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The Triple Option

We ran the option in Andrews, out of necessity, for the most part. I never played for W.T. Stapler, he was a damn wizard with the option game knowledge. I never directly played for him, but he came to our practices when I was a youngster, we ran his system then, the majority of it anyway. When we got to HS, he was replaced, the system didn't change much, though. All we had to do is just execute really, we'd been running it for several years by then.
 
leftybuff said:
Versions of the spread use triple concepts. Those spread offenses simply replace the advantage of blocking angles with athletes in space, but the concepts are similar.
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Yep. I've heard McCartney say that the things that were done by Rich Rod, Chip, Urban and Gundy are the natural progressions from the option football of the past. That this is the type of offense CU would have gone to if it had existed at the time it was becoming clear that the speed of defenses at places like Miami and FSU were changing football to make the traditional option offenses obsolete as systems that could win titles.

(Obviously, Mac was right but he was too impatient with this and jumped the gun. In retrospect, he should have gone ahead and signed Tommy Frazier instead of trying to switch to more of a pro style after Hagan's time was up.)
 
Bump...given the retirement of Paul Johnson at GT, there are obviously less option based teams in NCAA Football. Any good option teams for this upcoming season?

Georgia Southern returns Werts at QB but given their Sun Belt Conference, I'm thinking next year is the year they win the Sun Belt.

The Air Force game screams classic trap game but it seems like their QBs might be the talented RBs not playing RB and that limits their offense. They play at Boise State the following weekend so trap game might not apply to this game.

Bob Davie is still at UNM. Screw the MW's TV contact with CBS Sports!

More to come!
 
Jalapeno said:
Bump...given the retirement of Paul Johnson at GT, there are obviously less option based teams in NCAA Football. Any good option teams for this upcoming season?

Georgia Southern returns Werts at QB but given their Sun Belt Conference, I'm thinking next year is the year they win the Sun Belt.

The Air Force game screams classic trap game but it seems like their QBs might be the talented RBs not playing RB and that limits their offense. They play at Boise State the following weekend so trap game might not apply to this game.

Bob Davie is still at UNM. Screw the MW's TV contact with CBS Sports!

More to come!
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We know defending the triple option requires discipline to be at the right place at the right time. This staff demands discipline but it is on the players to deliver it. They will make a lot of mistakes, especially early in the season. The secondary’s inexperience worries me and I would think this game will have a high over/under.
 
SBP said:
Might be one the better college football players of all time
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agree. also, agree with earlier in the thread (which i have enjoy re-reading) that Gill was underrated a bit. my recall is that he and JC Watts were among the first true option QB's to actually throw it pretty well. Darian was like that, too....but a few years later. i've read more than once that Switzer says Thomas Lott was the best "true" wishbone QB he ever saw. just a touch before my time, but while Barry may be a bit of a crap artist at times....i do respect his opinion on that and he's stuck with it. Jack Mildren probably in this conversation but also before my time.

edit: also, man, you think about some of the halfbacks those guys had to pitch to.....Bienemy, Rozier, Craig, Billy Sims....etc. big time.
 
Army's success could encourage more teams to give the option a "go". before the spread, it was a talent equalizer....that's what Mac did with it early on/after the Fairbanks cluster F...before he had the thoroughbreds.

i do think at the elite level, tough to recruit "blue chip" OL to play that style if they are thinking of a pro career. i see that as a limitation.
 
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Mick Ronson said:
agree. also, agree with earlier in the thread (which i have enjoy re-reading) that Gill was underrated a bit. my recall is that he and JC Watts were among the first true option QB's to actually throw it pretty well. Darian was like that, too....but a few years later. i've read more than once that Switzer says Thomas Lott was the best "true" wishbone QB he ever saw. just a touch before my time, but while Barry may be a bit of a crap artist at times....i do respect his opinion on that and he's stuck with it. Jack Mildren probably in this conversation but also before my time.

edit: also, man, you think about some of the halfbacks those guys had to pitch to.....Bienemy, Rozier, Craig, Billy Sims....etc. big time.
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And Jamelle Holieway
 
Mick Ronson said:
Army's success could encourage more teams to give the option a "go". before the spread, it was a talent equalizer....that's what Mac did with it early on/after the Fairbanks cluster F...before he had the thoroughbreds.

i do think at the elite level, tough to recruit "blue chip" OL to play that style if they are thinking of a pro career. i see that as a limitation.
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For a team like Tulane or Rice I would absolutely go for it. Siting in a solid recruiting hotbed but probably will never get many pro-level athletes to play there especially at the QB position. Why not use a scheme that could give you an advantage, be entertaining for your fans, and give you a shot at playing .500 if executed properly.
 
Holieway was a magician. He was smaller, almost looked tiny out there sometimes. He would show himself then hide behind a lineman. Could change directions in an instant then explode into a hole. Take one extra step towards him and the pitch was delivered.

Best ever is a question that there is no definitive answer for. Depends on what you prioritize.

Huge advantage for a team going to an option offense is that they don't have to go for the classic sized OL. All the big HS football states have an abundance of strong, quick offensive linemen who get passed over by the big programs because they are under 6'3" tall.
 
Uncle Luko said:
I didn't see a lot of Holieway, Frazier was probably the best I've seen.
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Frazier was better all-around, IMO. Holieway was basically a not-as-good-as-but-in-the-mold-of Barry Sanders except he was behind center and occasionally pitched it to Spencer Tillman when he wasn’t destroying the edge of the defense himself. Fun fact, Troy Aikman rode pine behind Holieway and transferred to UCLA in ‘86 I believe.
 
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Bliff Cranch said:
We know defending the triple option requires discipline to be at the right place at the right time. This staff demands discipline but it is on the players to deliver it. They will make a lot of mistakes, especially early in the season. The secondary’s inexperience worries me and I would think this game will have a high over/under.
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Air Force is not a good team and Tucker has spent the last 3 seasons game planning against GT. Buffs will be fine
 
Bliff Cranch said:
Frazier was better all-around, IMO. Holieway was basically a not-as-good-as-but-in-the-mold-of Barry Sanders except he was behind center and occasionally pitched it to Spencer Tillman when he wasn’t destroying the edge of the defense himself. Fun fact, Troy Aikman rode pine behind Holieway and transferred to UCLA in ‘86 I believe.
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Aikman started the first 4 games until he broke his ankle in the loss to Miami. Then they switched from the I formation to the wishbone and Holieway wins the national championship.
 
Mick Ronson said:
agree. also, agree with earlier in the thread (which i have enjoy re-reading) that Gill was underrated a bit. my recall is that he and JC Watts were among the first true option QB's to actually throw it pretty well. Darian was like that, too....but a few years later. i've read more than once that Switzer says Thomas Lott was the best "true" wishbone QB he ever saw. just a touch before my time, but while Barry may be a bit of a crap artist at times....i do respect his opinion on that and he's stuck with it. Jack Mildren probably in this conversation but also before my time.

edit: also, man, you think about some of the halfbacks those guys had to pitch to.....Bienemy, Rozier, Craig, Billy Sims....etc. big time.
Click to expand...
Thomas Lott was pretty damn good...always wanted somebody to grab him by the doo rag though.
 
leftybuff said:
Thomas Lott was pretty damn good...always wanted somebody to grab him by the doo rag though.
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Lott had amazing timing. He was also a tough guy who more so than some of the others here would stick his nose in push for multiple yardage. I was always a Buffs fan first but I loved the attitude and cockiness of those Oklahoma teams and Lott epitomized that.

Mildren was before my time as well and he was a pioneer so when he played they hadn't yet figured out all the details and wrinkles yet.
 
Uncle Luko said:
I knew about Troy going there, initially. Hollieway, I've really only seen clips or game replays.
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Yeah the plan was for OU to go to more of a pass heavy offense. Once Aikman's leg snapped, it was back to the wishbone.
 
Fu.ck the sooners as bad as the nibblets! Nothing but sleazy ass cheaters as bad if not worse than knu, Selmon (sp) brothers were coming here until those MFers came with their money man right in front of coach C. It's always been my belief that's what made coach move to the AD.
 
68buffs said:
Fu.ck the sooners as bad as the nibblets! Nothing but sleazy ass cheaters as bad if not worse than knu, Selmon (sp) brothers were coming here until those MFers came with their money man right in front of coach C. It's always been my belief that's what made coach move to the AD.
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One difference though is OU never pretended to be anything other than what they were. kNU always had an air of angelic righteousness that was nauseating. OU was an outlaw program that more or less reveled in it.
 
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