New Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb engineered one of the most prolific offenses in college football over the past two seasons at the University of Washington. The shotgun attack featured a heavy emphasis on the short passing game, but included plenty of vertical routes that went for explosive plays, with a remarkable variety of wrinkles and a high degree of unpredictability. And while the high-flying Huskies were led by a Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback in Michael Penix last year, they ran the ball well enough for Dillon Johnson, a transfer from Mississippi State, to rumble for 1,195 yards and 16 touchdowns over 15 games.
The Deober/Grubb approach to offense bears little resemblance to what Alabama ran under former offensive coordinator Tommy Rees last year, so installation will be a major adjustment for the Crimson Tide’s returning offensive players. DeBoer said upon being hired that his offensive staff will tailor the offense to the talent on hand, and to the extent that he’s willing to do so, that should make the transition somewhat easier. But make no mistake: Alabama’s offense isn’t going to look at all the same. Below, we unpack some of the key differences, and note a few similarities, that can be expected.
You can also see much of what’s featured in the Tuscaloosa News’ All-22 Film Room breakdown of the DeBoer/Grubb offense.
The DeBoer/Grubb passing attack
The Huskies attack defenses with a bevy of screen passes and short throws, but the route concepts often include a vertical pattern, allowing the quarterback to take deep shots here and there. UW averaged 344 passing yards per game, which ranked No. 2 in the nation. The screen package is diverse and oft-called by Grubb; UW threw 73 screen passes on the year, an average of once every eight throws. That’s a far heavier reliance on the screen game than what Alabama fans saw from Tommy Rees last year. Grubb also likes to run dual crossing routes across the middle from opposite sides of the field, creating a “rub” with one receiver to free another and strain the defense horizontally. Throw in a good dose of short curl routes against loose coverage, and it’s little wonder that opposing pass rushes averaged less than a sack per game against Washington. The offense is designed for the quarterback to get rid of the ball quickly.
GOODBREAD: Alabama football QB Jalen Milroe in for major adjustment to Kalen DeBoer offense
VIDEO ANALYSIS: All-22 film room: Inside the Kalen DeBoer offense coming to Alabama football this fall
What formations will Alabama employ?
On this question, there are two areas where Washington and Alabama were similar last year: 1) Both primarily lined up in the shotgun with one running back offset to one side; 2) Both made frequent use of “12” personnel (one running back, two tight ends). Beyond that, the DeBoer/Grubb attack last year was much more diverse, formationally speaking, than Alabama’s. Washington used more pre-snap motion. It often lined up a tight end and an H-back beside a tackle to create an extended edge to the offensive line. Its trips formations (three wide receivers to one side) were sometimes split wide but other times bunched close to the offensive line. As for other formations, Grubb also used the Pistol formation, an empty backfield, a smattering of traditional I-formation, and even a few snaps in Wildcat formation.
What’s in store for Alabama’s offensive linemen?
Both Alabama and Washington employed a similar mix of gap-scheme and zone-scheme blocking when it came to the running game. But the UW offense demanded far more athleticism − pulling, blocking in space and reaching linebackers − from its Joe Moore Award-winning line. Between all the aforementioned screen passes, which heavily involve downfield blocks from linemen, and run concepts that call for the big men to pull to the edge, the Alabama returning linemen who can run and lock onto moving targets will have a better chance of surfacing to the starting lineup. The Huskies’ starting offensive line averaged 305 pounds per man. By contrast, Alabama’s starting line − the biggest in the SEC by a significant margin − averaged 338. It won’t be surprising if 352-pound guard Tyler Booker, for instance, is asked, or chose on his own, to shed a few pounds in advance of the season.
Said former Washington right tackle Roger Rosengarten: “I’m sure they’re great players and will do fine under (offensive line) coach (Scott) Huff, but there is a lot of pulling and a lot of moving. It’s different from a technique standpoint.”
Also worth noting: Grubb built a background coaching offensive lines before he became a quarterbacks coach.
What about pace of play?
While Washington was efficient when it decides to go without a huddle, the Huskies offense didn’t operate at a breakneck speed. It was deliberate with checks and audibles, and didn’t mind burning seconds deep into the play clock. In fact, Grubb’s offense ranked in the bottom half of the FBS last year in seconds per snap, averaging a play every 27.2 seconds (87th of 130 FBS teams). For perspective, with the exception of service academies, CFP champion Michigan was the slowest-paced offense in the country at 30.9 seconds per play. The fastest was Jacksonville State at 20.3, and Alabama ranked 95th at 27.6.
Get ready for some razzle dazzle at Alabama
In watching all 985 of Washington’s offensive snaps last year, The Tuscaloosa News counted 16 trick plays in 15 games, an average of just over one per game. That’s a great deal more trickery than was typical for an Alabama offense under Nick Saban. Wide receiver Germie Bernard, who has transferred to Alabama, was involved in several of them; he even threw a pass for a 14-yard completion. Grubb called everything from a standard flea flicker to a variation of the always-fun Emory & Henry formation. The reverse pass and the double pass, or some variation of them, comprised about half of those trick plays.
Down on the goal line
While the aforementioned I-formation didn’t show up much in the UW offense until midseason, it was relatively common when the Huskies got inside the opponent’s 5-yard line, especially when snapping from the 1 or 2. That should be music to the ears of Alabama fans who witnessed the horror of a shotgun snap from the 1-yard line that sailed over QB Jalen Milroe’s head last year against Ole Miss. The Huskies sometimes employed the “sugar” huddle when near the goal line, a quick huddle that breaks close to the line of scrimmage and allows the defense little time to get set.
Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at [email protected]. Follow on Twitter @chasegoodbread.
2024-02-03 10:11:40
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