Collin Klein's RPO Designs
Klein's offense makes the defense pay for giving up too much space and fixes the numbers problems consistently.
Kansas State’s offense under Collin Klein last year contained a healthy balance of all types of run schemes. They ran zone and many variations of gap schemes, often pulling multiple linemen. To combat the numbers problems that inevitably occur when you run as many formations as he does, they relied on pulling linemen to quickly capture a numbers advantage to one side of the offense, used their QB to run, and gave the QB the RPOs at just the right time.
It’s hard to show without showing a bunch of clips, but I will attempt to describe what I believe is Klein’s philosophy with RPOs. They aren’t attached to all runs, but when they are, they solve specific problems. They are sound and well executed for the most part. Today we will look at a couple of his pre-snap RPOs and a couple of his second level RPOs to demonstrate his thinking.
Pre-Snap #1
Kansas State saw something to take advantage of against Baylor this game because they ran more pre-snap RPOs here than the other games I watched. While this RPO isn’t technically a true pre-snap read, I include it here because of its purpose.
The defense sends the Mike on a pressure right at the snap and the QB lets it rip to the sideline. So the purpose it to make the defense pay for not being plus one to the trips. In my opinion, that’s the pre-snap nature of these plays — they make the defense pay for having a numbers and/or space problem to the WR screen. In this case, the defense has three over three which isn’t a bad situation for them necessarily. The other factor to consider for the viability and soundness of the scheme, however, is leverage.
The offense essentially eliminates the immediate threat of the most inside defender over the trips, the safety, by having the number two WR be the screen catcher and putting the number three WR on the safety over the number two WR.
It’s hard to show here, but this is exemplary of how Klein seems to use RPOs in his offense — sparingly, but smartly. I say sparingly even though they are common in the offense because they aren’t attached to every run play. Kansas State still asked their WRs to block and solved their numbers problems other ways (like pulling linemen and in their QB run game). In this example, they attack the defense’s lapse in space control.
Pre-Snap #2
Once again, Kansas State’s QB isn’t accounting for a numbers issue in the run box, but rather trying to make the defense pay for giving up too much space to the bunch WRs.
It doesn’t work here because the number one WR doesn’t make the block, but this play tells us something about Klein’s mindset with these screens. Specifically that he allows his QB the judgement to let these rip if he feels like there is a space or numbers advantage.
The offense is in 12 personnel (8 gaps to the defense and 9 when the QB runs which is always a threat in this offense). The defense is playing out of a three high structure. So there isn’t an immediate numbers problem the offense has to deal with. However, the QB still pulls the ball and whips it out there.
2nd Level #1
This RPO attaches a quick game concept, all hitches, to the run with the QB reading the extra fitter. However, since the offense is in 12 personnel and the defense is playing out of a MOFO structure, the QB can’t actually read the extra fitter. Meaning, the defense only has six defenders in the immediate run box so they would need to bring two more into the run box to give the offense a numbers problem.
So once again, Klein’s offense is demonstrating its willingness to make the defense pay for simply giving too much space for the pass option. As I laid out in this post, there are only two reasons for RPOs — to fix a numbers problem or take advantage of space. Klein consistently does both.
2nd Level #2
Now facing MOFC out of 12 personnel, the offense is facing an immediate numbers problem. So the QB could fix this by abandoning the run or confirming the problem during his mesh.
This mesh is out of the pistol and opposite the pass option so it’s a harder task on the QB and potentially tricky for the defense to pick up on. I assume the QB’s key read is the inside linebacker to the field since he could be a threat to the slant window. He fits so the QB throws. So this RPO fixes the numbers problem, and the design of the pass option attacks the space the defense gives up. Good design.
The Takeaway
As stated in the beginning and as (hopefully) demonstrated through the examples, Klein’s philosophy appears to be sound. Through their bigger personnel groupings, they force the defense to account for more gaps in the run game. They exasperate that feature of the offense with QB run from these groupings and then when the defense gives too much space to their WRs, they can get the ball to them in multiple ways — pre-snap or post-snap.
This type of offense gives the defense issues because they are in constant flux. They can sell out through man or blitz coverage, but not many defenses did this. Since I doubt Texas A&M will have the QB run threat that he’s accustomed to (though you never know…), it’ll be interesting to see if this part of the offense grows in other ways.
Until tomorrow,
Emory Wilhite
Thanks for reading — Subscribe to get the next post in your inbox tomorrow morning: