2019 NFL Draft Prospect Preview: James Gardner
As the youngest head coach in the FBS, Lincoln Riley has a tough task replacing Bob Stoops. Yet the 34-year-old has shown himself to be more than capable. In the Oklahoma Sooners‘ dominant 31-16 victory over Ohio State, Riley called a masterful offensive game.
One element of this was split-backfield formations, which stressed the defense both horizontally and vertically. The wrinkle was mighty effective at dissecting the Buckeyes. The Sooners incorporated it into their multi-layered offense, even motioning into it from pistol formations. It contributed toward Baker Mayfield’s fantastic game, providing him with simple reads and completions.
In this video, Matty Brown breaks down three split-backfield plays for you.
Follow Matty on Twitter @mattyfbrown. Check out Matty’s other work here, such as why Reuben Foster will excel in the 49ers’ defense, Oklahoma State’s misdirection connection between James Washington and Mason Rudolph, and how Cooper Kupp and Sean McVay could save Jared Goff.
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Great breakdown. OU’s strength running the ball is the key to making these plays work. Ohio St had to respect and dedicate numbers to stopping the run and keying run defense first.
It’ll be interesting to see how Texas attacks these concepts and what other tricks OU unveils for the Horns.