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Drills Report: The Run-Up, Escape Drill

by: Mike Yurcich
Offensive Coordinator, Oklahoma State University
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The ‘Run-Up, Escape Drill’ teaches our quarterbacks three important fundamentals – ball security, vision downfield, and launching while trying to escape or avoid pressure. The drills we practice are the drills that we witness our players performing as we watch game tape. The Run-Up, Escape Drill is one drill which we see over and over as we watch game film and then rep daily in practice.

We can incorporate under center drops (5 or 7-step) or shotgun drops (3 or 5-step) into the drill. We start by placing targets downfield. You can use your favorite pattern possessions as seen in diagram 1. We also place two edge rushers on each edge of the pocket. If the rushers contain, the QB simply runs up and throws to whichever target the coach points to pre-snap (Diagram 2). The target raises his hand after the QB’s run up movement.

Diagram 1.

Diagram 2.

Diagram 3.

If one of the rushers forces the QB to escape the pocket laterally, we tell the QB to escape and throw to the coach point (Diagram 3). When the QB escapes to his off-hand side, we incorporate the 10-yard rule (diagrams 4 and 5); that is, when escaping the pocket to the off-hand side, the QB sprints ten yards to separate, If there is not a chase, the QB throws the ball to the coach point (Diagram 5).

Diagram 4.

Diagram 5.

When escaping the pocket and the QB feels pursuit, he is instructed to stay on the run and then throw to a coach point (Diagram 4). You can have a third defender in the drill to the QB’s off-hand side to simulate pursuit (Diagram 4) or no pursuit (Diagram 5). The QB can then feel whether or not to stay on the run.

The main coaching point we stress throughout the drill is ball security. The QB will maintain a throwing grip but he has to have two hands on the ball until he separates to release the ball. We may use a bag to try and jar the ball loose as the QB runs-up or escapes. As the QB turns his body to escape, he must make sure he keeps both hands on the ball as this is a movement enticing one hand ball insecurity.

As the QB runs-up in the pocket, we teach him to put the ball up on his front number in order to secure the ball as the defensive end reaches to strip it from behind. This drill teaches quarterbacks sound fundamentals in securing the football as well as seeing downfield, feeling pursuit, and throwing from awkward launch points.

About the Author: Mike Yurcich enters his third season this fall as both offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma State. He previously was the offensive coordinator at Shippensburg University in 2011 and 2012. Yurcich also coached quarterbacks and receivers and was the offensive coordinator at Edinboro University from 2006-2010. A three-year starter at QB, he is a 1999 graduate of California University of Pennsylvania.
 






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