Proposed offensive schemes

Tweeted to Cam, Les, Jennings, Harris, and Jamal just in case.

You are a guru! How did this group of highly-paid coaches not already think of something like this?

Great you want to run levels toward the sidelines against a saban D.

I like the idea of involving Fournette more in the passing game.

If the main thrust of the game plan is to just slam Fournette into the Alabama front, you're playing to their strengths.

That's not to say it can't work at times. Most definitely it can. When it comes to power football, I'll take guys like La'el Collins and Dillon Gordon over anybody else in the nation. But as you look at the rest of the matchups, it starts to even out.

Generally (meaning - not specific to this year) Alabama's personnel is susceptible to speed and quickness, stretching the field horizontally, deception/misdirection, etc. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about going to a full-on spread/misdirection-based offense. I like the power-running game as the base. What I'm talking about is more variety mixed in to spice up the power-running game.

Career Yards Per Carry vs. Alabama

Keiland Williams - 7.6
Russell Shepard - 7
Michael Ford - 5.4
Charles Scott - 4.6
Stevan Ridley - 3.7
Jeremy Hill - 3.5
Spencer Ware - 1.8


Since 2012, I've given some thought to different ways to attack Saban's Defenses while playing with a relatively limited QB (or in other words, without a playmaker at the position). I would use hybrid players to attack his big LBs, in the running game and the passing game. By hybrids, I mean -- RB/WR/APB/Wingback-type players (guys with elite, little-guy quickness, moves and good ball skills). The ideal type of player would be someone like Skyler Green, Tavon Austin (WVU), De'Anthony Thomas (Oregon), Bruce Ellington (South Carolina). Those guys were all highly recruited, but oftentimes you can find undersized, under-the-radar guys like them with very similar skills -- e.g., Dri Archer (Kent St.), Eugene Jarvis (Kent St.), Chris Johnson (East Carolina), Kendall Hunter (Oklahoma St.), Dion Lewis (Pittsburgh), Larod Stephens-Howling (Pittsburgh), T.Y. Hilton (Florida International), Derrick Locke (Kentucky), Randall Cobb (Kentucky), Antonio Brown (Central Michigan), Brelan Chancellor (North Texas), Jamarcus Nelson (UAB), Andrew Hawkins (Toledo), Donnel Pumphrey (San Diego St.), Mario Alford (WVU), Steve Slaton (WVU), Damaris Johnson (Tulsa), Phillip Livas (Louisiana Tech), Dexter McCluster (Ole Miss), Jamison Crowder (Duke), Jameon Lewis (Mississippi St.), Tracy Lampley (Southern Miss), Brandon Banks (Kansas St.), Tyron Carrier (Houston), Anthony Alridge (Houston), Marcus Thigpen (Indiana), Jacquizz Rodgers (Oregon St.), James Rodgers (Oregon St.), Jakeem Grant (Texas Tech), Aldrick Robinson (SMU), Danny Woodhead (Chadron St.), Garrett Wolfe (Northern Illinois), Jerrel Jernigan (Troy). That's a hodgepodge of examples, but the point is -- they're out there every year, and if you have some of those types of players, you can avoid pigeonholing yourself with the power-running game. And I don't mean to detract from the current backs on the roster. I think they are an excellent group of power backs, and they also have skills in the passing game, but the types of players I mentioned above bring a different dimension/style to the game. Of course, the success of these types of guys in a hybrid role vs. a Defense like Alabama is contingent on getting them the ball through play calling that allows them to get in space and utilize their speed, quickness, and moves. If Alabama's LBs have to try to cover them in the passing game, you've got an incredible mismatch.

I also think hybrid-type TE/H-back/FB/Wingback players like Niles Paul (Nebraska), or Charles Clay (Tulsa) could be effective vs. Alabama. Guys that are a little undersized as a traditional TE, but have good speed, quickness, and ball skills. You could move them around in the backfield and the TE position to get different matchups with LBs, and you can use their athletic ability in blocking as an asset in the running game and the screen game. You could even slide receivers down into that position sometimes. Guys like James Wright and Kadron Boone (who were both good blockers), or Alfred Blue could have excelled in that type of role. With these types of players, the TE Reverse (Alabama - 2010) could be run more often.

Again, none of these things are meant to be in lieu of the foundational power-running game. They are additional, complementary pieces that could improve the mid-range passing game, take advantage of mismatch opportunities, and make the power/downhill-running game more explosive.