re: T or F: With Nuss as our QB, LSU should be running a Pro-Style offense

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I think we could run better if we lined up in pro set or I, with QB under center.

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Our main issue right now is blocking up front. Going under center isn’t going to help that. In fact there’s a decent chance it could be worse because Chester is getting blown off the ball a lot (which becomes scary if you’re under center). We also don’t have a traditional fullback or H-back type of player to use as a lead blocker.

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This, combined with the fact that a defense wouldn't know for sure it's a run (if they used that formation for both pass and run), would give the RB an edge he doesn't have in the shotgun. Jackson might have 2-3 steps before getting the ball, at which point he'd be tough to handle.

In the gun, they are standing back there next to the QB, and the defensive line gets a push both for pass rush and run stuffing.

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It’s true that the RB can get downhill faster under center, because he isn’t waiting for the shotgun snap (not so much because of where he’s lined up in the backfield). But getting downhill isn’t our problem. It’s certainly not Jackson’s problem. Jackson has on several occasions tried to hit the hole too hard and ran straight into someone’s back. The problem that we aren’t opening holes up front. If you can’t run power against a 5-6 man box when you have the numbers, there’s no silver bullet that’s gonna open up everything else.

The one place I-formation helps is that you can run iso to get a lead blocker without pulling. So it’s slightly less detrimental if Chester gets blown back. But you’re also bringing an extra defender into the box and - again - we don’t have a fullback.

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Nuss would have to work on passing out of the formation, but I think he'd be a beast with play-action. On the down side, he wouldn't have the same time to survey the field, so you'd have 2 targets, 3 at most to go to.

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There’s another downside, which is that going under center neuters the RPO game. It’s hard for the QB to make an RPO read running backwards.

Last thing I’ll say is this - you don’t need a QB running game to run effectively from the spread. It certainly helps, though. Here’s the thing.. Nussmeier isn’t immobile. He’s perfectly capable of running. I would even say he’s “quick.” If you really think the QB run game is what we’re missing in the spread, is the answer for us to change the entire offense to something the team is not built for? Or is the answer for Nussmeier to just run the damn ball sometimes?