Despite having an offensive identity that’s heavily centered around running the football, Air Force has still cultivated a viable passing game because they’ve mastered the ability to use it as a compliment to their dominance on the ground!
Two of the things that have helped them be so successful in the passing game are utilizing play action, and incorporating pre-snap motion!
That’s why today we’re going to talk about a passing game staple in Air Force’s play book that uses both of these core ideas!
Learn all of the ins and outs of elite option football in our latest release: The Air Force Option Offense – The Complete Series
Air Force’s PA Post-Wheel
Above is a pre-snap snapshot of Air Force’s offensive formation while the slot back is in motion.
While almost everyone runs some variation of post-wheel, what air Air Force slot backs coach Jake Campbell likes so much about this play in their offense is that all it takes for it to hit is one second of bad eyes from the defense…
The way they set this up is by spinning the slot back pre-snap which forces the defense to respond. This isn’t necessarily a clear read for the QB before the ball is snapped, but what it does do for the offense is alter the alignment of the secondary and pull the FS further from the boundary.
When the slot back begins to get wider as the motion progresses, the CB becomes his defender and the FS has to widen to take responsibility for the #1 receiver to the field. This makes it incredibly difficult for him to provide help into the boundary even in zone.
To the boundary, the offense runs a simple post-wheel concept against lighter coverage because of the formation and pre-snap manipulation. The outside receiver runs the post and the slot runs the wheel.
Underneath the #1 receiver to the field runs a 5 yard crosser which keeps the defenders in the middle of the field low and prevents them from getting nosy with the post.
Air Force likes to use 6 man protection during this play with the FB scanning and looking for areas to provide help because it buys them enough time to get the ball off almost every time they call it.
In this example, the boundary safety gets his eyes on the wheel route a second late which catches him flat footed, and the slot gets behind him for a massive gain!
Learn how the best option offense in the country runs their schemes with The Air Force Offense: The Complete Series
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