I’m back.
After a wonderful week at the Outer Banks (by far, the best beaches on the East Coast), my family and I returned to central Pennsylvania at the conclusion of Arts Fest. I was certain that I would find out that a Penn State football player or two got in trouble over the weekend.
But after perusing the police logs, I saw that not one player was involved in any of the raucous incidents that come along with Arts Fest.
Maybe coach Joe Paterno has this thing turned around after all.
In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a closer look at the “Spread HD” offense we’ve heard so much about. We’ll also have our No.
7 moment of the year in Penn State athletics.
I’m back from vacation, so off we go!
Spread HD: Part One
Shortly after Penn State’s 24-17 win over Texas A&M in last year’s Alamo Bowl, quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno talked about what life would be like without Anthony Morelli at the controls of the Nittany Lion offense.
With Morelli out of the equation, Paterno said, the squad would look to a pair of unproven quarterbacks — Daryll Clark and Pat Devlin — to run a new-look spread offense.
Paterno dubbed it the “Spread HD.”
“It’s beyond spread,” Paterno said as confetti fell from the rafters of the Alamodome. “It’s a high definition NFL passing game with the spread offense. Our kids are already kind of talking about it.”
Later, Paterno elaborated on the term HD. HD, he said, could stand for high def or highly diverse. What he didn’t want it to stand for was huge dud.
Before delving into the ins and outs of Penn State’s Spread HD, fans may need to be educated. What exactly is a spread offense? What are the advantages and disadvantages of running out of the spread?
Is Daryll Clark ready to run Penn State’s offense with the new-and-improved “Spread HD?” Only time will tell.
(Photo courtesy of Blue While Illustrated).
A little Football 101:
A spread offense refers to a scheme that utilizes multiple receivers with one or no backs aligning the backfield. It’s been used with great success at schools like Clemson, Northwestern, Kentucky, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and most recently, West Virginia, where Rich Rodriguez ran the spread to near-perfection.
In a true spread formation, there are a plethora of quarterback runs involved. Usually coaches, not the quarterback, make checks from the press box to the sidelines while the offense is at the line of scrimmage.
The quarterback is an integral part of the spread. What makes the spread such a dynamic offense is the evolution of predetermined quarterback runs. The offense simply takes the tailback and makes him a blocker. In essence, he becomes the fullback. The offense now has a way to block the defense’s extra defender.
Throw in some no-huddle, and it makes the spread very difficult to defend. Defenses don’t have time to react and they are often taken out of their comfort zone.
With Michael Robinson at quarterback in 2005, Penn State ran a miniature version of the spread. There were a lot of runs designed solely for Robinson, who often looked like a running back standing back there in the shotgun formation.
So when looking ahead to the 2008 season, think of 2005’s offense with a lot more explosiveness.
If the Nittany Lions are intent on running the Spread HD, it would seem that Clark is the man to run the show. While Clark hasn’t enjoyed many opportunities to sling the ball at Penn State (he’s thrown just
36 passes in his collegiate career), he showed what he can do with his legs at the Alamo Bowl, running six times for 50 yards and a touchdown.
Clark says he feels extremely comfortable running the spread. After all, he played in a spread offense at Ursuline High School in Youngstown. The seeds for the spread were sown even before Clark set foot on the Beaver Stadium sod.
“We ran a spread-type of offense in high school and we spread it out pretty good when Michael Robinson was here,” says Clark, who studied under Robinson. “The comfort level is definitely there. I thought we had some options in ’05 when Mike ran the offense and I’m pretty comfortable with what we’ve put in. It’s something that’s suited for me.”
A whopping 73,000 turned out at the Blue-White Game on a sun-splashed Saturday back in April. Many hoped that they would get a glimpse of the Spread HD. But those in the know saw very little. Instead of an HD, what they got was the tried-and-true color television. Sure, watching Clark and Devlin face off in the battle for the starting quarterback job was fun. And seeing running back Stephfon Green bounce around like a pinball was even better.
But where was the Spread HD?
“You didn’t see it,” Jay Paterno says. “Believe me.”
Next week, in part two, we’ll take a closer look at the quarterbacks and determine who is better equipped to run the “Spread HD.”
Moment No. 7: One For the Show
When Major League Baseball held its annual draft in June, there was one Nittany Lion selected. Relief pitcher Drew O’Neil was taken in the fourth round by the Chicago White Sox.
The right-handed hurler was taken with the eighth pick of the fourth round, the 120th overall selection in the draft. He was selected by the Cincinnati Reds last season, but opted to return to Penn State to earn his degree.
O’Neil became the highest-picked Nittany Lion since Nate Bump. Bump was taken in the first round in 1998 by the Florida Marlins. O’Neil made his final season at Penn State a memorable one, racking up 11 saves. Overall, he was 22-of-23 in save chances for the Nittany Lions.
He was one of three Big Ten players selected by major league teams.
In addition to writing for gantnews.com, Chris Morelli is the editor of Blue White Illustrated, a sports publication devoted to Penn State athletics. He is also a regular on “Front and Center,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com.
