Balancing Act

by: Mike Markuson
Offensive Line Coach, University of Arkansas.
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On behalf of the University of Arkansas, Coach Houston Nutt and offensive staff, it's a pleasure to be asked to write an article for American Football Monthly. 1998 was a great year for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Our offensive unit was explosive with big play potential on every snap. Our players executed well, averaging almost 400 yards per game with a scoring total of 32.6 points per contest. Of course, a solid offense was accompanied by a swarming defense and great kicking game.

We have a balanced offensive attack at the University of Arkansas. At specific moments we ran the football with authority and threw for large chunks of significant yardage or both. It is important with the "I" formation that an offensive unit can utilize a threat of run or pass at any given time. Great defenses will try to exploit one part of your game. If this occurs the other segment of your offensive strategy must be successful to win. There has been trial and error over the last six years. What should we keep and what needs to be discarded? We have continued to excel by refusing to change dramatically and incorporating innovative ideas each year. Developing a strong offensive system has been paramount to our success.

Slide protection (turnback or gap protection) is being utilized more and more by collegiate football staffs. Multiple defensive alignments and forms of eight man pressure have forced offenses to protect first and ask questions later. Protecting "gap" areas will minimize the chance of error in protection. We face twists, stunts, blitz and zone pressures almost every Saturday we play in the Southeastern Conference. Slide protection has helped our offensive. Our lineman believe in this protection and we work at it feverishly.

We take pride in being multiple with personnel groupings, shifts, motions and different backfield sets. We feel we can throw the football utilizing turnback protection in many of the schemes and formations we incorporate. Play action pass off our zone scheme, three step drop off our power scheme and three step drop out of one back have helped us in the last six years achieve success. Our goal is to protect the quarterback on his blind side. The offensive line and running backs know we cannot afford to get hit or pressured on this backside of the protection. The quarterback should have the utmost confidence than he will not get hit from the backside.

Slide protection is a maximum protection, employing eight men protecting two receiver routes. The ability to utilize this protection from one-back or two-back sets is available in our offense. Two receiver routes do not exactly stretch the defense, but it helps sustain extensive pressure and keeps blitzing teams from harassing our quarterback. The negative side is not releasing three to four people, allowing defensive units to gang up on our receiving corp. Fortunately, we have great receivers who can get open and a veteran quarterback who can deliver the football with success.

The rules for our turn protection off our zone stretch is as follows:TE:On
TT:On: Inside Frontside B Gap
TG:On: Inside Frontside A Gap
Center: Backside Backside A Gap
SG: Backside B Gap
ST: Backside C Gap

The fullback will block first support outside the tight end. If the team we are competing against does not have a support or "box" player, we may ask him to release into the route or help the tight end. The tailback will block the first linebacker playside—usually the Sam or Mike.

Our quarterback knows that we preach backside protection daily. We do not want pressure away from the backs. We get real irritated with our line if an ill-afforded hit comes from the backside.

Several calls are utilized when determining how fast the offensive line will slide or how heavy we will engage a defender before the slide. Eight-man fronts are the toughest. We have faced this for the last four years from our defensive coaches The key guy who will indicate how fast we turn and how much help is applied will be the split tackle. He must recognize the presence of a fourth defender weak. If such a condition exists, our line from the tight guard to the split tackle will gate immediately.

You should notice the depth of the slide, as indicated in the above diagram. We must achieve this depth with a four-weak blitz. The tight guard in this situation can only put his right hand up and start losing ground immediately. The split tackle has informed the front to move quickly and this is communicated among the offensive lineman.

What is beautiful about this scheme is the ability to get four hands on one down guy. If we are sliding fast, and no blitz occurs, we will double team the down lineman.

We get this done by continuing to slide within our gap area. If we stand around and watch the strength of the protection will not be utilized. Our motto is to always "find work."

The absence of the fourth man (weak) will now change the attitude of the offensive lineman. We can utilize more inside help while maintaining outside leverage in our gap responsibilities. The guards will apply more pressure, then slide. We tell the inside people to always have their eyes focused outside or inside their gaps, depending on the way we are turning the protection. The diagram below is that of a college 4-3 defensive alignment with two deep safeties.

Notice that the depth of our slide has changed. The diagram depicts the guards working flatter at first, then hinging to their gap areas. The split tackle has not alerted the front of the fourth man weak. Therefore, the tight guard and split guard will punch and hold their ground a little longer while still maintaining gap responsibility.

The split guard is aware that the lone five technique may slant inside; that's okay. He is ready and so is our split tackle. Our split tackle understands that his help will not be gating as fast into the protection. The line is predicating everything off the split tackle's call.

There are problems with the protection that must be addressed. First and foremost is the frontside linebacker blitzing the A gap strong with the presence of a four-weak blitz. This is difficult, particularly when the tight guard has been summoned to slide quickly. This forces our tailback to adjust immediately back to the A gap, aborting any play fake to pick up his linebacker. Under non-threatening circumstances, the tight guard would pick up this linebacker simply because he was not ordered to gate quickly and the linebacker attacks his gap.

Another problem that can occur is a twist from the strongside with a blitz from the Sam linebacker. If the tight tackle is sliding to his gap responsibility (say he is uncovered) and the man in his gap crosses his face, he must account for this lineman by following him. Of course, this is easier said than executed, and we work this scheme from day one.

This is a total game plan and we may ask our extra back to help if we will face this blitz.

In closing, every collegiate staff must decide what's best for their players and what can be executed with total confidence and determination to succeed. There are plusses and minuses for everything that is done. The most important element is that you have confidence in what you are doing, and your players have that same level of trust.

Our players know we have tremendous faith in them to execute on game day. We believe in them and they believe in us. Football is like chess; whoever forces the next move wins. Force the next move and win.

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