@Texas-Hawk-10 Well I will preface this with the fact that I also played in a spread in HS as well, and then went on to coach a spread offense for 4 years at the high school level.
First, Baylor doesn’t run the air raid. They run a very high octane offense centered around the run and deep routes in play action passing plays. But, by definition, it is not the “air raid.” They have ran the ball significantly more than passed it the past several seasons. It is just a normal spread offense and they happen to have tons of talent at the receiver and QB positions.
Second, Beaty has said that he does want to run the air raid, and statistically has proven that he is committed to doing so. He has thrown more than he has ran it this season. And has done it with woefully bad QB play. Imagine when we get a QB that we actually like. I could only imagine the passing increasing.
Third, the Spread is effective. Can’t argue that. But only if ran at the correct pace to help you team win. Running a super up-tempo paced offense like we are trying is a recipe for disaster if you ask me. Often, we are not going to be the more talented team. So, dictating the pace of the game is a huge factor. As well as limiting the opponents possessions. The more possessions, the less each score matters. The less of a chance for an upset. When we are the more talented team, yea we need to run as many plays as possible.
Finally, what I would like to see is a commitment to a running version of the spread similar to that of Oregon, just not every 12 seconds. One with a lot of motion, misdirection and the ability to get gadget players the ball in space. This way we can dictate pace, yet still take advantage of our talent where we have it. In that type of an offense, you only need a QB that throws it accurately horizontally and can throw play action passes to wide open receivers.
An intricate running game is far more important than an intricate passing game. Problem is we have a receiver calling plays and installing the offense. We seem to not realize that we can get Quiv and Sims the ball in so many other ways than a bubble screen. We NEVER run jet sweeps. We hardly ever motion players. We have no misdirection plays, we throw more than pass so PA has less of an effect, we stay in about 1 or 2 formations most of the game giving the defense a comfort and allowing them to just play on instinct rather than think about coverage, we never put two guys in the backfield, and we never have a QB keep on a read option in which case he can throw to his outlet receiver and turn it into a “triple option”.
Our current offensive system is not in the best interest of the team. It is basic and sad. In fact, so basic that it might as well be a high school offense. I PRAY we go and find someone who can run the offense in the offseason. 3 points against a defense that gave up 750 yards through the air the week before isn’t good enough for a coach who is trying to run a “up tempo air raid” offense.
