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NCAA Football 2008: No-Huddle Offense 101 By Ron Jumper When it comes to playing NCAA Football 2008, the best way to stay a step ahead of the competition and never allow the opposing defense to figure out what you are doing on offense is to master the no-huddle. If you run a sophisticated no huddle offense that fits what your team does best, it can be nearly impossible to stop once perfected. There are numerous types of no huddles to run and there is a perfect fit for any team in any conference. I'm going to take three different teams that do three different styles of offense and give the perfect way to run a no huddle offense with them that will make you light up the scoreboard. The first team is Hawaii, as they are a spread passing attack. The second team is Arkansas, as they are a dominating running team. The third team is Michigan, as they have a balanced offense. This doesn't mean you can only run no-huddle with these 3 teams, but is a way to run a no-huddle with any offense. Some people think the no-huddle is only used with passing offenses, which is just not the case.  Hawaii Spread No-Huddle With Hawaii, the strength of the offense is obviously QB #15 but they wideouts are talented and deep.That doesn't mean you will never use your running backs, they will be involved as well. With Hawaii, they are at their best when they have 1 RB and 4 WRs on the field (in other words, use 4 wide receiver sets). The biggest thing with this no huddle offense is making sure every play uses the same personel, you don't want to call a play with a tight end and audible to a play that lines him up out wide because he'll never create seperation. Before starting to run the no-huddle, here are the 5 plays you should set in your audibles: 1. Shotgun Tight- Crossers This play works best against bump-and-run man coverage, as the slots cross over the middle of the field. At the same time, if the defense blitzes heavy and leaves the defensive backs in single coverage the far receiver runs a go-route down the sideline. If the defense shows zone, audible out of this play. 2. Shotgun Bunch- Deep Crossup One of the best passing plays on the game without question. It creates mismatches all over the place. With 3 receivers bunched to the right, WR #7 gets to work 1-on-1 with the corner. On the other side, if the defense runs zone the slot receiver closest to the QB runs a crossing route and is almost always open in the soft spot of the zone near the sideline. As for the HB, if the defense is sitting back in Cover 2 Man the HB will be wide open because he runs an angle route that should leave the MLB in the dust over the middle of the field. 3. Shotgun Trips Open- HB Screen As many NCAA Football die hards have learned, blitzing off the edge is a great way to get to the QB in a hurry. Learning how to make defenses pay for bringing the blitz is the best way to force the defense to cater to your offense. With this formation, there are 3 wideouts on the left side of the field and the HB is lined up to the right of the QB. Just simply roll out left so the defense thinks you are looking for one of the 3 wideouts and then dump the screen to the HB who should have plenty of room down the right sideline. This play won't be near as effective when the defense isn't blitzing. 4. Shotgun Flanker Close- Drag Post This is another play that gives you many options as to where to go. It is best used against man-to-man but also works well against a Cover 2 zone. If it is man, then the wideout dragging over the middle should be able to get open and hopefully create enough seperation to run after the catch (that also depends on how well you lead the wide receiver and put the proper touch). If it is Cover 2 zone, then the best option will be hitting #7 on the go-route down the left sideline in the soft spot of the zone (this will probably require a user catch to be safe). 5. Shotgun Spread- HB Direct This is the simplest running play out of the Shotgun. Trying HB Tackle or HB Draw is always risky and leave little room for cutbacks nor enough space to make someone miss and get upfield. HB Direct gets the ball to the HB quick so he cut up the middle or burst down the open sideline. Keys: -Don't overuse the screen, as it only works when it has an element of surprise to it. -When you see the defense bringing the blitz, never hesitate just to hot route the far wideout (preferably #7) down the field regardless of what play is called. -Some gamers struggle against the HB Direct, make them stop it before you go away from it. Arkansas Power No-Huddle With Arkansas, the best player on the game is HB #5 so use him over and over until your opponents can't take it anymore. Honestly, you can overlook that the Razorbacks are only a B overall and are ranked #10. With HB #5, you can take on anyone. An experienced gamer can stop a player that only has 1 weapon if he has a chance to prepare for it, this is where to no-huddle comes in. Not giving the defender a chance to gameplan for you makes him at your mercy. Here are 5 wonderful plays to set as your audibles so you never give the defense the chance to catch their breath and HB #5 runs wild all game long. As was the case with Hawaii, all 5 audibles require the same personel only this time it is 2 backs, 2 wideouts, and 1 tight end. 1. I Form- HB Iso I know, I know... Real creative, right? Well it is a must have when you have the o-line and backs that the Hogs have. 2. I Form- HB Slam Another simple run play, but it keeps the defense from shifting the defense to one side. This play works best if, when you set your audibles, you flip this play opposite of the I Form-HB Iso. That helps keep the defense off guard because they probably think you are just flipping the play when you actually changed the call at the line. 3. I Form- PA Boot This is the best play action on the game if you mix in the I Form- HB Slam throughout the game because it forces defense to stay honest and not load up on side of the field. Once the fake is done, don't be an amateur and just chunk it down the field to the wideout running the go-route. Take a look and see if he has burned the coverage, but the smartest choice is usually the tight end. If the defense bites on the fake, hitting the tight end is almost guranteed to get 15 yards every time. 4. Shotgun Spilt- Deep Threats This is an essential play to have in the no huddle for 2 reasons: it keeps the defense from going 4-4 and crowding the line of scrimage and it is the simplest way to get WR #85 the ball down the field. WR #85 is rated a 91 and stands 6'6". If the running game gets going and they got 4-4 or 5-2, this is the way to make them pay. Depending on whether it is zone or man, use your hot routes to get the tight end in open areas. 5. Shotgun Split- RB Flats I love this play, for some reason people think you have to throw to your wide receivers down field all the time. The best thing to do when a defense is in Cover 2 Man and it is 2nd or 3rd and Long, is to hit the running back quickly out of the backfield. I prefer to hit the back lined up on the strong side (the one closest to the tight end for non-real football people). This is because the tight end almost serves as a screen when he runs his go-route, because he blocks the path of the mlb trying to get to the running back. With Arkansas, you don't even have to change the package to Twin HBs because FB #22 is a stud. Keys: -Don't fall in love with the play action and the deep ball, it is best used when the defense is going all out to stop the run or you see 8 or 9 in the box. -Run HB Iso and HB Slam evenly, it keeps the defense honest and allows for the play action fake to work more often. -Be careful with the RB Flats if the defense is in zone, the corner is just sitting their to break up the play in a zone coverage like say Cover 2. Michigan Balanced No-Huddle With the Wolverines, you can pick defenses apart if you can survive without a mobile QB. Learning to stand in the pocket and deliver passes is one of the toughest steps in becoming a great NCAA Football 2008 player. With Michigan, you have an accurate QB, impact RB, and impact WR at your disposal, not to mention an outstanding offensive line. Keeping the defense off-balance by using all your strengths evenly can make using Michigan unfair. Here are 5 plays to use as your audibles when running the no-huddle with Michigan. 1. Ace Slot- HB Slam This play is more effective than it gets credit for and is just a simple run play to go to when you see the defense in Nickel or Dime to stop the pass (which should be often as QB #7 and WR #86 combo is one of the nicest on the game). 2. Ace Slot- FL Middle One of the essentials in the Michigan playbook, it works well against both man and zone plus keeps the tight end in pass blocking so the wide receivers have time to run the crossing routes. It is a very simple but effective play. You'll be hesitant at first, but then you'll realize after awhile it is your safest, most efficient pass play. 3. Ace Y Trips- HB Screen Your first instinct when you play a team without a mobile QB is to blitz heavily. How do you stop that? Screens. In real life, draws would also be an answer but those just don't get it done on video games yet. This is a nice HB screen because it flows away from the action, as the trips is to the strong side but the screen is to the weakside. 4. Ace Y Trips- HB Dive Simple but effective. Don't let the defense tee off and blitz around the edges or spread out the d-line. With HB #20 and Michigan's O-line, pushing the pile for 4 or 5 yards a pop is nothing and that also leads us to... 5. Ace Slot- PA Rollout Once the fake is completed, your first look is the receiver going deep down the sideline on the side of the field you roll out to. The second look is the flanker (typically the O icon) coming over the middle of the field. If neither is open, throw it away or dump it down to your tight end for the short completion. Keys: -Call a passing play that isn't of the 5 above, giving you 6 plays to work with in your no-huddle offense. Something like Ace Y Trips- Slot Corner or Ace Slot- Scissors In would work well. -Balance is the key, don't fall in love with the pass. Michigan is a balanced offense, it doesn't work without runs thrown in to neutralize the blitz. Conclusion The no-huddle is the simplest way to set your self apart from the rest of the pack. If defenses can't pick and choose what they want to, they can't call the needed formations and plays to stop your strengths without burning a timeout. It gives you a little edge in certain situations. For example, whenever you are in the red zone the no-huddle keeps the defense from being able to put in its goalline package to plug up the running game. It will take time to master, don't get frustrated if it doesn't come to you quickly.  July 26, 2007 |
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