I was curious who else runs the flexbone/option offense in D-1

TampaBayJacket

TampaBayJacket

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Option_offense#Teams_that_have_or_currently_run_an_option_offense
The list is very short. I was surprised to see New Mexico and Tulane on the list of flexbone schools so I started watching videos of their offense. Both New Mexico and Tulane run out of the shotgun and their offenses actually look more like the modern RPO college offense so I am not sure they count as flexbone offenses like ours. So it does appear it is just GT and the academies truly running it.

My point is if it is the great equalizer, why don't Louisiana-Monroe, Texas State or any of the lower tier FBS schools run it? Why is it just the academies and GT? It has definitely run its course as a P5 school experiment but it's not an easy divorce, as we have noted.
 
Tulane has the old GSU coach that did great at GSU. It’s an option from the shotgun.
 
My two coppers re: why just us and the academies:

It takes a more disciplined group of athletes to run this offense. The kids who can get into and handle the rigors of the academies and a school like GT (where “rigors” is more heavily weighted in academics v/s the rigors of the academies) are also more disciplined on the field of play - probably more so in the academies, which many of us have noted in our observations of a team like Navy’s good blocking or execution of the option.
 
JacketFan77 said:
My two coppers re: why just us and the academies:

It takes a more disciplined group of athletes to run this offense. The kids who can get into and handle the rigors of the academies and a school like GT (where “rigors” is more heavily weighted in academics v/s the rigors of the academies) are also more disciplined on the field of play - probably more so in the academies, which many of us have noted in our observations of a team like Navy’s good blocking or execution of the option.
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........
or because the academies cant recruit the big hog mollies on OL because of military weight standards, so they have to recruit smaller guys, and run the flexbone because they have no other choice.
 
JacketFan77 said:
My two coppers re: why just us and the academies:

It takes a more disciplined group of athletes to run this offense. The kids who can get into and handle the rigors of the academies and a school like GT (where “rigors” is more heavily weighted in academics v/s the rigors of the academies) are also more disciplined on the field of play - probably more so in the academies, which many of us have noted in our observations of a team like Navy’s good blocking or execution of the option.
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Probably the best answer, IMO. I still believe that, given a talented group of athletes, we could literally win the national championship with the offense we're running now. Problem is, I don't think we're ever going to get that group of athletes, and our horrible defense doesn't look like it will ever be fixed.

I'd like to hire another option coach, but it needs to look different than what we're running now, even if just for perception's sake.
 
I think it can be a great equalizer, but you have to get all the other stuff right. I dont see another P5 giving it a shot anytime soon, though. Careers of Ken, Monken, etc. are probably tied to CPJs success so they may be stuck in their current positions.
 
U of A would've been good with it, but Khalil Tate decided (like many other kids who play football today) that he knew better and didn't want it.

That's the main problem with the flexbone. It's not the system it's that today's generation of kids doesn't believe in it, or want to run it. It's not cool and it doesn't let you put too many highlights on instagram.

I just want another team that believes in it. You actually saw that for a bit during the USF game. Dare I say it when Oliver was in the game.
 
GTCrew4b said:
U of A would've been good with it, but Khalil Tate decided (like many other kids who play football today) that he knew better and didn't want it.

That's the main problem with the flexbone. It's not the system it's that today's generation of kids doesn't believe in it, or want to run it. It's not cool and it doesn't let you put too many highlights on instagram.

I just want another team that believes in it. You actually saw that for a bit during the USF game. Dare I say it when Oliver was in the game.
Click to expand...

Not trying to be a contrarian, but we made several highlight reels that 2014 season.
 
TampaBayJacket said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Option_offense#Teams_that_have_or_currently_run_an_option_offense
The list is very short. I was surprised to see New Mexico and Tulane on the list of flexbone schools so I started watching videos of their offense. Both New Mexico and Tulane run out of the shotgun and their offenses actually look more like the modern RPO college offense so I am not sure they count as flexbone offenses like ours. So it does appear it is just GT and the academies truly running it.

My point is if it is the great equalizer, why don't Louisiana-Monroe, Texas State or any of the lower tier FBS schools run it? Why is it just the academies and GT? It has definitely run its course as a P5 school experiment but it's not an easy divorce, as we have noted.
Click to expand...

it's not the great equalizer. Forget VPI, Miami, Clemson and the mutts - our near-total lack of success vs them has been discussed ad nauseum. Against the rest of the Coastal since 2014, it's
1-3 vs UNC
1-3 vs PUKE
2-2 vs UVA
2-3 vs PITT

Other schools aren't running it because of the difficulty in recruiting and the fact that it's not particularly successful and most fans don't want to watch it.
 
ThisIsAtlanta said:
If it's not the great equalizer, why does it work so well at the academies?

öööö, maybe this isn't simple!
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the service academies don't play ACC or SEC schedules. Army plays Duke but not Clemson, etc.

When's the last time a service academy made a New Year's Day bowl game?
 
RamblinWreck92 said:
it's not the great equalizer. Forget VPI, Miami, Clemson and the mutts - our near-total lack of success vs them has been discussed ad nauseum. Against the rest of the Coastal since 2014, it's
1-3 vs UNC
1-3 vs PUKE
2-2 vs UVA
2-3 vs PITT

Other schools aren't running it because of the difficulty in recruiting and the fact that it's not particularly successful and most fans don't want to watch it.
Click to expand...
You absolutely could not be more wrong.

Almost every single team listed above has had their best years recently while running the option. Navy was an absolute doormat until CPJ brought the option there, and then they slaughtered Army for years until Monken turned things around at Army. Georgia Southern has foolishly tried time and time again to switch away from the option, and they are immediately terrible every time until hiring another option coach. Air Force has been consistently competitive running the option offense, and Citadel beat South Carolina a couple years ago after adopting the option.

Now if you want to argue that the kids don't like it and it affects recruiting - perhaps. But the offensive scheme is not the reason we're struggling right now. In fact, it's the reason we have beaten Clemson 5x, UGA 3x, FSU 3x, etc. despite being at a massive talent disadvantage.
 
I agree that GT would fare better with an option. Hell Auburn runs it. They just don't cut block it. They get the big mules and run defenders' asses over. Malzone's offense is at least 65-35 run to pass every year. Willie Fritz's version is similar to Auburn's and its pretty damn good. He resurrected Southern and beat the Gators in Gainesville. He left for Tulane for way more $$$ than GSU was paying. I'd love to have his version.
 
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