The spread offense is becoming the hottest thing in college football since the USC song girls.
Teams across the nation are opting for this fast-paced attack that usually includes few huddles, a quarterback in shotgun formation, and anywhere from three to five targets he can throw to, rather than a typical balanced offense.
As a result, teams are scoring a ridiculous amount of points and making defensive coordinators wish they picked a different profession.
The concept behind the spread offense is simply that: to spread the offense across the line of scrimmage spreads the defense very thin because they forced to cover everyone. By doing so, the offense is utilizing a good amount of space on the field, which creates open areas to throw and run the ball.
The quarterback doesn't look so much for a receiver than he does a patch of grass.
"It's a product of what is happening in all of college football," said UNH head coach Sean McDonnell.
A spread offense was the reason Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and the New England Patriots offense had a record setting year last season. It's also the reason University of Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel and Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell are averaging 353 and 393 passing yards per game this year, respectively.
The spread is the reason why 50 NCAA Division FCS football teams averaging 30 or more points a game this season. The spread offenses' cousin, the spread option, is just another deadlier form of the offense that simply breaks defensive schemes. It utilizes more of the run game, which means defenders have to watch everyone.
When a coach decides the spread option is the offense for his team, he needs a quarterback who is not only impeccable at reading defenses at the line of scrimmage, but is also not afraid to run with the ball.
"These people know how to find open spaces. The quarterback makes the big difference in the offense, I really believe that," said McDonnell. "The other thing that I think is very tough to stop is the quarterback run."
Former West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez perfected the spread option last year with the Mountaineers thanks in large part to quarterback Pat White. The spread option has become a staple down at Florida for Urban Meyer with Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow leading the offense.
Even here in little old Durham, N.H., McDonnell has used and had great success with the spread option over the years with quarterbacks like Ricky Santos and R.J. Toman.
On the other side of the ball, the definition of a good defense is changing to the point where letting up a copious amount of scores is not that big of a deal. So how do defenses stop it? How do they cover every receiver, running back, quarterback, and the open spaces they are looking to get to?
"Teams are starting to throw the ball and spreading the ball out and coming out with crazy plays and crazy things to gain yards and score points," said UNH senior linebacker Matt Parent. "As any defense in college football you have got to stop that from happening and have drive kills and create turnovers."
According McDonnell, defenses have to find different personnel of their own. No more 350-plus pound lineman or one-dimensional linebackers.
"Now, defensively, you've got to have big enough people up front to stop the run, you've got to have linebackers who are physical enough to stop the run and cover people down the seam," said McDonnell. "That's what where the difficulties come from. That's how spreading people out the whole field, you can get it from all over."
For now, this phenomena is exclusive to high school and collegiate football, but it is beginning to rear its in the NFL. Of course, the Patriots favored the style last year, and this season Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan is using the spread with newly improved quarterback Jay Cutler.
And it was the spread that the Miami Dolphins used in their upset win over the Patriots on Sept. 20 that allowed running back Ronnie Brown to account for five touchdowns.
"It's funny because some of the things the Dolphins did, you know, spreading people out, two backs in the backfield, quarterback run out of the base formation, it's a pain in the butt to defend," said McDonnell.
So what does all this mean?
The game of football is changing. The assumed model of a typical quarterback is no more and defenses are becoming leaner and more agile. Never again will we see the low-scoring grudge matches from football past.
Now it's all about finesse, speed, and so many scores it makes your head spin.
Unless of course Auburn and Mississippi State duke it out for another exciting 3-2 finish.
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