Aztec Passing Game

Chuck Long – Head Coach – San Diego State University Aztecs

• Looking for a 70% + pass completion rate

• 7 to 8 yards/attempt
• Want to keep the ball to the outside
o Middle is the INT zone
• Throw screens 2 in a row
• Uses 1-second video clips to help QB’s get used to reading coverages,
etc more quickly
• Don’t have a set yard number for your red zone
o Use your kicker’s ability to determine your red zone
• Inside receivers become more important into the red zone
• Drops become shorter in the red zone
o 3-step drop becomes a 1-step, etc.
• Self-scouting is a major component

Chart for Self-Scouting

Oppone Penaltie Sacks Fumble INT’s Droppe Total Percenta W/L

nt s s d Balls Plays ge Total

• Add penalties, sacks, fumbles, INT’s and dropped balls and check what
percentage of the total plays that hey add up to
o Looking to be under 12%

Contact Info:

San Diego State University

5500 Campanile
San Diego, CA 92182
Football Office Phone: 619-594-6769
Football Office Fax: 619-594-4775

Spread Offense
Dwight Lundeen – Head Coach – Becker High School Bulldogs

Ten Musts for Making the Spread Offense Work for You

1. Must be good at QB
2. Must have a good protection scheme
3. Must have an audible system
4. Must take advantage of what the defense gives you
5. Must complete passes
6. Must be good at fullback
7. Must have a “go to” receiver
8. Must use your personnel
9. Must call plays that build on each other
10.Must call plays with no fear

Base Formation

7 yards 2 yards

2 yards

• Throw about 20 times per game

• Almost always a 7-man blocking scheme
• Give 3 seconds of blocking time to get the play off
• FB gets the ball 20-25 times per game
• Wings are used in trap & lead blocking schemes
• 15-20 audibles/checks per game

Pre-Snap Reads
Cover 3
 Cover 2

Dive Series
FB Dive

Gopher Trap
 Bootleg Sideline

Bootleg Backside Post

36 Shuffle
Contact Info:

Becker High School

12000 Hancock Street Becker MN 55308
Office Phone: 763-261-4501
dlundeen@becker.k12.mn.us

Developing a Defense Using Fundamental Drills

Randy Shannon – Head Coach – University of Miami Hurricanes

Four Tackling Stations

1. One Knee Up
a. Aim for “V” of neck
b. Bow your neck (shrug shoulders)
c. Shoot one hip through
d. Grab cloth
2. Both Knees on the Ground
 a. Aim for “V” of neck
b. Bow your neck
c. Shoot both hips through
d. Grab cloth
3. Stand in Front of Runner
a. Aim for “V” of neck
b. Bow your neck (shrug shoulders)
c. Shoot one hip through
d. Grab cloth
4. Stand in Inside Out Leverage on Runner
a. Aim for “V” of neck
b. Step over towards ball carrier
c. Bow your neck (shrug shoulders)
d. Shoot one hip through
e. Grab cloth

Pursuit Drill

RB RB

Coach

Defensive Players

• Run this to the outside and the inside

• Also pass with this drill & do screen pursuit

String Out Drill

• Close down the running play & string it out

• Player fights through one or two blocks & then makes the tackle
Bag Drills

1. Two feet through – lateral

2. One foot through – lateral
3. Low man shed cut blocks – shuffle laterally & punch the bags with both
hands
4. Back pedal through bags
5. Shuffle through bags

Ball Stripping Drills

1. Club
2. Rip
3. Punch through
4. Ball recovery

Contact Info:

University of Miami
P.O. Box 248167
Coral Gables, FL 33124-0820
Direct Phone: 305-284-2563
E-mail: rshannon@miami.edu

Four Verticals Passing Game

Tim Brewster – Head Coach - University of Minnesota Golden

Gophers

• You must install your vertical plays with the thought process that you
are attacking the defense
• You must be aggressive in mindset and make them react to what you
are doing
• Once vertical is established you can pick them apart underneath

Principles of the Vertical Passing Game

• Stretch the field

• Protect the passer
• Confuse the defense
• Create big play “momentum changers”
QB Musts

• Protect the ball

• Do not force throws
• Take the check down to the running back

Ways to Protect the Passer

• 7-man blocking schemes

• Play action passes
• Nakeds and bootlegs
• Make sure to sell the run on play action, nakeds & boots

Confuse the Defense

• Make the defense adjust slower

• Use new motions, formations & shifts
• Wide receivers must be taught to sell the vertical on every play

Vertical Pass Game Components

• Receiver alignment spacing

o 3X1 & 2X2
• Attacking safeties
o 2 high vs 1 high
• Throw to the backs
Attacking 2 High Safeties

• Always look to the vacated zone in the middle of the field

• Critical that the inside receivers attack the safeties hard
• Safeties will be forced to work off of the hash
• Inside receiver reads at 10 yard
o If the middle is open he breaks inside to a post (bender)

Bender

Attacking 1 High Safety

 • Use proper spacing to put the safety in conflict
• Force the safety to pick a side to cover, allowing the QB to throw
opposite of him
• QB’s eyes help make the safety declare what side to cover

Throw to the Running Back

• The RB is always open

• The RB in the vertical game is a source of hidden yardage and first
downs
• “All Go – HB Option” is a call used to get the ball to the RB

Contact Info:

University of Minnesota Athletic Communications

244 Bierman Field Athletic Building
516 15th Avenue SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Football Office Phone: 612-624-6004
Football Office e-mail: football@umn.edu
 NDSU Wide Receiver Play

Reggie Moore – Wide Receivers Coach – North Dakota State University Bison

Eye-Hand Coordination

• Use globetrotter drills

• Receivers do these as a warm-up

Stance and Starts

• ¾ weight on front foot

• Work on this at least once per week

Cone Drills

Speed cones

Back pedal
 Practice various hard cuts

Ball Drills

• One Hand Drill (warm up) – look the ball in

o “Where your eyes go, your hands will follow.”
• Low Ball Dig
o Throw ball low & let the receiver drop to get it & roll
• Open Hip Drill
o Throw the ball behind the receiver
o Receiver must swing his hips open & reach back for the ball
• Sideline
o Make sure inside leg drags to keep in bounds

• Wrong Shoulder
o Make sure to flip head & re-accelerate
• Knifing Through
o Split the defenders
Separation Techniques

• Throw By or Slap Through

o Push through with inside hand on DB hip & swim over with
outside arm
• Stacking
o Fight to get behind the DB – deep ball over the shoulder
• Shake
o Get on top of DB – fake with 1-2 step & make cut
• Opposite Shoulder Stem
o Try & open DB’s hips to opposite side of the cut – run right at DB
& force him
• Ladder Step
o Make move to look like receiver is going straight up field & then
make cut
• Press & Fade
o Push in on DB to “save grass” on the sideline to run a fade route

Ball Security

• Five points of pressure on the ball

• Use the gauntlet drill

Double Moves

• Sluggo
o Sell it – look back at QB on 1st move

• Comeback
Stutter step

• Dancer
Stutter step

Blocking Drills

• Push Pull
 o Lock up with a partner & try to keep squared up and balanced
while pushing & pulling each other
• Punch & Drive
o Get flat, get vertical then punch & drive defender
• Stalk
o Run at DB as long as he is backpedalling then get into a good
drive position – be under control
• Do various 1 on 1 drills the same as the OL
• Stalk & Cut
• Cut
• Push through to safety – leave CB for pulling linemen
• Safety Cut
• Crack

Releases

• Be active with hands

• Keep DB’s hands off – slap away, push

Contact Info:
P.O Box 5034
Fargo, ND 58105-5034
Office Phone: 701-231-7797
Office Fax: 701-231-8724
E-mail: Reggie.Moore@ndsu.edu
Spread Offense – Zone & Play Action

Mike Dunbar – Assistant Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator –

University of Minnesota Golden Gophers

• Why use the spread O?

o Player friendly
o QB friendly
o Good for both run and pass O

113/112 (Inside Zone)

QB reads this end

 • Aiming point is inside hip of the guard
• TB heels are at 6 yards
• TB steps are open, rollover & plant
• QB opens with right foot – “open the gate”
o This allows the QB to read the DE to run keep to backside
o Give, keep or flip
• In the gun, the QB must attack the outside shoulder of the end man on
the line of scrimmage – under center, he must attack the inside
shoulder

flip

• If there is a blitz from the point of attack the FB (or Y on the 112) runs
either a bubble or a slip

Bubble

Slip

Play Action from 113/112

Fly &
Die
16 yards
15 yar ds

12 yards
 6 to 8 yards

• 6-man blocking scheme

• Use double cadence (check audibles)
• Against man – run like hell
• Against zone – find the hole
• On fly & die, if the WR can’t get even with the DB at 15 yards he runs
the comeback

Four Verticals
 115/114 (Outside Zone)

TB reads this end

• TB stretches 2 step after the mesh before making his cut

• QB is slightly deeper
• TB toes are at 5 yards

Play Action from 115/114

12 to 17 yards 18 to 20 yards

step under hole

8 Yards

5 yards

• Use bootleg action

• If BS guard can’t log or seal & has to kickout the DE, the QB steps
under and either runs or throws to the step under hole

3X1 Version
X tightens in a bit

Contact Info:
University of Minnesota Athletic Communications
244 Bierman Field Athletic Building
516 15th Avenue SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Football Office Phone: 612-624-6004
Football Office e-mail: football@umn.edu