added elements of the option offense to his playbook in an effort to get the best out of Tebow. Tebow had successfully run the option offense at the University of Florida under Urban Meyer but had struggled to adapt to a conventional NFL pass-orientated offense. The results have been unprecedented as many believed the offense was not suitable for the NFL, yet Tebow was 7-4 as a starter in 2011 while making extensive use of the system.
Read more about this topic: Offensive Philosophy (American Football)
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