Grantland article on Ford's 15 yd. run that iced the game

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. On this play, LSU showed a particularly interesting wrinkle. Not only did it run the speed option, it actually lined up in an unbalanced formation, and then ran away from the extra blockers. As can be seen from the image above, LSU put the tight end, H-back (a tight end lined up off the line), and a wide receiver all to the right side of the formation. To the left, the Tigers had only the offensive guard and the tackle. Alabama's adjustment was to overload the offense's right side to the point that it was undermanned to the weak side.

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The defensive end is left unblocked, as that is who Jefferson is optioning. You can also see the outside defender to that side begin to attack swiftly to the outside, as his job is to take Ford, who is the "pitch back." Additionally, there is an inside linebacker tracking downhill for the runners; as we'll see, LSU's tackle, Chris Faulk, is able to pin him back and seal the inside

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At this point, it's already clear that the play has a great chance of success: The end, who quite possibly should have been on a search-and-destroy mission to hit the fullback, zooms at the quarterback, forcing the quick pitch. As a result, while there is a defender whose job it is to take the running back, there's also a blocker assigned to him. This is why option football works, and why anyone who says all you have to do is play "assignment football" is fooling themselves. That's certainly part of it, but never forget that the offense can figure out what your assignments are and block the guy you think you've got covering one of the options, exactly as happens here

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The key block is by the fullback, running back Kenny Hilliard

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If he gets a block — any block — on the defender coming down, it's a huge play.

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The blocks, under the circumstances at least, couldn't have been any better. Hilliard is forced to dive to make a block but it's enough to get the defender out of the way. And Faulk has managed to pin two defenders inside. And, like all great option plays, the quarterback is on the ground with a defender over him, thinking he'd made quite the play. Instead, LSU was off to the races.

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