Will Texas ever make a return to run blocking?

A

AFhorn82

100+ Posts
Is zone blocking "the" blocking philsophy that makes all other schemes outdated or will Texas ever make another attempt at the style that brought Ricky the Heisman?
 
Was it the style that brought Ricky the Heisman? Or the combination of having very good guys executing the style, a very good fullback coming in behind them and ahead of Ricky, some surprisingly good WRs and QB to keep the passing game at a level where opponents would pay if they put 8/9 in the box, oh and the fact that Ricky was one of college football's all-time badasses running the ball?
 
Maybe the question should be "Will Texas ever make a return to executing effective run blocking?"

My answer, then would be "I sure ******* hope so."
 
The only thing I have to say is that every time see that Star Trek "inspirational" poster, I think "people were skinny back then".
 
Zone blocking is not 'run blocking' it is a scheme in which the line is assigned a 'zone' to block, as opposed to traditional run blocking where you had a man to match up on. I don't like the zone personally but it is easier to execute when facing the endless defensive schemes of today.

My problem with it is that it is too reactionary, which means instead of blasting off on some one you are waiting to see who is in your gap and then trying to smash him in the mouth. I can see the argument for it though.

I think we will see an increase in traditional blocking if we get a reliable fullback, who can react to unexpected blitzers.
 
All were factors and maybe memory fails but it seemed like the run blocking for Ricky's heisman campaign was excellent. I'm not at all saying that you could have plugged any competent back into that scheme and won them a Heisman. Wayne McGarrity was amazing and so was my fellow Wacoan Kwame Kavil (unsure about spelling of both names). I would still stand by the proposition that the run blocking scheme certainly aided in making the running so powerful.

As for zone blocking, is college football so much more complicated than it was only ten years ago? Why can't run blocking work against more complicated defensive scheme? That's an honest question because I feel like football was just as complicated in 1998 as it is today (e.g. the Fun and Gun at Florida was alive and well under Spurrier at that time). You'd think that there would be a law of diminishing returns in terms of making an offense complicated.
 
I'm not saying we should get every one of those, but we shold be getting a lot more than we have the last coupla years.

I'm not asking them to be Jimmy Johnson's Cowboys, but damn.

Maybe we've turned the corner in the run game. I hope we have. We'll see the first time we play a real team. Would that be week 3, 5, or 6?
 
Back to zone blocking... You make a good point about the game's complexity. This is purely speculation but I think there is now a tendency to stunt more as a percentage of plays than there used to be. Keep in mind I have nothing to back this up, but it just seems that way to me.

Other than the possibility of more stunting and blitzing, the zone is easier to execute with a young line that is not used to the more exotic stuff they have not seen much. It is just easier, or it is supposed to be, but I don't like it a whole lot.
 
The running game wasn't terrible last year and that was with a very young, thin, and injured OL. If JC came back I would look for a near 2000 yard season. There is only really 1 returning back this year (CO doesn't really get many carries) and a stable of other young backs coming in. The OL is still growing and gelling. I will say wait at least another season to be overly criticial on the Texas running game based on the scheme it runs. Ricky had a very experienced OL his senior season and that matters.

Texas runs a very spread offense at times and to me that is when it is most successful. They have generally recruited smaller quicker backs that can excel in this type of system. I don't think we will see a big back like Ricky running downhill behind a run block 1st OL mentality anytime soon....if that is what you are asking.
 
I liked the style that brought Ricky the Heisman, but I'd rather stick with the style that brought UT the MNC.
 
#10 made that style work. Maybe I'm wrong but it seemed like you needed a credible running threat from the QB to make the zone read work. For more information see UT's last possession in the 2005 MNC game
 
People who have nostalgia for Ricky's senior year seem to forget that KSU stopped our running game cold in its tracks.
 
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