IDEAS FOR SMALL SCHOOL OFFENSE (advice)

As always, this is the "magic question," isn't it.

My answer is always the most annoying one, but the "great equalizer" is to COACH WHAT YOU KNOW.

Now, what that means is that if "what you know" isn't going to fit your personnel, then you need to go out and research another system as thoroughly as possible. In a small school that may be outmanned, I believe you need to be in a simple system that you can coach the heck out of and run a few simple run plays and a few simple pass plays.

Any system will allow you to do this, if you taylor it to your needs and philosophy.

Either spread them out or bring them in and be systematic in your approach.

Here is what I would run at a small school in this order:
1. DW
2. Wishbone
3. Flexbone
4. Wing T
5. (Urban Meyer's) Shot gun Spread
6. Pistol

I totally agree with what most have said here. Solid, mistake free, disciplined, hardnosed football. As someone already said do not beat yourself, make the other team beat you. I would also add conditioning, conditioning and conditioning. With only 100 kids this will likely be iron man football for many.

As for an offense there is no magic answer. If it were me I would look into the Dead T or Bay City T as some call it. It utilizes lots of trapping and misdirection with the backs taking layered handoffs caring out fakes until the whistle blows or they are tackled. This offense seems to work well for the smaller sized schools in my area.

<sup>hog the ball
eliminate long yardage situations
be extremely disciplined to prevent penalties
conservative in terms of passing but aggressive in terms of going for it on 4th and 2
attacking defense bent on getting the ball back now


shorten the game, eliminate mistakes, make the other guys BEAT YOU. do not beat yourself.

dw, wing t, sw, ...series football with lots of double teams, traps, power and misdirection.</sup>

This is what we do...

^{My answer is always the most annoying one, but the "great equalizer" is to COACH WHAT YOU KNOW.}

Because it is what I know.

We are tiny (85 students), but before I returned here I was at a school of 2200... we basically do the same things we did there- we just adapt (i.e. if we have no TE, we run 2 SE and have a small quick package so they at least line up and cover the SEs, etc.)

We run 3 series (complements) of 3-4 plays each from 2 formations (but with shifting/motions that can give 30-40 different "looks")

In the past 4 years, the two most consistently successful programs (winning records, qualified for the playoffs each year) are:

School 1- Spread passing attack from Empty. Throw 80-90%. Run game consists of draws and an occasional speed option
School 2 (us) Full house 2TE, run 95%.

In the past 4 years (since being in this district) both teams have had good athletes (undefeated regular seasons) and both have been near the bottom of the district talent-wise (2-3 loss seasons).

What we do is best for us because I know it.
What they do is best for them, because they know it.

The common ground between us both is-
1. We each have a specific identity
2. We each run something "unconventional" (that is, people see what we do once a year- and what they do once a year... offensively, we are both distinctly different from our opponents).
3. Both packages are based on pretty simple schemes that rely on execution- we take fewer chances than they do and are more likely to be mistake free- they have more quick strike capabilities).

^{Any system will allow you to do this, if you taylor it to your needs and philosophy.}


Agreed. But it is important to learn the system and not just copy what "State Champion H.S." did.

The other thing... don't be afraid to think outside the norm. Not that I want this to turn in to an "A-11" thread... but that is not a bad idea. We became single wing (some.... still go under C some) out of necessity (lost all QBs by week 6 a few years ago). The bonus is... what we do is weird, hard (for some) to prepare for, and can give us an edge (we are confident, they are unsure).

Have around 120 in the school here.. with about 63 male students..

We ran a wide open shotgun spread offense. We were empty probably 65% of the time on the year.. and around 95% of the time in the last 3 games..

We are GREATLY out athleted at all positions.. fasted kid runs a 4.9 forty.

We are a 99% white school.

We were relatively successful compared to the previous years. They scored less than 60 points combined for the previous 2 seasons..

We ended up winning the first game in 3 years in week 10. We ended up scoring just under 130 points on the year.. nothing special, but a huge improvement to the 31 the previous year.

2.5 yards per carry...sell your kids on it.

As we all know, there is no magic offensive system. However, I think the esteemed senatorblutarsky is on to something in his suggestion of choosing an unconventional system that is rarely seen. I also think you have to choose something and stick to it. Sell the idea to your kids and get them to buy in. If you change at the first sign of trouble, they will lose confidence in you.

I also think that with such a small school, you might want to consider an offense that is not QB intensive because you don't want an injury at that position to completely shut down your offense.

Superpower, I agree. I was with a school that would change the offense every year. The freshman on up would learn it, than have to re-learn. coachcalande, I tell my kids the goal is 3.5 yards a carry. Than I don't have to worry about the 4th and short. bluecrazy

Ahhhh...another convert!!

I am completely biased, but I think if you asked a group of DC's what offense they hate to prepare for, the consensus would be the option. In my case, I run flexbone (with some I and Broken I sets), and the DC's (that actually talk to me!) state that they HATE playing me.

Give a team 4 days to prepare for triple option football in a league where no one runs it??? The choice would be SIMPLE.

We have battled this problem for many years, and it is very similar to the David vs. Goliath, in terms of how we can best put our typical athletes to use and give them the best chance to win vs. Opponents who are usually physically a step or two faster and athletically better when compared to us, etc.

That is how we came up with our system and it works for us.

Hope this helps.

KB

Did this for a while and learned you cannot play football until you build football players. My biggest challenge in the small school wasn't building a killer scheme, it was getting kids to understand and "play football."

Yes, I am aware of the question - scheme, scheme, scheme? This is the scheme - scheme as many ways as you can to build football players who hit with abandonment, play for each other, will go after a ball in the air, will put in the extra time to improve and study the game, and will learn their craft. That is the scheme that will win at that level.

I know this sounds brutally basic and its a, "yeah I know that, but."

However, davecisar wants xyz - how did you do it - really?

This is it.

It isn't flashy, although I had one of the "flashiest of flashy flash" offenses in the county - I still had to hold kids hands through tears, boo-boos, moms picking them up early for tutors, birthday parties for classmates, etc.

In a school of 100 athletes, you don't have the luxury of picking who and what you like, nor are you in a position to dictate policies that you cannot enforce, or you won't have a team. You have to win with what you get, and while the multiple offenses suggested are all great, your friend has the unenviable task of needing to build around his football players - and that being only a few. I ran a multiple scheme that included elements of all kinds of offenses, but only so I could get the ball to my "football players," and away from my non-football players.

Games at the small school level are won and lost by the "football players a team has, not super athletes mind you, players who "get it" when it comes to the game and how it is played.

In my experience, the coach that uses his "football players" the best wins. There are still 22 people on the field, but usually only 10 of those, if you are fortunate, can play. And only less than 5 have the motor to go both ways and make the plays you need.

When it comes to actual scheme, Spread the field with formations, isolate defenders, misdirect with your average speed to gain a competitive advantage, run option with a lead where you can so it becomes a sweep, throw the football effectively and efficiently, and PLAY DEFENSE.

So, in conclusion, run the Spread Triple Veer Zone Double Slot Wing I Power Offense, but remember that to win you should spend 60-75% of your time practicing blocking, tackling, catching, running, and throwing, from every place on the field.

The athletes will do what they do, what you need is to get the freakin' spectators in jerseys on the field with them to get after somebody instead of having to charge them $5 admission to watch the game go on around them.

I did it for 8 years, ran multiple looks with success, but anything only worked because a handful of kids decided they were going to be "football players."

Crack the code on expanding this understanding amongst the troops and your friend could run Jeff the Expert's Offensive Secrets of Football scheme and they would win. ;D

I'm just kidding, scheme is a mission critical part of it, but it is a lot more fun building a scheme, when there are "football players" on the field.

Just my rantings...

The equalizer defense is the one that stops the run - if you have the weaker athletes then stop the run, get the other guy to attempt passes, get after the qb, test the line, force poor throws and interceptions and incompletions....better yet, run an offense that keeps the other guys offense off of the field.