Michigan football team unveils wildly successful speed option play after months of practice
Denard Robinson ran for a 53-yard touchdown on this play against San Diego State. The big gain came on a speed option play, something the Wolverines have worked on since spring but didn't unveil until last Saturday.
Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com
Coach Brady Hoke was faced with this choice: Go for it, with the chance to go up by 17 or 21 and steal a possession from the Aztecs, or punt and give the Aztecs another drive.
After originally lining up for a punt, Hoke called timeout. The safe bet was to punt, and not risk giving San Diego State the ball at Michigan's 48-yard line down only two scores.
But he showed faith in his offense, deciding to go for it. And what play did offensive coordinator Al Borges call upon at this critical juncture?
The speed option, Michigan's newest weapon.
Quarterback Denard Robinson executed it to perfection, deciding to keep the ball as he ambled to the left, then cut upfield for a 7-yard gain and a first down.
Four plays later, Michigan scored a touchdown to take a 21-0 lead, and went on to beat the Aztecs 28-7. It might have been the biggest play call of the game.
The speed option, which the Wolverines hadn't previously run this year, could be here to stay.
Hoke said Monday the team has worked on the play since spring ball. He chose to debut it against San Diego State because the play is effective against man coverage, which the Aztecs run.
"It is a way to really back people off from man coverage," Hoke said. "If you’ve got your pitch man and whoever’s going to take the quarterback -- when you play man and you’re going to blitz, you’ve got to be right."
It worked to perfection most of the day.
The first time it was called, Robinson kept the football rather than pitch to tailback Vincent Smith. He went untouched en route to a 53-yard touchdown that gave the Wolverines a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
"We've been working on (that play) a lot," Robinson said after the game. "I wanted to give the ball to Vince, but I seen the opening, so I was like, 'All right, let's go.'"
The next two calls came on that final drive before halftime. Both times, it picked up a first down, with sophomore Fitz Toussaint taking a pitch 5 yards, then Robinson picking up that 4th-down conversion on the second.
“We don’t have the midline, the true triple (option)," Hoke said. "We’re not built for that, nor do we run that. So it’s more of a speed option.”
Those plays helped extend a drive that went 81 yards on 12 plays. Robinson finished it with a touchdown run that gave the Wolverines a 21-0 lead with less than 40 seconds left before halftime.
And it stole a possession from San Diego State.
Not a bad return on that risk.
Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2588, by email at kylemeinke@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.
Comments
MRunner73
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 6:48 p.m.
What Denard was really thinking and wanted to really tell us would go something like...I contemplated handing off to Vincent Smith, intially, but then a moment later, I recognized a small opening and ascertained that I would squeeze through and obtain enough yardage for the valuable first down. I was like, put your head down and throw in a tremendous surge of speed, but then, a one yard gain turned into seven and I was elated to have made such an accomplishment. I know that momentum equals mass times acceleration, thus, it was my acceleration capabilities that made this play statistically and highly probable of success.
Hebner
Wed, Sep 28, 2011 : 3:19 a.m.
MRunner73, you made me laugh. Great post.
AlfaElan
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 4:12 p.m.
I agree with A2grateful. What if Mr. Robinson had actually said "I'd seen the opening.." and the reported just didn't hear the "'d"
Bruce Kennedy
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 9:18 p.m.
You've obviously misplaced the "d" it goes at the end of the verb. "I seend the opening" What I don't get is that DR must be hispanic.:-)
Matt Patercsak
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 1:02 p.m.
i love it. i have been wondering why michigan never ran any sort of pitch option with a threat like denard. whats even better? it was ran out of a double tight formation. not a spread. we combine beef with speed and that is so potent... obviously. go blue. ps: why was rawls, who competed all week, on the bench? when fumbleina hopkins gets the carry? makes no sense. the boy needs to be tapped
Dude
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 4:05 p.m.
Because he's probably going to be redshirted.
Hebner
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 12:04 p.m.
If Denard makes an error in language, no biggie. Everyone misuses the English language while speaking, yet when writing words wrong we have the luxury to correct it. Denard is explaining a play on the field intended for the audience to capture the emotion of the moment. The speed option was fun to watch, and we ran it to perfection! This is an excellent weapon to use against big ten teams who play the same kind of defense. Keep adding plays! Great job coaches.
a2grateful
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 11:03 a.m.
So, as grammarians we must ask, "Am I just in my petty criticism of an amazing person, student, and athlete? Or, am I simply unchallenged in my activity of critique, as I balance eating burritos, hotdogs, pizza, chips, and prunes, with watching TV, blogging, drinking beer, critiquing, and running to the bathroom?" Also, when incorrect grammar is an issue, is it the person quoting, or the person being quoted, who is mistaken? Why be so quick to blame Denard? Next, in the paragraph in question, paraphrasing was used. Why didn't this extend to grammar? Furthermore, in the same paragraph, punctuation is suspect as it does not follow standards for use of quotes. Finally, what does any of this have to do with Denard and/or the football team? Absolutely nothing. Go Blue!
MRunner73
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 2:12 p.m.
It goes to show you that some people will find fault, no matter what. People like MickyP either have a superiority or inferiority complex. They surely cannot live and let live. Not every student past or present at U or M is a grammatical scholar. As we used to say way back in the day...I ARE an Engineer (Engineering School slang).
RJ12688
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 4:35 a.m.
I would like to see this a few times a game. Denard draws so much attention i could see big plays coming off the pitch. Not to mention we already seen what happens when nobody picks up Denard..
ThoseWhoStayUofM
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 3 a.m.
We at Michigan choose not to be GRAMMAR POLICE when it comes to spoken language. It's cultural and doesn't actually have any significance with regard to intellect or anything else for that matter. We at Michigan feel that it is prudent to take a more pragmatic approach to spoken language. If the listener is capable of understanding the message that is intended without too much degree of difficulty, then it is correct. I could formulate this entire comment in old English. Although it wouldn't be "grammatically correct', it would be completely impractical.
Bruce Kennedy
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 2:31 p.m.
"We at Michigan choose not to be GRAMMAR POLICE when it comes to spoken language"... This has not always been the case. When I lived in California I read a letter to the editor of Sports Illustrated about an article on Anthony Carter. The article quoted Mr. Carter as saying "We be". The letter to the editor was from an University of Michigan student who lamented that a fifth year senior, at the University of Michigan, would use the vernacular "We be", the student went on to say that there may have been a perfectly reasonable explanation for the use of such a term, primarily because Mr. Carter was majoring in Pre-professional football at Michigan.
MikeyP
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 1:05 a.m.
"I wanted to give the ball to Vince, but I seen the opening,..." Am I the only one cringing right now? That is one of the most annoying grammatical errors and I hear it constantly! Please Denard, take an English class and don't EVER say "I seen" again! It's either "I have seen" or "I saw" but NEVER "I seen." You're a Michigan Man, you have a reputation to uphold! This isn't OSU!
MRunner73
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 2:06 p.m.
If all you took out the article was Denard's poor grammer, then I feel sorry for you. Denard is listed as a Kinesiology major, not General Studies as we see in many college football players. I hope you feel much better by slamming Denard's diction. I also hope you are the only one cringing. Get another hobby!!
Blu n Tpa
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 11:54 a.m.
The art of communcation is to express your views so another party can understand your message. Since he scored a TD, I got no problem with how he seen the hole. On a more serious note these young men, many with a cultural background that may have been limited, are interviewed on a national level. I have a great deal of respect for how they comport themselves and uphold the image of the University of Michigan. MP you might want to cut them a little slack, but that's up to you. (It's a unwritten rule that grammar/spelling mistakes are understood and a part of the makeup of the genre. Enjoy.) TiM Go Blue!
richagain
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 12:29 a.m.
Theo Michigan never ran this under the "king" offense. How can you be a "spread" team with no speed option? We now have a better offense with a huddle. If rich would have huddled sometimes he prolly would still have his job. Thankfully he didn't. Team huddle is essential in build team moral as the game goes on. Not to mention clock possession.
Dude
Tue, Sep 27, 2011 : 4:01 a.m.
Rich Rod had the speed option. He used it at WVU. Why he didn't implement it here, we can only guess. He had a lot of plays at WVU he didn't use here. But to say the offense is better... because it huddles? That's just ridiculous. The huddle is to build team moral as the game goes on? Are you even serious about that or was that a joke? Because, wow. By the way, Gary Moeller ran a no-huddle offense. Or did you forget?