ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
FILM STUDY: DESPITE FACING THE SAME QUARTERBACK, NEW CHALLENGES AWAIT OHIO STATE'S DEFENSE AGAINST OKLAHOMA
Bob Stoops probably doesn't get enough credit.
Though the former Sooner coach cut his teeth as a defensive assistant, leading units for Bill Snyder and Steve Spurrier before getting the opportunity to lead a program of his own in the late 90s, his offenses in Norman always seemed to be on the cutting edge. While many coaches would've opted to hire a more conservative play-caller as he tried to turn around a traditional powerhouse like Oklahoma, Stoops shocked everyone by hiring Mike Leach to install the Air Raid in his first season.
Though Leach would leave shortly after to run a program of his own for the first time at Texas Tech, the effects of that hire on Stoops' program are still felt today. Many of Leach's core passing concepts would later be combined with those of another Sooner play-caller - Kevin Wilson - to create the powerhouse offense that featured Sam Bradford and Adrian Peterson a decade ago.
But after a spell in the early part of this decade in which the Sooners failed to consistently find a balance between the run and the pass, Stoops called on one of the proteges of his first coordinator, a former Texas Tech quarterback named Lincoln Riley. After walking on and backing up stars like Kliff Kingsbury and BJ Symons in Lubbock, Riley quickly worked his way up the assistant ranks under Leach before following Ruffin McNeil to East Carolina to call plays for the first time.
Once given an offense of his own to lead, Riley wasn't afraid to run the ball far more often than Leach had, which made his resume far more interesting when Stoops came calling in 2015. At the time, the Sooners had two extremely talented backs on the roster in Simaje Perine and Joe Mixon, but no clear vision for the passing game, leaving Stoops without the balance he desired.
With Riley at the helm, Baker Mayfield quickly ascended the depth chart, having been familiar with the Air Raid from a lone season playing at Tech under Kingsbury. To account for his three most gifted offensive players all needing to line up in the backfield, though, Riley adjusted many of his base passing schemes to resemble those of early 1980s offenses, such as BYU's split-back attack from Lavell Edwards and Norm Chow that inspired Leach and Hal Mumme to create the Air Raid in the first place.
The results were obviously electrifying, as the Sooners made the College Football Playoff in Riley's first season in Norman. After finishing second in the nation in total offense last fall, it seemed obvious who was the best candidate to replace Stoops after he suddenly announced his retirement earlier this year.
But though Riley is now leading the program, he's still tasked with leading the offense this fall, and the pieces at his disposal are quite different despite Mayfield's return for a fifth and final season.
Though Perine and Mixon are gone, the running game with tailback Abdul Adams still seems capable of moving the sticks, thanks in large part to one of Riley's signature schemes - the GT Counter-Read:
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continued
Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...eg-schiano-and-the-ohio-state-defense-against
Bob Stoops probably doesn't get enough credit.
Though the former Sooner coach cut his teeth as a defensive assistant, leading units for Bill Snyder and Steve Spurrier before getting the opportunity to lead a program of his own in the late 90s, his offenses in Norman always seemed to be on the cutting edge. While many coaches would've opted to hire a more conservative play-caller as he tried to turn around a traditional powerhouse like Oklahoma, Stoops shocked everyone by hiring Mike Leach to install the Air Raid in his first season.
Though Leach would leave shortly after to run a program of his own for the first time at Texas Tech, the effects of that hire on Stoops' program are still felt today. Many of Leach's core passing concepts would later be combined with those of another Sooner play-caller - Kevin Wilson - to create the powerhouse offense that featured Sam Bradford and Adrian Peterson a decade ago.
But after a spell in the early part of this decade in which the Sooners failed to consistently find a balance between the run and the pass, Stoops called on one of the proteges of his first coordinator, a former Texas Tech quarterback named Lincoln Riley. After walking on and backing up stars like Kliff Kingsbury and BJ Symons in Lubbock, Riley quickly worked his way up the assistant ranks under Leach before following Ruffin McNeil to East Carolina to call plays for the first time.
Once given an offense of his own to lead, Riley wasn't afraid to run the ball far more often than Leach had, which made his resume far more interesting when Stoops came calling in 2015. At the time, the Sooners had two extremely talented backs on the roster in Simaje Perine and Joe Mixon, but no clear vision for the passing game, leaving Stoops without the balance he desired.
With Riley at the helm, Baker Mayfield quickly ascended the depth chart, having been familiar with the Air Raid from a lone season playing at Tech under Kingsbury. To account for his three most gifted offensive players all needing to line up in the backfield, though, Riley adjusted many of his base passing schemes to resemble those of early 1980s offenses, such as BYU's split-back attack from Lavell Edwards and Norm Chow that inspired Leach and Hal Mumme to create the Air Raid in the first place.
The results were obviously electrifying, as the Sooners made the College Football Playoff in Riley's first season in Norman. After finishing second in the nation in total offense last fall, it seemed obvious who was the best candidate to replace Stoops after he suddenly announced his retirement earlier this year.
But though Riley is now leading the program, he's still tasked with leading the offense this fall, and the pieces at his disposal are quite different despite Mayfield's return for a fifth and final season.
Though Perine and Mixon are gone, the running game with tailback Abdul Adams still seems capable of moving the sticks, thanks in large part to one of Riley's signature schemes - the GT Counter-Read:
.
.
.
continued
Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...eg-schiano-and-the-ohio-state-defense-against
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