101 Plays from the Coastal

Carolina Offense

ALEX KIRBY

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 Copyright © 2020 Alex Kirby

All rights reserved.

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 CONTENTS

1 Dropback and 1
Quick Pass Game

2 Change Ups 9

3 Gap Runs 18

4 Inside Zone Runs 26

5 Outside Zone 40
Runs

6 Option Runs 48

7 Playaction Pass 84
Game

8 Run-Pass Option 100

Plays

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1 DROPBACK AND QUICK PASS GAME

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 1 - Dbl Motion to FIB Trips Spread H-Back - Boundary Curls

One of the things this offense does exceptionally well is find new ways to
attack the short side of the field through the run and pass game.

Against Georgia Southern, the offense floods the boundary with three curl
routes breaking at roughly the same depth, and creating enough space
between the three of them to stretch the coverage to that side.

Most of the defenses this Chanticleers offense will face all season long like
to play a very basic odd front look with a two-deep safety alignment
pre-snap. The use of H-back motion changes the strength of the formation,
provides the coaching staff the ability to see how the defense reacts, and
then adds numbers to the short side passing game.

Even if the defense decides to flood the boundary with defenders in

response, there’s still a fairly simple pass concept out wide to the field ready
to take advantage of any spacing or leverage opportunities available here.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 2 - 2x2 Spread - Flat-Corner / Drive

This is a play that was included simply because Coastal loves to call it so
often, or at least part of it. The “Drive” concept to the right is used as a
backside filler pass pattern in many of Coastal’s pass calls.

It’s hardly ever actually thrown when paired up with other concepts like this
one, instead used as a late-developing outlet pass that can come into
quarterback Grayson McCall’s progression if his primary read isn’t open.

This offense doesn’t run a lot of 10 personnel, since it takes one of their best
players off the field, tight end #4 Isaiah Likely. Still, when they do decide to
go with lighter personnel, this is one of their favorite pass combinations.

As you study this offense in-depth, this Drive concept shows up more and
more.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 3 - Gun Far Trips Bunch - Curls

Coastal doesn’t usually feature a ton of bunch plays within their offense, and
by most strict definitions, this play doesn’t really qualify. What they’re good
at, however, is always throwing out a few new looks each week to give the
opponent something to have to talk about on the sideline in between drives.

What you’ll see as you go deeper into this offense is how much the
Chanticleers love the curl and hook-type routes in the pass game.

It’s a great complement to all the vertical routes they tend to throw, and with
defensive backs on their heels expecting a vertical route by several of these
receivers, it makes it that much easier to hitch up and show their numbers to
the quarterback.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 4 - 2x2 Wing Twin HAC Slot Under H-Back Sail

This is one of the more unorthodox pass concepts in the playbook for
Coastal, but one where the ball usually ends up going to the “Sail” route by
the H-Back.

This concept puts a lot of pressure on the “balanced” odd front structures
that this offense sees a lot of, because you end up getting four men out into
the route to one side of the play.

The change of strength motion by the H-Back in this particular example is

just an extra piece of leverage the offense has on a defense, because unless
they want to make wholesale changes to their pre-snap look by moving
several guys over to the field side, they leave themselves vulnerable
somewhere.

It’s not unlike the “Spot” concept, which features a flat route, a “snag” route
releasing inside, and a corner route, only this time the offense has a vertical
post route on the outside as well, designed to take the top off of the coverage

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

and open up space for that inside “Sail” route. What often happens is the
“Sail” will find an open spot after breaking out, then sit down in an open
window.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 5 - Y Shift to Twin Flex - TE Hitch

Maximizing the strengths of their personnel is something this coaching staff

does very well, and on this play they’ve schemed up a way to get big
H-Back/Tight End #4 Isaiah Likely matched up with an easy throw against a
defensive back underneath.

This particular shift is something Coastal drew up several times during the
season, especially if a defense didn’t play the tight side of the twins formation
very close with their defensive backs. If there’s easy space to be had here,
the Chanticleers will take advantage of it.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 6 - Gun Far Trips Spread - Slants

This slant pass play is great against a lot of different looks, but it’s interesting
the way the routes are coached up in different spots for the most efficient
spacing and distribution.

The backside #1 receiver runs a pretty standard slant route, but when you
get to the frontside of the concept, things change a little bit. The two inside
receivers run “skinnier” slants to get vertical a little more quickly, and
meanwhile the #1 receiver to the trips side doesn’t run a real slant route so
much as an “Under” route, what Peyton Manning used to call a “Dig” route.

This allows for 4 receivers to get into the route quickly, while not all crowding
the middle of the field, and even gets the Z receiver more involved in the
concept than he would normally be otherwise. That guy is the furthest throw
for the quarterback, and in most offenses he is the least likely to catch the
ball because of that fact.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

2 CHANGE UPS

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 7 - Gun Near Trips Spread H-Back Over (Quads) - PA Pwr Dbl Verts Z Under

We call this chapter the “Change Ups” because these plays don’t necessarily
fit with any other category.

If you were watching the Cure Bowl against Liberty, you’ll remember this play
as the one where Coastal was flagged for an illegal man downfield penalty
for some reason. In fact, the penalty was actually called on the Z receiver,
who is the end man on the line. (Try to figure that one out)

The thing to focus on for this play is that while Coastal had been lining up in
unusual looks all season long, it was the first time they’d lined up in this
particular formation, and so they were hoping for Liberty to mis-align and
leave a big gap in the middle of the coverage, which is exactly what
happened.

The pulling guard on the wide fake, combined with the double vertical routes
down the seams, held the linebackers and the two safeties in place, and
opened up a space for the H-Back Isaiah Likely to make an easy grab and
get them down near the goal line.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

This is a pretty crafty way to attack a two-high look, and if not for an awful
call, Coastal would’ve had another explosive play here.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 8 - Pistol 2x2 Spread QB Draw Pop Pass

When you’ve got a mobile quarterback with a precise arm, you can pull plays
like this out of your bag of tricks.
Coastal ran this play three different times during the year, going two for three
on them. It’s a great call in the high red zone, where you’ve still got enough
room to stretch the defense vertically for a little bit, but one missed
assignment by a defender can lead to a quick touchdown.
The idea is simple enough. The back leads up into the hole as if he’s going
to lead block for the quarterback on an isolation play. The quarterback will
follow suit and start downhill for a few steps. Then all the back has to do is
avoid the inside linebacker coming to fill the gap, and he’s got lots of green
grass in front of him.
This works against a two-high defense where they’ve got space in the deep
middle. The routes on the outside are designed to draw the safeties away
from that middle and make this an easy throw for the quarterback.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 9 - Gun Near 2x2 Spread H-Back Jet Sweep

Putting their pass strength into the boundary is something Coastal does a lot
of, just to give the defense a different look and see how they’ll react. The
Chanticleers’ star running back #1 CJ Marable was very effective on these
kinds of plays, having the speed to beat you to the edge and turn the corner.

Notice that this formation is relatively condensed to the field side, so it makes
an easier block for the Z receiver on the near safety, and brings the corner
closer to the back in the backfield for the kick out block.

They will also let the playside 4 technique go, and instead arc that tackle up
to the inside backer to try and pin him inside.

Coastal prefers to “flip” the football forward on the jet sweep so that it’s a
forward pass and eliminates any chance for a fumbled exchange.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 10 - Pistol 2x2 Colt - Z Jet Sweep Weak

Here’s another version of the jet sweep, once again with the back Marable
out wide at the Z receiver position. This play was taken from the Texas State
game, where the defense plays a lot of different looks out of the 3-high
package that has slowly been creeping through college football.

By tying this play to the outside zone scheme, they force all the players on
defense to hesitate long enough for the jet sweep to develop the other way,
and with the numbers they have to the boundary, this can be a great call.

One other thing to realize is that because they have only one true receiver on
the field, this offense is actually in “22” personnel, something you’re much
more likely to see on the goal line with everyone packed in.

Having the ability to line up all sorts of different ways with the same
personnel groups is a huge advantage for this offense, and makes opposing
defensive coordinators pull their hair out.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 11 - Pistol Trips Spread H-Back - QB Zone Read Pop Out

The next couple of plays are all going to be similar to this one. If you’ve read
my Ravens breakdown in the past, you know they’ve run several different
versions of this concept.

The play looks like a true read at first, but then the back will follow up and
become an extra lead blocker for the quarterback. This is effective because
the mesh has the effect of freezing defenders in place and giving the
offensive line extra time to get to their blocking assignments.

Once the back leads up and finds someone to block, the quarterback takes
off around the edge and finds open space, following the block of the back.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 12 - Gun Split Pro Tite Away TB Flare - Down ‘G’ QB Pop Out

Here’s another version of the play we just talked about, only this time the
action is tied to one of their top run schemes, the “Down” play where the
frontside guard kicks out the end man on the line and the back follows into
the crease.

The coaches have drawn up a pretty good look for QB Grayson McCall,
sending a back out wide to the side of the play to loosen the edge defenders
to that side, hopefully taking someone with him and widening them out.

At the snap, he’ll extend the ball to his left as if he were handing off on the
“Down” play, then follow the back up into the hole where the guard kicked out
the end man on the line.

This is a great play in short yardage, since defenders naturally tend to bite
harder on interior run fakes when you’re this close to the line to gain, and this
in turn opens up space to the outside.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 13 - Pistol Far Pro Tite Away TB Flare - Down ‘G’ QB Pop Out

Here’s another version of the play run near the goal line. As you can see
from the diagram, the defense takes the threat of the flare screen seriously,
and bumps over with the motion.

This gives them a true RPO threat on the goal line, and either way the
defense will be without a numbers advantage at the point of attack.

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 3 GAP RUNS

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 14 - Dbl TE Trade to 2x2 Wing Twin - Down ‘C’

It all starts with the “Down” play. This offense may get billed as an option
attack, and there’s a lot of truth to that, but this scheme is what the run game
relies on to get a consistent push when they need yards. Not only that, but
this was actually the play they called more than any other in 2020.
This particular example was taken from the Kansas game during the season
opener, where Coastal initially had four men into the short side of the field,
then shifted their two tight ends to the opposite side of the formation.
Kansas “plussed” their linebackers to the wing side of the formation to try to
take away the threat, but with the great angles this play gives you, that’s
harder than it looks.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 15 - Trips Wing Over X Jet - Down ‘C’

Here’s another version of the play, this time from an unbalanced look and a
jet sweep fake as well. It may remind a lot of people of the wildcat formation
that was all the rage several years ago.
This time, instead of the guard pulling, the center does instead. This does not
appear to be a decision made by the offensive line when looking at the front.
Instead, it looks to be pre-determined by the play call coming in from the
sideline.
Regardless of who pulls, the play gives you great angles and allows your line
to get downhill at the point of attack.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 16 - Pistol Near Tackle Over Unbal - Down ‘G’

This unbalanced look gives Coastal extra beef to the side of the run, which
obviously comes in handy down near the goal line.
One interesting thing about this scheme, and the Coastal run game in
general, is that up until the final game of the year, the Cure Bowl against
Liberty, this offense had only pulled the frontside guard on their run plays,
except for a handful (less than 5) of occasions.
They wanted a play that was going to hit inside fast and get the runner north
and south, and that’s what the “Down” play provides.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 16 - 2x2 Colt - Down ‘G’

Here’s another look at the “Down” play from a completely balanced

formation.
One thing you will notice when you watch film of this offense, is that when
both TE #87 Michael Macfarlane and #4 Isaiah Likely are on the field, they
will run this play behind Macfarlane almost exclusively.
Macfarlane is much more of a traditional tight end who can put his hand in
the ground and get movement at the point of attack, and is less explosive in
the pass game.
What this means is that when it’s a short yardage situation and both tight
ends are on the field, the defense needs to know exactly where #87 is. If the
back is lined up to his side, they know what the play is going to be.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 17 - Trey H-Back H Escort Motion - Down ‘G’

This is a change up to the way they usually blocked the Down play. This
particular example is taken from the game early in the year against
Louisiana.
The H-Back comes in “Escort” motion, meaning he’ll start on his path before
the snap, and act almost like a puller, timing up his motion with the snap.
This adds an extra hat to the front side of the play, but also gets the defense
moving in that direction before the ball is snapped.
To the field side, they’ve still got an RPO route called, with the slot running a
flat route and the X blocking downfield on the corner in case the defense
gives them an unfavorable look to the run side.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 18 - Pistol Trips Spread H-Back - Wham Nose RPO

One of the wrinkles you’ll see from time-to-time as you’re watching film on
this offense is the way the H-Back will add himself to a combination block on
an interior defensive lineman, usually the nose.
Here, the playside tackle folds up inside, while the guard to the playside
kicks out on the 4 technique.
When it’s paired with this pass concept, it really makes it tough on the near
safety to add himself to the play without giving up a curl throw right behind
him.
The quarterback’s eyes are on the apex defender first (what a lot of offensive
guys call the outside linebacker/safety type of player who splits the difference
between the O-Line and the nearest receiver), and if he adds himself to the
play or is just aligned very tightly pre-snap, the QB has the option of throwing
the “Curl-Flat” concept.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 19 - Gun Near Even Trey H-Back Counter GH

As we mentioned earlier, Coastal ran almost no plays where they pulled a

backside guard until the Cure Bowl game against Liberty. That’s where this
play was taken from. It’s certainly not what you would call part of their “base
offense” but it’s an interesting change up either way.
There’s not much different here than you’ll see in any other counter play, but
the thing to remember is that because of the heavy tendencies shown all
season long by Coastal, this was an interesting attempt to throw a couple of
curveballs at the defense.

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 4 INSIDE ZONE RUNS

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 20 - Pistol Trips H-Back On XAC - Inside Zone

This is about as simple as it gets for the inside zone play.

Coastal is running it out of an unbalanced look here against BYU and they’ve
got numbers at the point of attack.

You might think that this is more of a “Duo” style play than a pure inside zone
play just based on how it’s drawn up, but the push of the offensive line is
much more straight ahead and downhill, especially on the combo blocks.

The jet motion here gets a little bit of movement from the defensive front and
gets the offense in a better position to achieve their blocks.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 21 - Pistol Far Pro H-Back Over FB Flare - Inside Zone Lead RPO

This play is one of the most common wrinkles off of the base zone run game
of the Coastal offense.

Jamey Chadwell and the rest of this offensive staff spend a lot of time trying
to create positive matchups for this offense, when it comes to personnel as
well as pure numbers.

This zone scheme is something that they’ve hung their hat on all season
long, and with the H-back folding inside to the B-gap to lead up on the near
linebacker, it gives them another way to create angles at the point of attack.

The flare motion is paired up with so many different run schemes in this
offense, and it adds a ton of value here, moving the apex defender out of the
way and creating extra space just in case that run should break free up the
middle.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 22 - Pistol Trey H-Back ZAC - IZ Lead

This is an interesting change up from the last play we discussed, since the
H-Back is coming away from the mesh and leading up inside.

It’s a great key-breaker so that the defense can’t focus on any specific
H-Back alignments to get a read on where the ball is going.

Once again, the addition of the jet motion adds an extra layer of complexity
to this play, and makes it that much tougher for the defense to diagnose and
fit everything properly up front.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 23 - Pistol Trips Spread H-Back IZ Lead Opposite RPO

This is one of the most common plays you’ll see from this offense out of 11
personnel - An inside zone play out of trips with some sort of two-man route
combination to the field side.

These sorts of play calls are great because they simplify a lot of things for
freshman quarterback Grayson McCall. He’s got his eyes on one guy. It
doesn’t matter whether he’s going to open up away from the read or towards
the read, he still has his eyes on that guy before the ball is snapped and can
still throw it if he gets the look he wants.

When you study this offense, it’s hard to ignore how successful they’ve been
at throwing all the different RPOs they’ve got in their arsenal.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 24 - Pistol 2x2 H-Back - IZ Lead Opposite RPO

It’s also extremely common to see these sorts of one-man pass routes out of
2x2 formations.

WR #6 Jaivon Heiligh (pronounced “Highly”) is usually the beneficiary of

these throws and has the speed, hands, and body control to win one-on-one
against most DBs he will face on this schedule.

Once again we see the H-Back start on the opposite side of the play, and the
QB opening up toward the RPO side.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 25 - Pistol 2x2 H-Back IZ Lead Opposite RPO

On the last play we talked about an RPO designed to attack a one-high

secondary shell, this time we’re looking at a play and a pass pattern
designed for a two-deep look.

This offense faces a lot of quarters coverage teams, and this corner-post
route works well against a safety that likes to stick his nose down against the
run a little too aggressively.

The good thing about this run play is that there are no unblocked defenders
on the edge of the play, so the QB has a little bit more time for the play to
develop and the route has more time to get downfield.

In other words, you would not want to pair this route up with some kind of
midline RPO (which this offense will call from time to time) since the loose
interior lineman would tackle your quarterback before the receiver had a
chance to come out of the top of his break.

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Play 26 - Pistol 2x2 Wing Twin Twix Z Orbit - IZ Keep

This is a great wrinkle off the inside zone concept and so many other option
plays that this offense runs, where there really is no read, but the QB will just
keep it around the end and get what he can.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 27 - Pistol Far Tite - IZ Lead H-Back Glance RPO

This particular play is from the BYU game, and it’s a really interesting twist
on the RPO.

They did not end up throwing this route in the game, but QB Grayson McCall
was peeking pre-snap at the backside inside linebacker (shown in the boxed)
in case he got too nosy on this play.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 28 - Pistol Near Pro H-Back H Return - IZ Lead Gut RPO

This is another false key zone lead play that is paired up with a “Glance”
route, similar to the route from the previous play we talked about.

It’s very good against a near safety who wants to play aggressively, and the
H-Back motion gives off a heavy run tell.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 29 - Trips H-Back Z Orbit - IZ Wham

Just because Coastal runs a lot of unique plays doesn’t mean they don’t also
run some standard zone schemes. If you’ve watched football at all in the past
decade you’re sure to have seen this scheme run hundreds, if not thousands
of times.

The inside zone play, married up with a backside H-Back wham gives the
tailback an opportunity to cut the play back to the backside, and the offense
creates a lot of angles for the run.

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Play 30 - 2x2 Spread H Escort Wk - IZ Wham

Here’s another example of that wham play we talked about on the last page.
The “Escort” motion by the H-Back adds an extra hat late to the backside of
the play, and when you’re this close to the goal line and you’re able to create
that much of a crease at the point of attack, you’re doing something right.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 31 - Pistol Far Twin Spread - IZ Wham RPO

Once again we’ve got an inside zone play paired up with an RPO. The wham
block is coming from the backfield here, and the QB Grayson McCall is
peeking at the backside safety in case he gets too nosy.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 32 - Pistol Far Twin Spread - IZ Wham RPO

This play is taken from the BYU game, and it’s another inside zone play, this
time with a two-man pass concept.

Since the Curl-Flat concept is to the side that the QB opens up to, he has
more time post-snap to keep his eyes on the defender in the alley and make
sure that guy is staying disciplined.

Oftentimes in these situations, and on these kinds of plays, it’s the RB’s
responsibility to get to the mesh point and get in position for the ball. Almost
all teams coach up their backfield personnel so that the QB’s eyes never
leave his read, and he never has to look down at the mesh.

This comes in handy when you’re making a decision on whether or not a

defense has left itself vulnerable.

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 5 OUTSIDE ZONE RUNS

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 33 - Pistol Trey H-Back - Outside Zone Wk

Coastal doesn’t necessarily make a living on these outside zone runs, but
here against the unique defensive fronts of Texas State they had a really
great opportunity to get angles and numbers from some different looks, just
because of the way the defense would line up against their formations.
If you’re going to play without anything wider than a three technique in a
down lineman position, 12 personnel runs like this will give you a lot of
problems.
Coastal manages to catch Texas State in a bad alignment here and the back
splits the crease for a big gain off-tackle.

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Play 34 - Gun Near 2x2 Spread - OZ Wk RPO

Here’s a pretty interesting RPO that Coastal only ran one time, but allowed
them to hit a flat route against an aggressive trap corner look.
As McCall is riding the mesh on the outside zone, he’s keeping an eye on the
defenders to the play side. In this case the corner and outside backer
completely collapsed on the run threat, probably because it’s not a look that
this offense line up in a lot of times and runs the ball from.
If you’re going to play a two-deep look with a hard corner, that space
between the corner and the safety is where you’re at risk of being vulnerable,
and on this play Coastal drew up a perfect play.

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Play 35 - Shift to Gun Split Pro Twin OZ Lead

This late backfield shift from an offset to a split look gives defenses fits,
especially those defenses who spend lots of time talking about backfield
keys and alignments.
The shift also changes the look of who will be carrying the ball and who the
lead back will be, so for personnel tell purposes, this is a good change up as
well.
With the Twins look and tight end to the boundary, as well as the lead back,
the offense has numbers here to this side of the play and has a great
advantage.

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 101 PLAYS FROM THE COASTAL CAROLINA OFFENSE

Play 36 - Gun Split Rpo Twin OZ Lead RPO

This is a great RPO in the red zone to take advantage of a defense that
wants to play out of position.
The reality is that unless the outside linebacker completely bails and plays
underneath the Bang Post by the Z receiver, it doesn’t matter what he does,
because the route is designed to get that receiver open against a two-high
look.
With the longer mesh and backfield action that this sort of run play provides
you, you have a little bit longer to survey the defense and make sure those
safeties aren’t doing anything funny after the ball is snapped.
This play was taken from Coastal’s big win at Georgia State and this
particular route was wide open for an easy score.

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Play 37 - Gun Split Twin Spread FB Flare OZ RPO

Pairing some of their top run plays with playside flare motion to give the
offense numbers at the point of attack is one of Coastal’s favorite moves on
the chess board.
We’ll see it many times throughout this book, and you’ll see it once you go
through their film, but it’s a simple AND extremely effective way to loosen up
the defense at the point of attack.
Against any heavy field pressure, or otherwise unfriendly looks to the
playside, QB Grayson McCall has an easy outlet pass on this RPO that will
keep Coastal’s offense out of long yardage situations and negative plays.

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Play 38 - Pistol Trips Bunch OZ Wham T Arc Wk

One of the more recent trends in the NFL especially has been to pair outside
zone stretch plays with backside Wham blocks, not necessarily because it
adds a lot to the run play itself (though that is often the case), but because of
what else in your offense it sets up.
The backside wham block, combined with the arc release of the backside
tackle, creates a lot of space on the backside, should the runner cut it back in
that direction.
It also freezes the middle of the field player who typically acts as a run-first
late filler to a lot of these runs, and if you can get him to hesitate, you’ve
solved half the issues in dealing with this defense.

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Play 39 - Pistol Near Pro - OZ Wham T Arc Wk

Here we see another version of that same outside zone scheme with the
backside wham, only this time coming from the backfield.
Like we talked about before, this sort of thing sets up all kinds of playaction
and boot passes down the road.
Outside zone in general is not something that Coastal does a lot of, at least
when compared to many of the other schemes in this book. Still there are
times when it’s advantageous to have it in your toolbox, and the Chanticleers
have made an effort to have it available when they need it.

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Play 40 - Trey H-Back ZAC - Freeze Option Arc

The Freeze Option is something that option coaches have been running for a
long time. The traditional way to do it is to have some sort of downhill run
threat to help carry out the mesh before getting to the edge in a hurry. That
initial threat of the inside run would “Freeze” the defense and give the
offense extra time to get to their blocking assignments, and give the QB extra
time to get out to the edge for the pitch read. Coastal runs some traditional
freeze option, but they’re much more likely to run this adapted version of it.
Here, the tailback will start downhill as if he’s going to carry out the mesh
with the QB. The QB will open up as if he’s about to do the same. Then, just
as quickly after a brief hesitation, they’ll head to the edge with the back in
pitch phase while the QB has an edge defender he’s reading.
In this example, the receiver brought across in motion is just adding extra hat
to the frontside of the play, and the tight end is “Arc” releasing out wide to the
safety, putting the linebacker lined up across from him unblocked and out in
space.

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Play 41 - Pistol Near Pro Twin - Load Option

Often confused with the Speed Option, the Load Option gets the offensive
skill guys out on the edge in a hurry, but includes a lead blocker to get better
angles at the point of attack, and give the QB a clearer read for the option
pitch.
For example, while that tight end could’ve easily blocked the five technique
tackle that the FB ends up blocking, by widening out on his release and
climbing the safety, he’s enticing the unblocked linebacker to come with him
and create space inside of him.
That guy can’t defend the entire boundary on his own, and the more space
he has to cover, the less effective he’ll be.

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Play 42 - Pistol 2x2 Spread H-Back Slot Orbit Return Counter Option Load Wk

Now we add another dimension to this run game, the Counter Option. In this
case, we’ve tagged it “Counter Option ​Load​” because of the lead blocker to
the playside.
Here, the quarterback will open up to his right as the tailback takes steps
downhill for a count, then pivot 180 degrees and head the other way, reading
the unblocked defensive end.
The benefits to this play are obvious. First of all, just because the QB opens
a certain direction, it doesn’t mean the ball will end up there.
Not only that, but it also means the defense cannot key in on the direction of
the motion into the backfield.
Option coaches have been running this play for years, and we can see why.

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Play 43 - Pistol Far Pro ZAC - Counter Option Load T Arc Wk

Here’s another example of that Counter Option Load scheme we talked

about on the last page.
This play is taken from the game against Texas State, with their odd-stack, 3
safety defense.
Bringing the Z receiver in motion and pinning the apex defender inside
creates a ton of room in the alley. The one big challenge you’ll face against a
defensive scheme like this is accounting for that extra player ($) in the
secondary, especially in the run game when he shows up late.
He’s usually one of the best players on the field, and just because the
playside tackle is responsible for him doesn’t mean he’s easy to block.

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Play 44 - Pistol 2x2 - Freeze Option T Arc Wk

Here’s another variation of the freeze option play where the tackle is taking
an extra wide release.
Now, why is the tackle releasing like that? What are the advantages?

As we’ve talked about already, most of the defenses that Coastal will play in
their conference play some form of odd front, usually with a couple of head
up four techniques on the offensive tackles. This matters because a lot of
odd front teams like to slant and otherwise move their down linemen around
post-snap, which can seriously affect the option reads and muddy them up.
So why give them the opportunity to do that? Instead, what you have here is
the offensive tackle releasing out wide for that apex defender, and the 4
technique defensive tackle is left out in space. As a result, even if he was
planning on slanting inside, he’s opening up a tremendous hole for the
runner inside of him, and he’s made the quarterback’s read that much
clearer.

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Play 45 - Pistol 2x2 H-Back - Freeze Option Wk

Here’s another variation on that freeze option, this time inside the ten yard
line.
This is a play that is doubly effective near the goal line, since any hesitation
by the defense can lead to an easy score.

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Play 46 - Pistol Near Twin Flex Freeze Option

This is the more traditional version of the Freeze Option that Coastal runs
sometimes.
As you can see, it looks similar to the triple option based on the backfield
action carried out by the quarterback, but there is no secondary read on this
play.
The QB will carry out the fake with the tailback, and then sprint to the edge,
ready to pitch the ball off to the fullback out wide.

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Play 47 - Pistol Far Pro Twin - Freeze Option T Arc Wk

Sometimes you want to make sure you’re putting that big guy in space.
That’s what the arc release by the playside tackle accomplishes here.
This play was drawn up from the first game of the season against Kansas,
who plays a lot of odd front looks. The scheme is another version of the
“classic” Freeze Option play that we discussed on the previous page.

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Play 48 - Pistol Near Pro Tite Away Freeze Option Arc

Here’s another Freeze Option play to the tight end side, inside the 10 yard
line in a goal-to-go situation.
Remember that this is all about putting those big guys in space and forcing
the defense to hesitate. It’s also a lot safer to run these sorts of pitch plays to
the short side of the field sometimes, especially if you’re asking the
quarterback to pitch the ball with his non-dominant hand.

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Play 49 - Pro H-Back - Midline T Arc H-Down F Wrap

Speaking of classic option plays, the midline option is something that comes
in handy A LOT against odd front teams.
Here the Coastal offense has the playside tackle arc blocking out on the
outside linebacker, and two more blockers fitting up in the B-gap.
The QB will read the 4 technique defensive tackle and either give the ball up
the middle, or keep it and “replace the read” if the defender closes down the
line to tackle the give.
This is even paired with an RPO concept, the “Bang Post” designed to take
advantage of a safety coming downhill too fast. The QB’s first read is the
midline option, but if it’s clear and obvious pre-snap that the safety is trying to
stick his nose in where it doesn’t belong, he’s got the ability to throw it over
the top of his head.

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Play 50 - Pistol Near Pro H-Back - Freeze Option

Here’s another example of that traditional Freeze Option scheme, this time
out of an “H-Back Off” set, where the H-Back gives them the ability to add
muscle to the edge and seal off that defensive tackle.
All the QB really has to do here is get that outside backer to commit and he
can pitch the ball to the fullback with nothing but green grass in front of him.

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Play 51 - Pistol Near Pro H-Back Over IZ Triple Bluff T Arc Wk

Coastal used these unbalanced formations all the time, with at least one
eligible receiver covered up by another.
What this does is allow for more flexibility in where that H-Back lines up and
what he can do.
As you can see here, the H-Back acts almost like a puller would from the
offensive line, wrapping around to the opposite side of the line and leading
up to the next level.
With the playside guard blocking down, and the playside tackle arc releasing
to that second level, the Quarterback has two unblocked defenders that he’s
gotta read in a hurry. This play usually turns into a pitch, and to the boundary
this makes sense and allows them to steal easy yards just based on the
numbers advantage they’ve created to the short side of the field.

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Play 52 - Pistol Far Pro H-Back IZ Triple Bluff T Arc Wk

This is a similar look to the last triple option play we dissected. This time that
tackle is releasing extra wide to kick out the corner.
Fans of Paul Johnson and any other classic flexbone offense will know that
this is something you would usually ask your slot backs to do on the frontside
of an option play, exchange blocking responsibilities with the receiver and
create an alley with angles to that side.
Without a slot back to that side, Coastal is able to accomplish the exact
same thing, widening the read guys, and creating good angles for the
blocking scheme in the alley.

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Play 53 - Pistol Far Twin Spread IZ Triple T Arc Wk

Here’s yet another example of that sort of play we discussed, where the
tackle and the receiver exchange responsibilities.
This time the pitch man is actually the defender stacked inside of the give
read. This can sometimes turn into a tricky read, at least on paper, but it
doesn’t have to be perfect. When in doubt, pitch the ball to your speedy guy
on the edge and let him do what he does best.

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Play 54 - Pistol Far Pro Twins - IZ Triple T Arc Wk

This time we’ve got another triple option play where the blocking
responsibilities have been exchanged between the offensive tackle and the
outside receiver, this time out of a twins look.

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Play 55 - Pistol Far Pro Tite Off Trap Option T Arc

With the “Wham” block coming across the formation, this is variation on the
classic “Trap Option” play. This is similar to the freeze option play from
earlier, in that the backfield action forces the defense to first account for the
interior run threat, and give the offense more time to get where they’re really
trying to go.
This isn’t something that Coastal really did that often, in fact it’s not
something they did more than a couple of times all season.
Anyone who has coached knows that throughout the football season, you will
experiment and try new things as you figure out what kind of team you have,
and what kinds of things they’re good at.

This wasn’t something that the Coastal coaching staff felt like they needed to
keep in the weekly game plan, but it’s still an interesting scheme regardless.

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Play 56 - Gun Far Even Trips Spread H-Back - OZ Midline

This offense has all kinds of ways to attack the interior of a defensive line,
and most of those ways involve reading an unblocked defender.
Earlier in this chapter we talked about another form of the midline option, but
pairing this play up with the threat of the outside zone is something several
other spread gun teams have done with some success in the past few years.
In essence, you have the offensive line spread out in two separate directions
after the snap, leaving that big nose tackle out in space and unable to cover
all that ground.
The rule on this play is to keep it unless you absolutely can’t. If that nose
comes at you at full speed after the snap, without any regard to gap integrity,
then just hand it off and come back at him with something else like a wham
or a trap play later on.

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Play 57 - Pistol Far Pro H-Back OZ Midline Follow

Here’s a complement to the midline play we discussed on the last page. Just
like the last play, this is paired up with a form of outside zone, only this time,
the tailback is leading up in the hole to give the QB a lead blocker when he
decides to keep it.
The same rules apply here, and if the defensive tackle doesn’t play as
disciplined as you hoped he would, you can always come back later with a
play to really make him pay.

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Play 58 - Pistol Near Twix Spread Z Short - Counter Option Load

Here’s another example of that Counter Option Load scheme once again.

An interesting change up here is that with the short motion by the Z receiver,
you almost get a kind of combo block on the apex defender, where both
stacked receivers are working in tandem off that defender up to the near
safety.
Meanwhile the fullback is still leading up to the corner and exchanging
blocking assignments with that outside receiver.

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Play 59 - Pistol 2x2 Spread H-Back Slot Orbit Return Counter Option Load Wk

This time, the Counter Option Load scheme to the weak side is paired up
with a pre-snap RPO.
This isn’t something that’s going to be thrown very often, but if the defense
gives a look with heavy pressure, or the corner is pressed with the safety too
far over, the Z has the ability to either run a fade route, or stick with his quick
out against soft coverage.
QB Grayson McCall has the ability to throw this whenever he needs it, but he
rarely does. It’s another way to create spacing with alignments but still
present a credible pass threat even when you’ve got a receiver far outside
the numbers.

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Play 60 - Pistol Near Pro H-Back Over IZ Triple Bluff Wk

As we’ve already talked about, Coastal loves to play formation games,

especially when it comes to the short side of the field.

This is another version of that Triple Option scheme with the H-Back
wrapping around from the backside to provide an extra hat at the point of
attack. With the pulling dynamic here, it almost looks like a power play,
where that H-Back is playing the role of the backside guard.

Still, plugging your personnel into the short side of the field means you’ve got
an enormous amount of space out to the wide side. The goal here is
undoubtedly to get the ball pitched out to the edge and let the RB #1 CJ
Marable do his thing.

This is an excellent use of formations, and the defense has allowed

themselves to play entirely too tight.

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Play 61 - Pro H-Back HAC IZ Triple Wk Arc

This time against Louisiana, the offense still uses an H-Back, but instead of
pulling him from one side to the other after the snap, Coastal motions him
across before the snap, changing the formation strength and giving the
defense a brand new picture relative to the backfield alignment.

With the rest of the line blocking down, the H-Back releases wide on an arc
path, ready to seal the near inside backer. The rest of the play is as before,
with a give read and a pitch read for the quarterback to worry about.

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Play 62 - Pistol Trips Spread H-Back Over (Quads) Counter Option Wk

This is another great use of special formations that we saw in the Cure Bowl
against Liberty.

The ineligible receiver inside at the #2 spot (Z) runs flat down the line so he
appears to be running an RPO route, but in reality he’s just making sure he
doesn’t get too far downfield and presenting some kind of pass threat to
distract the defense.

Because of this unbalanced quads look, the defense to the weak side is
giving up all kinds of space and angles, and the counter option to the
boundary side is a great call. In these kinds of scenarios, it usually turns into
a one-on-one with the safety, and a pursuit drill for the rest of the defense.

Few teams are as creative as Coastal with their use of formations, and this is
one of those times where the defense gives you exactly the look you were
hoping for when you drew it up.

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Play 63 - Pistol Trey - Freeze Option T Arc Wk

Here’s another version of the freeze option away from the tight end strength.

The offense lines up in 12 personnel and brings the H-Back in short motion,
crack blocking on the near inside backer with the tackle arcs out and takes
the apex defender in the alley.

The play should hit up inside the tackle if everyone does their job. You
definitely don’t want the defense to be able to string this out to the perimeter.

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Play 64 - Gun Near Flare Opposite Counter CT Read Invert

This is another one of the brand new wrinkles Coastal brought out for the
bowl game against Liberty.

It’s a variation on the “Bash” concept, only now they’re running a counter
scheme out of it for the first time really all season long. If the unblocked end
closes down the line and follows the pulling tackle, Grayson McCall can just
pitch it out wide to the tailback.

If he hesitates at all, or just takes off and chases that motion for some
reason, McCall can take off and follow the blockers around the opposite
edge.

Coastal didn’t really run this enough over the course of the year for it to
become a reliable answer in this game, but they were looking for ways to
break their short yardage and goal line tendencies, and this is a creative
answer.

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Play 65 - Pistol Far Pro Twin - Influence Trap Read

Now we come to a true “Trap Read” play that Coastal installed for the Cure
Bowl.

It’s an incredibly creative idea that a lot of coaches have used in the past,
and it actually created some problems for Liberty up front. It didn’t lead to
any explosive runs, but it’s pretty hard to ignore two pulling guards going one
way, just because the QB and TB are going the other way.

McCall can always hand this one off if the end allows too much space inside
of him, and you’ve got an effective trap play with angles on the interior of the
defense.

The great thing about this too, is that Liberty probably did not spend much
time working on defeating trap blocks during the time leading up to this
game, so this had to catch them off guard a little.

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Play 66 - Gun Far 2x2 Spread - Zone Bash

Now let’s go back a while back earlier in the season and take a look at
another option from the Georgia Southern game.

We talked about the Counter Invert Read a few pages ago, and referenced
this concept. The idea is the same. The Quarterback is reading the
unblocked end. If he closes down the line, the ball should be given around
the end to the tailback.

On the other hand, if the end comes up the field to take away the stretch
play, the QB should keep it up the middle.

This play is useful when the defense is working hard to take away one
particular phase of your option game. In other words, if they’ve been
teaching their ends to take away the dive all week so your tailback doesn’t
get the ball, you can switch up the progression. Now when they close down
the line, your RB still gets the ball and it messes with their game plan.

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Play 67 - Pistol Near Twin Spread - Load Option

Building off of what we talked about on the last page, this is another scheme
you can pull out of your playbook to accomplish the same goal. If the ends
are closing hard on every play to take away the dive and keep the ball away
from your RB, run the load option and pitch it to him on the edge instead.

With a dynamic back like #1 CJ Marable in the backfield, Coastal needs

plenty of ways to get him the football, and this is one reliable scheme they
came back to plenty of times during the season.

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Play 68 - Pistol Far Twix Flex X Short Counter Option Load Wk

Here’s another version of that Counter Option Load play.

You’ll notice that the tight end is split out to the single receiver side, so for
charting purposes and to keep everything the same, this was charted as a
weak side run, even though it’s toward the pass strength.

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Play 69 - Pistol Plus Pro Tite Z Short - Load Option

This was one of the scores from the Cure Bowl against Liberty, and the
backfield alignment is all but screaming that the ball is headed in that
direction.

On this play, QB Grayson McCall pulled off a great pitch fake and kept it
around the edge.

Liberty lines up in an interesting alignment defensively here. It’s not very

often that you see a team leave both A-gaps uncovered on the one yard line.
Clearly they’ve done their homework, since this offense doesn’t specialize in
any A-gap short yardage runs.

Even with that unusual alignment, Coastal still manages to get a numbers
advantage on the edge and pick up the score.

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Play 70 -Pistol Far Pro H-Back - Freeze Option Load Wk

This isn’t that much different that many of the other Freeze Option schemes
we’ve looked at already. The biggest thing is that instead of starting off a
lead blocker in opposite motion, he’s starting off in the backfield and stutter
stepping opposite the call before carrying out his assignment.

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Play 71 - 2x2 Spread H-Back Escort Wk - Freeze Option Load T Arc Wk

This is a creative wrinkle, and a way to run that freeze option out of a
completely different look.

It’s important to understand how closely teams scout backfield alignments,

especially at the college level. The difference between this play and so many
of the others is that the back is offset, compared to where it usually is in the
pistol.

As a result, the defense isn’t really tipped off to where the option is play is
coming from and the late escort motion adds an extra hat to kick out the
corner to create a nice alley for the run.

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Play 72 - Pistol 2x2 Spread H-Back Escort Wk Freeze Option Load T Arc Wk

Taken from the final regular season game, this Freeze Option play is similar
to the one we just dissected on the previous page.

Once again the “Escort” motion by the H-Back adds an extra hat to the
frontside of the play late, and when the ball is pitched to the perimeter, the
offense has a man for a man on the edge.

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Play 73 - Gun Near 2x2 Spread - Speed Option

Now we come to the final scheme in this long chapter of option plays- the
Speed Option.

This one is as simple as it gets, and because of the way the defense lines up
to the spread set here, the offense has numbers into the boundary and the
blocking scheme is able to add an extra guy as a blocker.

If you’re not familiar with the Speed Option, it lives up to its name very well.
At the snap, the QB will sprint to the edge toward the unblocked EMOL, with
the back behind him in a pitch relationship. Depending on what the
unblocked man does, the QB will either keep the ball, or pitch it to the back.

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Play 74 - Pistol 2x2 Spread Speed Option

Here’s another version of that speed option play, this time against a four man
front and from a pistol alignment.

The process and option read really isn’t that much different than some of the
other option plays we’ve already discussed in this chapter, the play just
happens a lot faster.

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Play 75 - 2x2 Wing Twix XAC - IZ Slide Rub Boot

The reason this play isn’t included in the RPO section is because the QB
actually turns his back to the unblocked defender, so ultimately this just turns
into more of a traditional boot play.
With the jet sweep fake, followed by the downhill run fake from the tailback,
this should be enough to hold the defense and give the QB a chance to get
out on the edge where the flat route is waiting for him.
Since this play is at the 3 yard line, it gives the inside receiver a very clear
landmark of how far downfield he’s allowed to block any defenders. This lets
him create a big free area to the boundary where the flat route is wide open.
Defensive coaches may hate it, but it’s totally legal.

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Play 76 - Pistol Near Pro Tite Wing Over IZ Boot Slide Rub

This is another take on the same concept, only this time from an unbalanced
look. The pass concept attacks the open side of the formation, and once
again the play is run from the 3 yard line so the skill players know what the
limit on blocking downfield is.

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Play 77 - Gun Near 2x2 Wing Twin - PA Down ‘C’ Y Curl-Out H Seam

This is a very clever playaction pass off of Coastal’s top run concept,
complete with a pulling guard to really sell it.

The pass routes to the frontside of the play are really designed to attack an
aggressive safety in quarters coverage, with the post coming inside to attack
down the middle, and the “Curl-Out” pattern hitching up underneath the drop
of the corner.

Just outside of the red zone is a great place for this call, since there’s lots of
space to stretch the defense vertically.

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Play 78 - Pistol Near Twin Spread - PA IZ Triple Seam Read Curl

The “Curl-Seam” concept is another pass play that works well against a
quarters-type coverage. The flare route, combined with the playfake
underneath means that the underneath defenders won’t be in a great spot to
undercut or carry the inside vertical.

What you end up with is a 2-on-2 to the outside with the corner and safety.
The inside receiver has the ability to read the coverage and bend his route
accordingly to the inside if he gets enough space. Otherwise he’s going to
start to bend out at around 20 yards and try to just open things up for the
curl.

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Play 79 - Pistol Near Pro H-Back PA IZ Triple Seam Read Curl

Once again we see this same concept, only now the H-Back is running the
inside vertical route.
Coastal really prefers to throw the Curl route here, and anything the inside
vertical can do to open up that window is encouraged.

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Play 80 - Pistol Far Pro H-Back PA IZ Triple All Curls

Here we go again, with more curl routes, this time from a triple option fake
out of a two-back set.
The route distribution here with three players breaking open at roughly the
same depth at three different areas in the field means that the deep
coverage is put under a lot of stress at that next level.
Once again, the playfake and flare route is designed to hold the underneath
coverage so they can’t add themselves to this pass play and take away any
easy throws.

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Play 81 - Pistol 2x2 Spread Slot Orbit PA IZ Triple H-Back Cross

The crossing route is a staple of almost any playbook in major college

football, but here Coastal pairs it up with one of their most common pistol run
game looks.

The orbit motion flare combined with the play fake really puts stress on those
safeties who are trying to play the run.

With the boundary receiver (X) taking an incredibly deep route, this opens up
all kinds of space to the short side for the H-Back to come across.

If you’re going to try to play passive quarters coverage against this offense, it
will not work. You’ve got to be able to put pressure on the passer somehow,
or Grayson McCall has all the tools to beat you.

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Play 82 - Pistol Far Twin Spread FB Flare - PA IZ Triple Scissors

Some coaches would refer to this play as “Sail” but because of the way the
inside receiver rounded his route at the top, we labeled it “Scissors”.
You’ll notice that a lot of these concepts are designed to beat some sort of
two-high look, especially quarters coverage. That’s because Coastal
Carolina faces A LOT of those kinds of defenses.
When you’re putting together your playbook, you’re not doing it in a vacuum.
You have to start with what you have, and then worry about who you have to
beat on your schedule. If you’re just drawing up plays on a whiteboard with
no relation to what your opponent is doing, you’re not going to have a job for
very long.

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Play 83 - Pistol Near Pro Twin PA IZ Triple Wk Scissors

Here’s that same concept once again, this time from a Twins set.

This was taken from the Georgia State game, where Grayson McCall
returned after missing a week from an injury. If you’re playing against a good
quarters team, or ever a Cover 3 team, this is a great way to get a guy wide
open outside the hashes.

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Play 84 - Pistol Far Pro H-Back - PA IZ Triple Post-Wheel-Flare

This play fake is especially deadly to the short side of the field, paired up with
a triple option fake.

The three-man route concept floods the boundary, and makes the force
player on defense pay for cheating up and trying to crash into the backfield.
The run action, as well as the offensive numbers to the boundary ensures
that you’ll have at least one opportunity to get a man open, usually the wheel
route.

The dig route coming in late is a last resort in case the defense completely
abandons field side coverage and rotates toward the strength.

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Play 85 - Pistol Trips Spread H-Back Slot Orbit PA IZ Triple Wk Sluggo-Seam

“Sluggo-Seam” is a classic pass concept, used to get an aggressive safety

out of position. The idea is to pump fake the sluggo (slant-and-go) route, get
the safety to bite on it, and then throw a seam route away from him once he
bites.
Besides the double move, what also helps get the safety to vacate is the
orbit motion you see here, simulating the pitch man in the option.
This is another wrinkle that’s great against quarters coverage, and once QB
Grayson McCall carries out his mesh fake to simulate the triple option, his
eyes are on that open side safety. If he can get him to commit either way,
he’s got him exactly where he wants him.

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Play 86 - Pistol Near Twin Spread PA IZ Triple Wk Slot Cross

This is another great way to attack an aggressive quarters coverage, with a

vertical route to clear out the right side and two crossing routes showing up
late coming from the opposite side of the formation.

The pass concept isn’t new, but Coastal has just dressed it up as one of their
own plays, adding the threat of the option in order to let the receivers get
behind the defense.

It seems like every team in football runs some form of this play, and there’s a
reason, because it just works.

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Play 87 - Pistol Trips Spread H-Back Slot Orbit Counter - PA IZ Triple Sluggo Seam

Here’s a different version of the “Sluggo-Seam” concept we discussed a

couple of pages ago.

The difference is that now with the orbit counter motion, combined with the
triple option fake and then the sluggo route, you’ve got enough threats and
misdirection to both sides of the play to hold both safeties.

This play was taken from the final regular season game against Troy, and
you can see how easily the offense can get a man free over the middle with
the way this play is designed.

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Play 88 - Pistol Trips Bunch Z Orbit PA IZ Wham Dbl Curl

We’ve mentioned it over and over again, how much Coastal loves all these
curl routes because of how easy of a throw it is for their freshman
quarterback Grayson McCall.

This play was run against Louisiana early in the season with their 4-2-5 base
scheme, and it’s easy to see how many different threats this play gives the
Coastal offense.

Between the threat of the downhill run, married up with the “Wham” threat
coming across the formation from the H-Back, not to mention the Z receiver
flaring across to the opposite flat, it’s easy to see how all that window
dressing could hold the underneath coverage and keep the throws free.

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Play 89 - Gun Split Twin Spread - PA OZ Smash FB Seam

Here’s another tricky red zone play, similar to the Quarterback Draw Pop
Pass we covered in one of the early chapters.

The idea is the same. You give the defense a run threat, combined with pass
patterns designed to stretch the pass coverage out wide and thin out the
middle, and then the QB finds the seam route up the middle all alone.

The Chanticleers ran this against Louisiana early on in the year. They don’t
score on this, but they do get the ball well inside the five and set up a score.
It’s a great gadget play to keep in your playbook, especially if the QB draw is
not something you normally do, but you still want to threaten the middle of
the field in the red zone.

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Play 90 - Pistol Near Pro Tite TB Flare - Down ‘C’ RPO

This is a pretty simple ready for the quarterback Grayson McCall. While this
flare route isn’t usually something that gets thrown, it’s a great frontside call
to pair up with one of their top run schemes.

We already know that when this offense needs one yard in a critical situation,
the Down play is exactly where they’re gonna go with the ball. Defensive
coordinators know that too, and you can bet they’re coaching their guys up
on what to watch for in these situations.

This particular play was on a 4th and short against Texas State, where the
offense didn’t want to settle for a field goal on the edge of the red zone.

The best part about this play is that if the defense has some sort of edge
pressure check called, or it just looks like they’re determined to plug all the
gaps and not let the Down play beat them, the flare route is wide open
underneath, and now you’ve got an athlete in space while the defense is
packed in tight.
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Play 91 - Pro H-Back - Counter T Arc HF Wk RPO

This is one of the hallmarks of this offense, especially against a two-high

look. The play is designed to really make defenses pay for trying to get nine
men into the box with a quarters-style of coverage.

If you want to play with outside leverage on the receivers, that means the
safety has to play inside of that man. He can’t do that and play the run
effectively at the same time, so this play really puts him in a lot of conflict.
The great thing about this scheme is that with so many moving parts in the
backfield, it creates a very threatening downhill run look for that near safety
to look at.

Some teams coach their safeties differently, when it comes to where their
eyes should be, or what they’re looking at when making a run or pass read.
For most teams though, it comes down to looking at the end man on the line
and seeing how aggressively he’s getting downfield, or if he’s just setting up
for pass protection.

This is one way all the crazy stuff Coastal does with their tackles comes in
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handy. The wide outside releases they specialize in really mess with the
safety’s read, and sells the run hard.

With the safety coming down hard, and the receiver breaking in at about 8
yards, it’s an easy throw and catch.

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Play 92 -Gun Split Twin Spread FB Flare - Draw RPO

This play was taken from the game against Louisiana early in the year,
where their defense did a great job of giving different post-snap looks and
pressures.
The boundary corner comes hard on a blitz, and it’s only because of the
quick thinking of Grayson McCall that this turns into something positive.
The handoff was designed to go to the tailback on the inside give when the
defense chased the motion from the backfield, but once the pressure was on,
he didn’t try to force the handoff, he just took off up the middle and gained
valuable yards.

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Play 93 - Pistol Near Pro H-Back - Iso Wham False Key RPO

Here’s another version of one of the RPOs we talked about earlier. This time
it’s being run against the Texas State look of the 3 safety alignment.
In a lot of these coverages, the middle of the field player is a run-first guy, so
keeping an eye on the near safety and how he reacts is critical to whether
Coastal can hit a pass over the top here.
The path of the receiver breaking to the inside has to be sharper than it
would be against a traditional two-high look, since he has to make sure he
gets underneath and inside that near safety.

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Play 94 - Pistol 2x2 Spread H-Back - IZ Slide RPO

This play is one that Coastal likes to pull out in the Red Zone, or in short
yardage situations, especially near the goal line.
The QB will carry out the mesh and keep his eyes on the near inside
linebacker to make sure he commits to the fake. Meanwhile, the H-Back is
sliding underneath, looking very similar to a wham block, and sneaking out to
the opposite flat.
The inside receiver will block the most dangerous man, either the near safety
or any apex defender who gets in the way. Once the QB comes off the mesh,
he’s booting out and getting it to the H-Back very quickly.
A play like this is a great answer in short yardage when you’ve got the
defense especially packed in tight and you need a way to get the ball out on
the edge without tipping the defense off with motion pre-snap.

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Play 95 - Gun Split Pro H-Back - Counter GH Load WK RPO

We’ve talked about how little this offense actually pulled the backside guard
prior to the final game of the year, so this RPO is taken from the Liberty
game.
The read is a lot simpler against a one-high or Cover 3 look, since there’s a
lot more space down the seam for this kind of throw. The down safety is in a
real quandary here, since the offense has a blocker coming his way, and it’s
an obvious run scheme, but all he does is open up a clear window behind
him for the “Bang Post”.
Because it’s a counter scheme, it takes just a little bit longer for that play to
develop, and that’s all time that the QB has to make a decision about where
the football is going.

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Play 96 - Gun Near 2x2 Spread - Power RPO

Here’s another play from the Cure Bowl, this time a variation of one-back
power that hadn’t been seen up until this game.
This is a really simple read that puts a lot of stress on the defense. Because
the QB can open up to the side of the back and still keep his eyes on the
read key, he can make the decision after the ball has been snapped. This
makes it a lot tougher for those guys on defense to show anything late to
take that throw away from him.
The boundary pass game is where Isaiah Likely, playing H-Back here in the
slot, makes a big chunk of his living. This is where he can catch the football,
put his head down, and get 7-8 yards in an off-coverage scenario like this.

This offense truly has the ability to line up in almost any formation, and
create a threatening run game, which only creates more opportunities for
easy completions like this one.

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Play 97 - Pistol Trey Spread H-Back - IZ Slide Rub RPO

We talked about a similar play to this one a couple of pages ago, but this
particular play comes from the Liberty game, run inside the five and designed
specifically for this situation.
The offense doesn’t have numbers necessarily in the pass game here, but
with the X sealing off the near safety, now the corner has a choice. He can
either take the QB on the boot, or take away the underneath route and let the
QB run for the score, and that’s exactly what happened here.

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Play 98 - Gun Split Pro Twin - OZ Wham RPO

The longer it takes for a run play to develop, the better it is for playaction and
RPOs.
This play was taken from the Texas State game, where Coastal really
specialized in the outside zone run game because of the angles and creases
they were getting up front.
To the field side of this play, you’ve got a classic “Bubble-Slant” combination
that puts stress on the coverage out wide.

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Play 99 - Empty Trey H-Back TB Out - QB Draw RPO

This play is taken from the Appalachian State game, where QB Grayson
McCall was out with an injury, and so Junior QB Fred Payton started in his
place.
With the RB split out wide and Coastal giving the defense an empty look, it
looks like a perfect opportunity for a QB draw. All the while Payton is keeping
an eye on the apex defender in the slot, and since he’s playing extra tight to
the box, the hitch route comes open.
The great thing about this play is that Coastal didn’t have to come up with
any new schemes. This is just the inside zone lead scheme that we
discussed in detail earlier in the book. The RB is aligned to the boundary and
running another hitch, but nothing else changes here. It’s the same double
hitch RPO concept they’ve tagged onto so many other plays in this offense.
Coastal has enough flexibility within their scheme and verbiage to do things
like this all the time.

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Play 100 - Pistol Trips Bunch - Zone Read RPO

Just a couple of plays later after the one we discussed on the last page, here
comes Coastal with another new wrinkle out of the bunch look.
This turns into a zone read kind of scheme, with the EMOL being let go, and
the QB reading him and pull the ball to deliver it to the flat route.
The H-Back’s path really gives the unblocked defender a hazy read, since he
stutters inside first for a step, before reversing course and heading out for a
very shallow flat route.
Since the formation is condensed so tightly, it opens up a ton of space to the
field and gives one of their best players the ball in his hand with lots of space
in front of him.

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Play 101 - Pistol 2x2 Z Short - Zone Read Flat RPO

Here’s a very similar idea to the play we just broke down on the last page.
This is a play taken from the game against Louisiana, where H-Back Isaiah
Likely was not available because of an injury. The Coastal offense relies on
using multiple wingbacks and tight ends to get angles at the point of attack,
so they had to get creative with one of their best players out for the game.
What ended up happening for much of the game is that #11 Kameron Brown
ended up playing the half-way position, between an H-Back and a receiver. If
you’re familiar with the New England Patriots, this is similar to the role Julian
Edelman has played for them for many years. It wasn’t unusual for defensive
coaches to hold up cards on the sideline with “11.5” (meaning a half TE)
whenever Edelman was in the game because of what he could provide as a
blocker.
Here. Brown is the Z receiver in motion, stopping in the C gap just before the
snap. At the snap, he hesitates for a moment before sprinting out to the flat
and getting open on the same route.

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