Coach ,

Indiana University has definitely seen a breakthrough under Big Ten Coach of the Year Tom Allen. We know “one word” and L.E.O. were big in helping establish the culture and belief in his program because we see those in the media all of the time.

But from a strategic standpoint, what did they do?

Coach Allen identified three ways that the Hoosiers created breakthrough on offense. Those are:

#1 Eliminate negative plays

#2 Control the Tempo of the Game

#3 Use a Variety of Personnel Groupings

He explains his thoughts on these in this short video (click on image for video):

The good news is that these are things you can do right now by emphasizing a few simple things.

Here are a few resources to get you started:

#1 Eliminate Negative Plays - Execution on game day is the best way to eliminate negative plays and that comes from being prepared through effective practices.

How Success in Our Program Stems From How We Practice

Jim Collins - Dayton Offensive Game Planning & Practice Organization

Advanced Practice System for Football

#2 Control the Tempo - Coach Allen talked about changing tempo, and these courses detail using a variety of Tempo to create an advantage:

Targeted Attack: Using Tempo as a Weapon

Changing Speeds: A 3-Speed Approach to Tempo

Using Tempo to Dictate Defenses

#3 Use a Variety of Personnel Groups - Finding roles for your players within personnel groups is also a motivator and morale booster because more players get on the field on game day. These resources illustrate how to create a simple system for multiple personnel groupings:

Creating a Structure for Offense - Formations, Movements, and Personnel

Formations, Motions, Personnel

Best of luck to you and your team this summer as you look to breakthrough in 2021.

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski