Every detail matters in option football, which is why Joel Penner, the Head Coach of Dordt University always asks himself these 3 simple questions whenever he calls for an option with his Gun Triple offense:
- Who are you going to pitch off of?
- Who are you going to block?
- Who are you going to leave?
By being detailed and intentional with every decision, it has allowed Dordt to have an incredibly successful and efficient rushing attack and is why today we’re going to apply this philosophy to one of Dordt’s best option plays: the midline pitch!
Learn all of Coach Joel Penner’s option secrets in our 6-part series: The Dordt Offense – The Complete Series
Midline Option Pitch Tackle Pin LB
Below is a pre-snap image of Dordt running Midline Option to the right side of the offensive formation.
This specific example is very similar to Dordt’s standard midline play, but the only difference is that instead of the RT being a perimeter blocker in the run scheme, he is trying to seal the Mike LB.
In the basic version of this play, the Mike LB would be left for Dive, but this time, the RT will take the release of his choice to work inside and take him away.
By using coach Penner’s 3 questions, the offense is able gather the answers that clearly define their responsibilities and allow for a massive gain to be created!
Based on this defensive look, the C Gap defender (DE) is the pitch key, which leaves the outside LB as a threat on the run side of the play.
Knowing that this defender needs to be blocked and accounted for, the #2 must crack down and set the edge for the offense to run around.
This leaves the choice for the #1 receiver to the right to decide whether he’s going to block the CB or the S.
More often than not, the WR will make the decision to stalk block up to the safety, because this isolates the CB who is oftentimes the worse tackler and forces him to make a play.
In this situation, the WR makes the right choice, as the ball is pitched outside and speed in space gets the offense all the way to the endzone for a touchdown!
Learn all of the details that you need to master the Gun Triple Offense today with The Dordt Offense: The Complete Series