Triple Option
Encyclopedia
The triple option is an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 scheme used to offer multiple ways to progress the football forward in the field of play. The triple option is based on the option run
Option run
The option run or option is a designed play in American football and Canadian football. In the simplest version of this play, the quarterback receives the ball and runs either to the right or left, accompanied by an additional offensive player...

, but uses three players who may run with the ball instead of the two that are used in the standard option run.

The triple option forces defenses to worry about multiple running options on a single play. For the offense, the decision of who is to carry the ball – which option to use – is made during the play by the quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 (QB). The QB makes the decision whether to give the ball to the fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...

 (FB) or to keep the ball based on what the defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...

 (DE) does. If the DE pinches down, the QB pulls the ball. If the DE runs straight upfield or directly at the QB then the QB gives the ball to the FB. The triple option can be complemented by fixed running plays which look like the triple option when they start but use traditional blocking
Blocking (American football)
In American football, blocking is a legal move occurring when one player obstructs another player's path with his body. The purpose of blocking is to prevent defensive players tackling the ball carrier, or to protect the quarterback while attempting to pass or hand-off the ball...

, as well as play-action passing.

There are three basic forms of triple option: the wishbone
Wishbone formation
The wishbone formation, also known simply as the ’bone, is an offensive formation in American football. The style of attack to which it gives rise is known as the wishbone offense...

triple option, the veer
Veer
The Veer is an option running play often associated with option offenses in American football, made famous at the collegiate level by the Houston Cougars. It is currently run primarily on the high school level, with some usage at the collegiate and the professional level with varying degrees of...

triple option, and the I formation
I formation
The I formation is one of the most common offensive formations in American football. The I formation draws its name from the vertical alignment of quarterback, fullback, and running back, particularly when contrasted with the same players' alignments in the T formation.The formation begins with...

triple option. These differ in terms of the personnel on the field and their positioning prior to the beginning of the play.

Wishbone

The wishbone triple option can utilize several formations including the flexbone
Flexbone formation
The flexbone formation is an offensive formation in American football that uses a quarterback, five offensive linemen, three running backs, and varying numbers of tight ends and wide receivers. The flexbone formation is a predominant running formation derived from the wishbone formation and it...

 or Maryland I. The wishbone triple option is a running play where either fullback, quarterback, or one of the halfbacks will end up running the ball.

First, the quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 (QB) receives the football from the center. The quarterback then begins the play in one direction by starting to handoff the football to the fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...

 (FB) right behind the playside guard on a standard fullback dive play. The guard "chips" the 3-technique (Defensive tackle) and blocks the playside (The side where the play is going) inside linebacker (usually called the Mike, or Middle Linebacker). The quarterback then reads the unblocked defensive linemen, if he crashes down on the fullback the quarterback pulls the ball from the fullback's gut and continues down the line, but if the defensive linemen goes outside to contain the play he hands off inside to the fullback. The offensive tackle on the side of the play's direction does not block the defensive end and instead moves to block the first threat which is usually the linebacker stacked behind the defensive end. In the traditional triple option the backside tailback will take a parallel course down the line of scrimmage keeping a 3 to 5 yard separation with the quarterback. If the defensive end comes inside toward the quarterback he will pitch it outside to the trailing halfback. If the defensive end keeps outside leverage and plays the trailing halfback the quarterback will keep the ball and cut up field inside of the defensive end. The tailback to the playside is responsible for blocking one of the defensive backs, usually one of the deep safeties. The wide receiver to the play side is responsible for blocking the corner back assigned to cover them if the defense were playing man coverage.

If this is run properly it can be extremely effective as most all defensive players are accounted for by blockers. Once the quarterback or tailback gets beyond the line of scrimmage there should be nobody in front of them because the tackle, guard, tailback and wide receiver are all downfield picking up the first threat.

The play is called the triple option because the fullback dive is the first option, the quarterback keeping the ball is the second option, and the quarterback pitching to the halfback is the third option.

A slight variation of this formation is the Flexbone, where the running backs move out to just outside the tackles, but still off the line of scrimmage. The running back that the play is using for the third option motions in, and while in motion the ball is snapped. The Triple Option, in this case, is still run mostly the same as the wishbone.

Veer

The veer
Veer
The Veer is an option running play often associated with option offenses in American football, made famous at the collegiate level by the Houston Cougars. It is currently run primarily on the high school level, with some usage at the collegiate and the professional level with varying degrees of...

 triple option uses two halfbacks and a tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...

. The "inside veer" play is similar to the wishbone triple option, but the dive option is performed by the halfback on the side of the play, and the other halfback becomes the pitch man. The veer is more challenging to run to the weak side (the side without the tight end) because there is no lead blocker for the pitch man. The "outside veer" moves the halfback dive option outside the offensive tackle, forcing the outside linebacker to stop the halfback dive, and forcing the defensive backs to play the pitch option.

I formation

The triple option can be run out of the I formation as well. With two running backs, it is sometimes called the "I-veer", as the play is similar to the two running back veer offense. Three running back I formations such as the Maryland I and the stack I are more similar to the wishbone play.

Recent variations

In recent years, as spread offenses have become popular, many teams have begun to run variations of the triple option with the quarterback in the shotgun. This has been greatly popularized by the success of coaches such as Rich Rodriguez
Rich Rodriguez
Richard A. "Rich" Rodriguez is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Arizona. Rodriguez previously served as the head football coach at Salem University , Glenville State College , West Virginia University , and the University...

, John Morin, and Urban Meyer
Urban Meyer
Urban Frank Meyer, III is an American football coach and former player. He is head football coach at Ohio State University, having been hired for the position in November 2011...

. The more traditional version of the triple option utilizes a quarterback under center and is advocated by the service academy coaches, including Fisher DeBerry
Fisher DeBerry
Fisher DeBerry is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the United States Air Force Academy from 1984 to 2006, compiling a record of 169–109–1. DeBerry led 17 of his 23 Air Force Falcons squads to winning records and 12 captured a bowl...

, formerly of Air Force
Air Force Falcons football
The Air Force Falcons are a college football team from the United States Air Force Academy, located just outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the NCAA Division I and the Mountain West Conference.-Style:...

, and Paul Johnson
Paul Johnson (American football coach)
Paul Johnson is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a position he has held since the 2008 season. Previously, Johnson served as the head coach at Georgia Southern University from 1997 to 2001 and at the United States Naval Academy...

, formerly head coach of Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...

 and now head coach at Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...

.
Paul Johnson has had the most success with the triple option/veer in the last few years. The triple option can be used in the spread offense. Teams like Florida, West Virginia, and Auburn have been using an inside zone triple option from the spread. The quarterback reads the defensive end for give or keep. If the defensive end squeezes down to take the dive, the quarterback will pull the ball and take his reading progression to the outside linebacker or defensive back. If the linebacker/defensive back takes the quarterback, the quarterback will pitch the ball to his runningback who is running in pitch relation to the quarterback.

External links

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