Hearing that Ken Niumatalolo (Navy) is a leading candidate to replace Kevin Sumlin.
Would be an interesting hire.
Would be an interesting hire.
Arizona going triple option?
- Thread starter CougPatrol
- Start date
I would love to see the option be more popular. I feel like a lot of teams are all the same scheme or collection of plays.
If he’s getting hired for his leadership style instead of his offense, it will be interesting to see how that works out at Zona vs a military academy. I personally think you could be fairly successful (think Leach in the PAC) running on off brand O like that.
I think the option would be a good choice for a couple of reasons. First, the ideal talent for that offense is not the same as what the pro-style or spread teams are recruiting. That in and of itself is a big deal, because if you are any good at recruiting at all, it helps to be selling something a little different, to a little different audience. Second, preparing for the option once per year makes it likely that some of the conference DC's won't do a very good job...much like the total fail that our staff pulled for the Air Force game. And third, in a lot of ways the option tries to do the same things that the spread game does...get guys alone, or one on one, in space. With a good short yardage run component. A triple option, in particular, is a nice mix of straight dive and spreading it out down the line. If by chance you have a QB who can complete over half of his passes to go with that, the triple option is a very difficult offense to stop. Back in the 70's and 80's when OU and Texas would play every year and both teams used the TO, Switzer used to comment on both the type of guards he needed on offense and the type of LB's Texas used to face the option, and how that was a years long recruiting and building process to be able to have what you needed on the field. His comments on the guards, in particular, were interesting. To make a long story short, if a guard could not pull and get across the line to the opposite side effectively, he didn't fit. Compare that to the guards you see on most P5 teams and the difference is obvious. Barry's guards seldom went more than 265-270 pounds, but they were nimble. They could get to the second level against LB's, they could pull to the opposite side and be right behind the TE, and they could help the center with the meanest nose guard known to the game at the time. Barry felt that it was easier to get a good tackle than a good guard while he was running the TO...and that is an utterly different proposition than what most P5 teams are recruiting today. Add a jitterbug QB who can throw accurately for at least 25 yards and you are a DC's nightmare.
So you can complain about those offenses not throwing the ball?
A modernized version of the triple option could (and would) still throw the ball. When we were looking to replace Leach, there was a part of me that felt WSU could do well with an offense like this. Instead of trying to out recruit the P12 blue bloods for the same types of skill players, play a completely different brand of ball altogether. It's risky though. If the coaching hire blows up, you're looking at a 2-3 year roster overhaul to move back to a conventional offense.
I think it makes a lot of sense for Arizona. The Tucson beat writers are saying that their roster is shot right now anyway, and that a move like this will create some needed buzz on the recruiting trail. They were leaning towards hiring Niumatalolo to replace Rich Rodriguez, but Khalil Tate sent a dubious tweet that "he didn't come to Arizona to run the triple option," so they backed off and went with Sumlin. Now, 3 years later, they're looking for another coach and Tate is an undrafted free agent looking to catch on as a WR in the NFL.
I think it makes a lot of sense for Arizona. The Tucson beat writers are saying that their roster is shot right now anyway, and that a move like this will create some needed buzz on the recruiting trail. They were leaning towards hiring Niumatalolo to replace Rich Rodriguez, but Khalil Tate sent a dubious tweet that "he didn't come to Arizona to run the triple option," so they backed off and went with Sumlin. Now, 3 years later, they're looking for another coach and Tate is an undrafted free agent looking to catch on as a WR in the NFL.
If Arizona goes that route and becomes triple option oriented, we can only hope Dickert & Company will have a better idea how to defend it than what the last group of coaches did against Air Force.
Glad Cougar
Glad Cougar
Funny. I didn't see you complain about our offense in Leach's first season(who had the benefit of spring ball and had a qb who actually had game experience)
It's great to see Leach still owns you and he did everything you said he couldn't do while at WSU. That's your legacy here on this board..............Give it up..........He beat you!!!!!
We run a very basic offense right now. It's exactly what Biggs is talking about. Twin Package, Two Man Routes, Two different levels, 1 read for the QB & a lil RPO. Very simple for a Power5 school to defend. Thus why after 1st half of OSU, we have struggled to move the ball at a consistent pace and produce points.
I know there's more pages in the RnS Playbook and I don't cheer against coaches like you did, but our current scheme is vanilla and that's why we have struggled moving it vs. anyone not named Oregon St. Which, last time I checked, still isn't any good on defense. I'm hoping we see the playbook evolve tomorrow in Salt Lake.
De Laura's current skillet really limits our options. All the moxie in the world can't compensate for an inability to get the ball to your outside receivers. Defenders can man up Calvin and Lucas and focus the majority of their efforts on Harris and Bell in the passing game.
Jayden's going to need to learn how to throw or he's going to get replaced by someone who can. I'd really like to see what Camm or Gunner can do if given an opportunity to start, just so we know going forward what we have.
Oh BS. You have been cheering against Rolovich since our first game...if not before.
I never cheered against Leach. Just wanted him to run the ball more because I think he could have taken a decent to good offense and made it unstoppable.
Many others share the same opinion on that.
And gee...do you think maybe he is only running part of the playbook because he has 3 qb's who haven't had a snap in live game action prior to this yr...without the benefit of spring ball?
Not disagreeing with your observations, but we've only played 3 teams to date, and 2 of them are playing for the conference championship tonight– the 2 teams we lost to. I'm not going to make a lot of general judgments about this season based on (hopefully) 4 games that we played...especially when 3 of them are against arguably the best in the Pac-12. More data will be available in 2021.
Glad Cougar
Yeah that guy was a human highlight reel on ESPN...both with his arms and his legs. Then under Sumlin, you never heard from him again.
Great coaches find a way to use the talent they have to be successful. That kid was electric. Sumlin took a kid with POY ability and turned him into a nobody.
F that, run your scheme. Option could be a bitch to defend in Arizona, hot early season games getting punched in the gut all game defending 10-12 play drives over and over.
Jerry Pettibone went 13-52-1 (6-41-1 in Pac 10) running that offense from 1991 to 1996.
Pettibone also matched Paul Saban high water mark of 4 wins twice.
He couldn't find high schools that were running that offense. The Academies are getting a different brand of kid
You seem to confuse criticizing a coach vs cheering against them. WSU is greater than Mine Leach.
I do find it funny I'm on your brain before 8 am this morning though.
“Leach will never get it done here.” Was followed by how many years of posts celebrating losses?
I wake up around 4:30 most days. So, don’t think you’re special.
You are an idiot. I have never once celebrated a Cougar loss.
Except when you did. This year you matriculated to celebrating Mississippi State losses.
You are doubling down on your usual trademark idiocy. You should run for Seattle City council. You'd fit right in.
I actually cheer for them and hope they win. I've watched all of their games.
So your posts here do not represent your true feelings?
Again, you confuse my criticism of Leach...especially wanting him to run the ball more with wanting the Cougs to lose.
You must be the inventor of the Jump to Conclusions mat.
Still on your brain from before 8 am til noon.
And you still equate criticism with wanting our team to lose. Your lack of critical thinking skills is alarming.
My wife as a cook sucks . Horrible . Does that mean I cheer against her if she were to ever cook? Or does she have other qualities.
Funny while sponge said that during a buzzed first half of the BYU game , he never called for leach to be fired or speculate who the next coach would be- like others did early 2015 . Other “true” fans did however
Except that you were just criticizing the Cougs. So with your logic, you are wanting the Cougs to lose.
