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AFM Magazine


AFM Subscribers Ask – with Mark Hudspeth Head Coach, University of Louisiana

by: AFM Editorial Staff
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Mark Hudspeth was appointed the 25th head coach at the University of Louisiana last December. He brings with him a reputation for a high-powered, no-huddle offense. Previously the Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach at Mississippi State and head coach at North Alabama, he brought the no-huddle concept to Starkville and now to the University of Louisiana.

    Hudspeth has a national championship, four conference championships, eight post-season appearances and four Coach of the Year awards on his resume. For seven seasons at North Alabama, the Lions went 66-20 and consistently scored 35-40 points per game. Hudspeth won a national championship while the OC at Division II Delta State where his offense broke 21 school records. His overall record as a head coach is 91-21.

    UL is currently building the largest college weight room in Louisiana and completing $2 million in facility renovations.

Q. What types of things slow down the no-huddle? Are there things defenses can do pre-snap to slow it down? (Dan McLean, Head Coach, Detroit Country Day School)

    Offensive terminology that is too wordy and poor non-verbal communication systems slow down no-huddle systems. There is nothing that a defense can do between plays that can slow down a fast tempo no-huddle system as long as the offense does not change personnel. One of the reasons of going no-huddle is to limit defensive substitutions, thus reducing the number of looks you can see.

Q. This is a three-part question. First, what do you feel is the best form of communication when running the no-huddle offense? Is it wrist bands, sideline boards? Second, how does the method of communication influence the manner in which your offense practices? Third, how has your no-huddle communication system evolved over the years? (Brian Lacey, Assistant Coach, Montgomery High School, San Diego, CA)

    1. I personally like hand signals. It is a great way of non-verbal communication that is flexible but, most importantly, expandable. I feel wrist bands limit the ability to make adjustments and there is only so much information that you can put on them.
    2. We do not have to worry about spending time developing wrist bands for practice or games. All the skill players, especially all the QBs, know the signals and thus give you plenty of signal calls during practice. This allows us to practice just like a game. Practicing without a huddle gives us more repetitions.
    3. Everything has been grouped into sections that are associated with something so that it is easy to learn. We are continually trying to keep the verbal calls and the signals as short as possible.

Q. What are your top three running plays out of the no-huddle spread and why are these specific plays so effective? (Ron Cook, former Defensive Line Coach, Kentucky State University)

    Zone, stretch and wrap. For every play, we make sure we have a counter to the play and a play action off of the play. Sometimes, schemes may change based on our personnel but the no-huddle terminology system is consistent and fits to whatever we decide to do. 

Q. We are looking to be a speed, no-huddle team in 2011. Do you have any advice/ suggestions for a coaching staff preparing to go no-huddle for the first time? (Brian Short, Head Coach, Central Community High School, Breese, IL)

    Make sure everyone knows why you are going no-huddle (i.e., more practice repetitions,  better conditioning, keep the defense from substituting, ability to check plays at LOS, and saving offensive players legs by not having to run back and forth to the huddle). Then make sure you practice the no-huddle mechanics of the system (i.e., signaling, getting the personnel on the field, getting lined up fast, checking plays, etc.) If you don’t play with good tempo, you might as well huddle.

Q. From an offensive standpoint, what did you learn from your experience of working with both Coach Mullen and Coach Koenning at Mississippi State that will carry over to your new offense at Louisiana-Lafayette? (Jeremy Bosken, Assistant Coach, Science Hill High School, Johnson City, TN)

    Coach Mullen is very detailed oriented. His offensive system had answers for all looks and he made sure we gave our players every look they were going to see on game day. We where a very sound team that played extremely hard. Our players trained that way in the off-season. That allowed us to be successful with a very young team. 
    Coach Koenning is the best QB coach I have ever worked with. His QBs were always prepared. He made sure that our practice preparation was very organized and precise. There was never a wasted moment of preparation.

Q. What types of passing combinations do you use vs. teams that play press man coverage and roll down safeties in the box to stop the run game? (Barry Hedrich, Head Coach, White Sulpher Springs High School, MT)
    I like double moves and rub routes. Find ways to get your best player on their worst cover guy and attack him. Have the flexibility to move him around in all formations to create match-ups.

Q. We run a four-wide look and when we are in the gun we may face two-man pressure from the 5-tech out. They may spike the 5-tech and bring an extra man from the C-gap. We then have had to have a back block the DE rather than a LB or DB. When it comes to pass protection and you are in one-back with four wides, do you ever turn back protection? Is it to the field or the boundary? How do you adjust if the back has a double read and the pressure comes from the opposite side of the formation? (Dick Moran, Head Coach, the Baldwin School of Puerto Rico)

    Have the ability for your QB to make a “call” that flips the protection the other way. This will allow your offensive line to slide that way and you can possible get your back out.

Q. What are some ways to incorporate an H-back into the spread offense? We’ve used one in a ‘heavy bunch’ set. Does it depend on personnel? (Bob Reeves, Assistant Coach, New Hope High School, Columbus, MS)

    There are many types of spread offenses, not just four-wide teams. Put your eleven best on the field. If your H back is a versatile player that makes it even better because he can flex out wide and run routes and then line up in the slot or heavy formations and be in the blocking scheme. By leaving him on the field, you keep the defense guessing and you are not being play-predictable by personnel.

Q. When you enter the red zone as the field shrinks for the defense to cover, what route combinations do you like from the 15, 10, and 5-yard lines? (Steve LoCicero, Head Coach, Lynbrook High School, NY)

    I like to get into empty and create larger throwing lanes and also have route combinations that have a man-beater to one side and a zone-beater to the other. Also, rub routes are effective also, either out of sprint or drop back. 






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