FILM STUDY: HOW TO ATTACK THREE-MAN FRONTS IN THE RUNNING GAME
Since the final whistle of OSU's ugly 20-13 victory over Northern Illinois last weekend, speculation has yet to cease about why the Buckeye offense failed to get off the ground against a mid-major opponent. Specifically, attention has centered around the inconsistent ability of the offensive line to open holes in the running game against a three-man defensive front.
However, those that have studied the Buckeyes and their opponents closely seem even more perplexed, as this is not the first time that this group has seen such a look from an opposing defense. Although the Huskies may have surprised them with the alignment, the 'Slobs' of the OSU offensive line tore through the Oregon Ducks' 3-4 defense in the CFP championship game just a short nine months ago.
While they were able to make a handful of adjustments in the second half against NIU that allowed Ezekiel Elliott to finally break off chunks of yardage, the Buckeye running game still failed to resemble the one we saw during their championship run. For OSU's entire offensive philosophy to get off the ground, it must first establish the run in order to open up the downfield passing game, something Urban Meyer has noted repeatedly in the past few days since when speaking to the media.
But for those wondering what exactly the Buckeyes can do if Western Michigan, Indiana, or any other opponent on their schedule lines up with an odd front, we can look back at that matchup with the Ducks for answers. OSU unveiled a number of wrinkles that night that led to 296 yards on the ground, and opened up an offense that put up 42 points on the scoreboard.
For those unfamiliar, an 'Odd' front is any defensive alignment that places a down linemen directly over the center and leaving the guards uncovered, often leading to either a three or five-man line (hence the name). However, it's entirely possible for an 'Even' front team, such as one running with basic 4-3 personnel, to line up this way too.
The issue for offenses is that most running concepts rely on the center being uncovered and allowed to either help with double-team or get upfield and block a linebacker. That nose-tackle directly over the center is often the man gumming things up for the entire offense if they're not ready for him, even if he's not the one making tackles. He'll often provide immense value simply by occupying multiple blockers and keeping the linebackers free to make tackles.
Against the Ducks, the Buckeyes attacked this look in two major ways that we have yet to see from them this year. The first was a simple adjustment to the 'split zone' look that has been a huge part of the OSU playbook since Meyer arrived four years ago.
Instead of bringing the tight all the way across the formation to kick out the end man on the line and create a cutback lane for the running back, he instead sets what is really a trap block on the nose tackle. Given his angle from the side, the Tight End still has the necessary leverage to take on a man that outweighs him by 50 lbs or more, creating an inside running lane.
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Entire article:
http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-...o-attack-three-man-fronts-in-the-running-game
