It's called the read option for a reason. The qb reads the defense at multiple points in the process. Watch HH run it and then go back and watch Milton. I don't want anyone to go down - I want quarterbacks that can execute the offense. Not exclusively a result of qb play, but we punted more in the second half against an OVC team than we have the last three SEC games combined. That's a function of qb execution and excellence.
What you think is read option, is actually just eye candy. The play is going to the running back the whole time, the QB just acts like he could take it so the defense has to respect it. It especially adds numbers in the run game for us, and that’s exactly what we want to do. I don’t think we actually run many read option plays. I don’t know that 100%, but my eyes tell me most of the time the QB is just faking it. I doubt Milton had the choice to pull it on a lot of those runs.
That’s also why ignorant people think we run RPO’s all the time. A lot of the time we just run straight up play action, we probably really only run 4-5 RPO’s a game. Majority of the time we have some sort of action with the running back on passing plays, because we run it 56% of the time, so the defense has to respect that and have it’s eyes in the back field. What cracks me up is I see opposing fans say we spam the RPO game. They don’t know what they’re actually looking at. Honestly 75% of all football fans don’t know X’s and O’s, and even the other 25%, who have knowledge of X’s and O’s, don’t specifically know the coaches system. Unless you played in a certain system, or coached in a certain system, you don’t know the play calls, the rules, what everyone’s assignments are, etc. You don’t know what Heupels tendencies in play calling are. I can take a guess what play was called, a lot of people can, but at the end of the day we don’t really know. We aren’t in the head set, or have to run the plays.
For example, one of the building blocks of this offense is run and shoot choice routes. On one of Hyatts Td’s against bama, he had 3 routes to choose from. It was the 9 route (a go), the 8 route (a post), and the 3 route which is a comeback. Now even though I know RnS concepts are a big part of our passing game, the only reason I know those where the options for Hyatt on that play, is because Hendon Hooker himself broke that play down on some sports show this week. To me it looked like a called go route, but Hyatt actually chose it. So it’s hard to know what’s exactly called. Especially with Heupel, who uses eye candy like no one’s business, and everything we do in our offense from the pre-snap motions, to the play calls, to the concepts have purpose.
