Auburn's read-option

[StatTiger 3,188]

Jeremy Johnson will likely be the starter against Alabama. Auburn's starting quarterback will have to play well for Auburn to have any chance of pulling the upset against #2 Alabama. Alabama is currently No. 4 nationally in allowing the fewest red zone opportunities with an average of only 2 per game. When teams have moved into the UAT red zone, Alabama is No. 20 in red zone touchdowns allowed. Auburn will have few opportunities to score inside the red zone and with their issues at times inside the red zone, the Tigers will need to be extremely efficient should the opportunities arise.

The play...

On this play Auburn is at the Idaho 2-yard line, electing to run the read-option against the Vandal defense. It is a simple play in terms of the QB reading the DE or OLB. In this case the OLB is lined up on the edge and Jeremy Johnson will keep or give to Jovon Robinson based on how the OLB commits to the play. In this case the OLB crashes down on the edge to play the inside run, so Johnson pulls the ball to attack the edge.

Idaho has their safety stacked over the OLB to play both the inside and perimeter options. Once Johnson commits to the edge he is now forced to make a "football move". Johnson fakes the perimeter run during his initial step and makes a hard cut back inside of the safety, who is caught playing the outside run. Johnson squeezes inside for the touchdown.

Auburn showed more read-option looks against Idaho, which likely is the setup for the Iron Bowl. If Johnson makes the start, he will have to make plays with his feet as well as in the passing game. Auburn must force Alabama to commit to the running game to allow Johnson to throw over the top, especially with UAT in man coverage. Auburn needs to rush for at least 150-yards to create opportunities in the passing game this Saturday.

[Tiger 8,817]

What is the counter on the zone read if, like in this instance, they have a LB crashing down on the give to the RB as well as a safety there covering the keep? A pass option off of that?

[PotPot 161]

The Hb was also completely unimpeded on his path to the end zone (or missed his block) setting up a run/pass option as well

[StatTiger 3,188]

What is the counter on the zone read if, like in this instance, they have a LB crashing down on the give to the RB as well as a safety there covering the keep? A pass option off of that?

Difficult to have a pass-option here because the potential for having an OL down field. You can bet the UAT coaches will be telling the refs to watch for this before the game.

[aujeff11 6,243]

I will like to add that it would be dumb to keep substituting in the redzone. I've said this before but against LSU, at one point during substitutions, they had 19 people on the field trying to substitute. Let's not let that happen.

[Strychnine 1,802]

I will like to add that it would be dumb to keep substituting in the redzone. I've said this before but against LSU, at one point during substitutions, they had 19 people on the field trying to substitute. Let's not let that happen.

I would be happy if Gus committed to tempo and had no substitutions. I think tempo is key for us, and I think preventing Alabama from being able to substitute will help.

[PotPot 161]

What is the counter on the zone read if, like in this instance, they have a LB crashing down on the give to the RB as well as a safety there covering the keep? A pass option off of that?

Difficult to have a pass-option here because the potential for having an OL down field. You can bet the UAT coaches will be telling the refs to watch for this before the game.

[PotPot 161]

It seems to me that a pass executed in this situation would occur well before linemen could be downfield. I agree that Saban will stay on the refs about it

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

What is the counter on the zone read if, like in this instance, they have a LB crashing down on the give to the RB as well as a safety there covering the keep? A pass option off of that?

Difficult to have a pass-option here because the potential for having an OL down field. You can bet the UAT coaches will be telling the refs to watch for this before the game.

Could that not be remedied with a pass option to the flats or maybe a wheel route?

[Tiger 8,817]

What about in general? What kind of things can be done to offset a team accounting for 2 guys being asked to defend the 2 run options on the zone read?

[PotPot 161]

Only if linemen aren't downfield. The OL is blocking for a running play so the pass has to be quick or they will be downfield

[meh130 1,043]

What is the counter on the zone read if, like in this instance, they have a LB crashing down on the give to the RB as well as a safety there covering the keep? A pass option off of that?

In 2013 and 2014, we often had the H-Back either block the outside defender, cut up field (like Pettway did on this play) to block a scraping inside linebacker. However, that is not what Pettway was doing here--he is going for a second level block. Kozan comes off of his zone block to block the linebacker. It makes me wonder if the blocking on this play was designed to open the very path JJ took. This makes sense, given JJ does not have the edge speed Nick Marshal had.

[Tiger 8,817]

Interesting stuff. Yeah seems like the OL being downfield limits the pass options unless it happens immediately after the QB decides to keep the ball.

[meh130 1,043]

What is the counter on the zone read if, like in this instance, they have a LB crashing down on the give to the RB as well as a safety there covering the keep? A pass option off of that?

Difficult to have a pass-option here because the potential for having an OL down field. You can bet the UAT coaches will be telling the refs to watch for this before the game.

The LOS was the 2-yard line, and no OLs are in the end-zone in your screen captures, so there was no lineman down field. It makes me wonder if there was a designed pass option in the play, but not to Pettway.

The TE is Robert Leff, and Ricardo Louis does not go down field, instead blocking near the line. I cannot see the other wider receiver, but he does not come into the picture, so I assume he is in the left corner of the end zone.

Pettway does not turn around to make himself available for a catch, so I assume he is trying to block the play side LB and anyone in the secondary.

If this was the "triple option" POP pass with the left side WR as the third option, that might explain why Pettway did not try to block the safety--because the plan was for the safety to be read.

[meh130 1,043]

Only if linemen aren't downfield. The OL is blocking for a running play so the pass has to be quick or they will be downfield

In college the OL has three yards past the line of scrimmage to operate on a pass play beyond the line of scrimmage. If the play option pass is completed to a WR behind the line of scrimmage (even as a forward pass), there is no restriction on linemen down field.

[meh130 1,043]

What about in general? What kind of things can be done to offset a team accounting for 2 guys being asked to defend the 2 run options on the zone read?

1. Use an H-Back as a lead blocker.

2. Use a triple option with a bubble screen wide receiver play as the third option.

3. Use a triple option with a down field wide receiver play as the third option (dangerous due to OL down field risk).

4. Substitute a designed RB give and use the H-Back to block the crashing DE/OLB (can make a fool out of a scraping ILB).

5. Substitute a designed RB give and use pulling OL to block the crashing DE/OLB (same as above but works in a single back set).

6. For 4 and 5 above, change the DE/OLB read (now blocked, not read) to read the scraping ILB--at snap, if ILB moves towards RB zone blocking, QB keep; if ILB moves outside to take QB, RB give. IIRC, we did this against Tennessee in 2013, and I think we did it against Mizzou late in the game.

[PotPot 161]

Yes you are correct. I was thinking about the potential for a run/pass option on this particular play with the HB. If the pass isn't executed quickly then Kozan could be downfield if he is going after the MLB. In other situations the OL has to know that there is a pass option so they have to stay put

[WarTim 3,456]

What is the counter on the zone read if, like in this instance, they have a LB crashing down on the give to the RB as well as a safety there covering the keep? A pass option off of that?

Difficult to have a pass-option here because the potential for having an OL down field. You can bet the UAT coaches will be telling the refs to watch for this before the game.

I PRAY AU coaches point out the fact that uat O line HOLDS on basically EVERY play. Also, notorious for wr "pick plays".......

[StatTiger 3,188]

What is the counter on the zone read if, like in this instance, they have a LB crashing down on the give to the RB as well as a safety there covering the keep? A pass option off of that?

Difficult to have a pass-option here because the potential for having an OL down field. You can bet the UAT coaches will be telling the refs to watch for this before the game.

The LOS was the 2-yard line, and no OLs are in the end-zone in your screen captures, so there was no lineman down field. It makes me wonder if there was a designed pass option in the play, but not to Pettway.

The TE is Robert Leff, and Ricardo Louis does not go down field, instead blocking near the line. I cannot see the other wider receiver, but he does not come into the picture, so I assume he is in the left corner of the end zone.

Pettway does not turn around to make himself available for a catch, so I assume he is trying to block the play side LB and anyone in the secondary.

If this was the "triple option" POP pass with the left side WR as the third option, that might explain why Pettway did not try to block the safety--because the plan was for the safety to be read.

I think you were right on your initial comment about the play being a JJ run all the way. I don't see much pass-options from the particular play. Will Adams was #99, subbing for Robert Leff, who played tackle against Idaho.

[AuburnNTexas 7,127]

Stat I believe last year you stated that many times when we run the zone read it is not a true read the coaches have determined in advance whether RB or QB will run it just looks the same as a true zone read. Is that true? If so what is the rationale behind that?

[Tiger 8,817]

^ Only thing I can think of is that Gus wants to control every aspect of the O. IMO there are literally no positives to pre-determining the keep/give unless you have a QB that simply cannot determine whether to keep/give properly.

[Tiger 8,817]

What about in general? What kind of things can be done to offset a team accounting for 2 guys being asked to defend the 2 run options on the zone read?

1. Use an H-Back as a lead blocker.

2. Use a triple option with a bubble screen wide receiver play as the third option.

3. Use a triple option with a down field wide receiver play as the third option (dangerous due to OL down field risk).

4. Substitute a designed RB give and use the H-Back to block the crashing DE/OLB (can make a fool out of a scraping ILB).

5. Substitute a designed RB give and use pulling OL to block the crashing DE/OLB (same as above but works in a single back set).

6. For 4 and 5 above, change the DE/OLB read (now blocked, not read) to read the scraping ILB--at snap, if ILB moves towards RB zone blocking, QB keep; if ILB moves outside to take QB, RB give. IIRC, we did this against Tennessee in 2013, and I think we did it against Mizzou late in the game.

Awesome. Thank you! Looks like there are lots of things that can be done to counter this

[AuburnGrad97 37]

What is the counter on the zone read if, like in this instance, they have a LB crashing down on the give to the RB as well as a safety there covering the keep? A pass option off of that?

Difficult to have a pass-option here because the potential for having an OL down field. You can bet the UAT coaches will be telling the refs to watch for this before the game.

I PRAY AU coaches point out the fact that uat O line HOLDS on basically EVERY play. Also, notorious for wr "pick plays".......

We didn't get the holding calls against Idaho, so what makes you think they'll call them on bammer??? I was screaming at my TV on every play, watching Lawson get tackled from behind on just about every play. I realize we won the game, but they got at least 10 points given to them on what should have been sacks to end drives. I also kept worrying about Lawson getting hurt, because a 300 pound O-lineman dragging you down from behind doesn't look very fun!!!

[auburn4ever 1,266]

I really wish we had Cam at quarterback.

[au701948 996]

I am "channeling" this comment to CGM...hope he gets in the ear of the officials fast and furious on the holds just as fast as "dipstick" gets ear of officials about the read option pass. The read option pass MUST be executed to the most finite degree in order to keep the refs from taking 6 points away from us!