A slick play action setup can be a game-changer for any offensive play caller, especially when it mirrors the team’s bread-and-butter run plays.
Today, we’re diving into one of Montana State’s slickest tricks, straight from their 6-part playbook breakdown: The Montana State Offense – The Complete Series.
Rambo Nail Play Action Left
Montana State rolls out this gem to fake out the defense, making it look like they’re pounding the ball with their Nail gap scheme toward the boundary. But here’s the twist—it’s a crafty play action pass with options to strike deep or hit quick.
They set the stage with a run-heavy look: a tight end and wing stacked to the boundary, paired with a mesh fake right after the snap.
The offensive line keeps it straightforward. The backside guard pulls and boots out the end man on the line (EMOL), while the rest of the crew downblocks. They can switch to fan protection if needed, but yanking that guard really sells the run fake.
Out wide to the field side, the slot jets off on a fade, and the X receiver cuts in on a slant. If the receivers sniff out pressure screaming in from the field edge before the snap, they both pivot to slants—giving the QB a fast escape hatch.
Over to the boundary, the Y (tight end) runs a shuffle seam read, and the H (wing) takes off on a shuffle rail route. That shuffle step? It’s pure misdirection—defenses see it and think arc blocks, a move this offense loves to lean on. Against a two-high safety look, the Y bends his route toward the middle after 12 yards, unlike the straighter path he’d take against a single-high setup.
Meanwhile, the halfback bolts out of the backfield, swinging into the boundary. Even if pressure crashes from that side, he dodges the defender, slipping behind for an easy dump-off if the QB needs it.
Taylor Housewright, Montana State’s offensive coordinator, walks through this play with film and juicy details in The Montana State Offense – The Complete Series. He unpacks how they weaponize their play action to keep defenses guessing and on their heels.
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