For most of the United States, it’s freezing cold today and the thought of going outside sounds just awful. So if you’re curled up on your couch waiting for the BCS Championship to kick off, take the time to read Chris Brown’s excellent Grantland story on how Gus Malzahn’s diabolical offense came to be.
This part stood out:The most dangerous wrinkle in Auburn’s offense this season, however, has been providing Marshall with more protection when he keeps the ball. As the zone-read has become increasingly popular over the last several years, defenses have devised a variety of ways to defend it, often by confusing and overwhelming the quarterback.
Malzahn and Lashlee have countered those defensive responses by borrowing a concept from Chris Ault’s Nevada offense, one the San Francisco 49ers in turn borrowed and expanded upon once former Ault pupil Colin Kaepernick became their quarterback: namely, using tight ends, H-backs, and fullbacks to “arc block” linebackers and safeties who crash when the quarterback keeps the ball on the zone-read.There are gifs and diagrams and the like in the article. Go read it if you want a better understanding of what you’re watching tonight.
