Shotgun Spread Midline Option

Navy is in a hybrid 30 personnel with a big body at X receiver who can attach as a down TE. The formation and motion along with the shotgun backfield looks more like an 11 personnel spread team than a traditional flexbone team.

Following the motion Navy is in a common 11 personnel attached TE 2x2 formation. The blocking is traditional midline QB iso blocking. The option is a dual option with the odd front 4 technique DE as the read key. If the DE sits the ball is handed to the RB on the midline path. If the DE crashes to the dive the QB keeps and follows the fold iso block. 

The DL is slanting with the read key DE on an inside slant making the read very easily a keep read for the QB. The fold iso block has a great angle on the ILB and the OT is a physical mismatch for the OLB. When the OT covers up the OLB the QB has an inside/outside 2 way go. 

Really nice blocking scheme against an odd front spaced defense. Awesome job by Navy offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper to use spread shotgun window dressing to run a flexbone classic run scheme like midline option. Good stuff as always from the Navy offense.

This type of scheme is something more shotgun spread run games may adopt if they are struggling to block odd front defenses using 4 and 4i DEs. The midline read is clean read and easy to teach to a QB and portable to shotgun formations. Something to be on the look out for as shotgun run teams adjust to Tite front defensive structures. 

QB Power Option

Navy using a interesting QB power variation. 

The formation is a nub trips spacing. The A back goes in rev motion returning to get into pitch phase. The QB flashes the F before the F becomes the lead blocker on QB power. The two receivers are 2 for 2 against the Safety and Corner blocking the perimeter. 

The playside DE is unblocked and takes himself out of the play going flat down the LOS. The pulling OG does a great job bypassing the DE to block the scraping ILB. The edge is well blocked also. The #2 receiver ID's the corner triggering to pressure and cuts him down while the #1 works to the safety. 

The pitch phase helps to hold a force/pitch player stretching the defense horizontally to create space for the QB to hit the hash-numbers-sideline course off the edge. In this case the pitch phase turns into a lead blocker once the QB keeps.

If the DE attacks the QB, the ball can be pitched to the A back. The numbers on the edge are there to block the other threats. If the DE plays the QB the ball is out on the edge fast.

The interesting part if the play is an option is if the DE crashes down getting the spill of the puller the play is still viable. The QB could potentially outrun the scraping backside ILB or pitch once pressured getting the ball out on the edge.

Really nice play designed from Navy's Offensive Coordinator Ivin Jasper.