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Size vs Speed
By Coach Kip | September 10, 2007
Let me start by saying that size is still important. But, it has been shown in the last few years, that the game is changing, the game is becoming faster. It is about getting your guys in space and letting them run.
Michigan is a perfect case study for this. I got to watch the replay of the upset game and Michigan was clearly bigger than Appalachian State at every position. On the other hand App State was faster at every position than Michigan. It was not a matter of Michigan not being able to score. They overpowered the smaller App State with an offensive running attack. That side of the game plan worked. If the defense had not been on the field the whole time Michigan would have definitely scored more despite all the penalties and turnovers.
What App State, Ohio State, Ball State, and this week Oregon have done is put Michigan in a position of catch-up. By using very quick players on offense all these teams have either beat Michigan or should have beat them. Michigan just cannot keep up with the speed.
Here is what it means to you. Offensively if you do not have any big players you can out speed them. Any offense can use fast players to beat the defense to where you want your players to be. You can run around any slow defensive team.
Obviously if you can outrun the defense to the sideline and turn up field you can gain large chunks of yards. But what happens the defense just starts running to the sideline? Now you hit them with the counter or counter trey. Even if you have small lineman these plays will work.
Get the defense to start chasing your faster players. They will begin to over play everything. Now with your smaller lineman you can easily block larger linemen because they will already be out of position. All you have to do is keep them going in the same direction.
With smaller players you can beat a bigger team strictly on play calling. Get the big players to go the way you want them, and just watch them run out of the play.
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