Inside the Playbook - Michigan's Counter HF

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Despite heavily featuring gap run schemes throughout the year, Michigan's plan when facing the vaunted Wisconsin run defense included almost the total elimination of pulling offensive line. In an effort to maintain part of their core playbook, they leaned on a 3-back style offense and "Pull Replace" (replacing a traditional offensive line pull with a back executing the assignment) to retain part of their Counter playbook.

In this post, we are going to look at how the Wolverines executed Counter HF from an unbalanced look, how the Badgers responded, and how this scheme can be sequenced off of and run against a variety of formations.




Counter HF
Counter HF itself is somewhat like a combination of two plays: Counter OH and Scissors Iso.

In terms of Counter OF, there is a kick player (typically the opposite side offensive OG) responsible for kicking out or logging the defensive End Man on the LOS (EMOL), and a second wrap player that leads to the playside LB. Counter HF replaces the opposite side guard with the H kicking the EMOL, and maintains the FB as the wrap player.

I-Formation - Counter Plays



Traditionally against odd fronts, Michigan will run what I call "short Counter OF", that is, they will have a gameplan tag that sees the offensive EMOL kick out to the OLB after bluffing the DE, while the kick player works the kickout block on the interior DE.

I-Formation - Counter Plays



Where Counter HF differs from Counter OF is that the backside doesn't need to protect the void created by the pulling Lineman. Similar to how Duo (Power without a puller) sees the backside more aggressive in their blocks - similar to Iso - compared to traditional power, which sees the backside OL hinge block (step inside and then hinge out to protect the defense from crashing down on the backside of the play). This makes it similar to "Scissors Iso" (also known as Bend or Counter Iso).





Here's what it looks like on the chalk board.




This, of course, can theoretically be run against a variety of formations. Here, against the under front, I utilized a "Club" call to block the more significant threats. Of course, you could also decide to double the NT with the C-BSG as well.


I-Formation Runs - Pull Replace


The Film
The Badgers initially responded to the formation by checking to Cover 1 and Traveling with the H.




Later in the game, they attempted to adjust by spoking the safeties.




Finally, they responded (impressively without going to the sideline between these last two plays) by simply plugging the $ backside.




Written In Chalk
The last clip above also talks about Michigan sequencing off this look. Below are a couple examples of how they could have done so, both with Play Action pass, and with the run game.


If you wanted to really keep the look, you could still kick with the OT onto the SAM and split block the DE.

If the defensive front makes the Lead block uncomfortable, you can also kick the Jack with the FB and double the DT with the OT-OG up to the $. Alternative, you could "Jack" block it, which would be a combo between the FB and OT (would recommend getting the FB a little more width to start the play) on the Jack LB (this is a coincidence in naming; Jack, Queen, King are North-South Combo calls) working North-South to the playside LB. This would work similar to Shanahan's Zorro Concept (Zorro is a FB-TE combo on OZ).

Below is a Play Action Pass sequence. I've preferred the slip into the flat, but altenatively you could do a FB pop pass or still block the DE with the H and slip the FB out into the flat.






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