5️⃣ RPO Alternatives to the Bubble
Jul 05, 2022 5:55 pm
Coach
The zone read and advent of the RPO was the inside zone read with a bubble. The throw was relatively simple and safe because it wasn’t going down field, and the concept took advantage of numbers both pre-snap and through reaction post-snap with the ball going to where there was an advantage to the offense.
As we’ve seen the spread era evolve into the use of multiple tight ends and backs, that 3x1 receiver bubble isn’t available for a throw, but with some simple adjustments to the scheme, you can get those same advantages.
Today we will look at two versions that utilize a swing route or down-the-line flat route on the perimeter which replaces the bubble.
Skip RPO
Mike Denbrock is fresh off a final four appearance in the College Football Playoff with his former Cincinnati team and he joins up again with Brian Kelley in Baton Rouge at LSU.
Coach Denbrock loves the tight-end RPO. In it’s simplest form which he calls “Skip,” it's the zone-read option with the typical wide receiver bubble being replaced by the tight end “skip” route in which the TE jabs inside to simulate his blocking footwork the works straight down the line of scrimmage so that the receivers on the edge are making blocks downfield legally when he catches the ball behind the LOS.
Coach Denbrock prefers to run it to a bubble in the defense. He runs it with inside zone in this example but it can be run with other schemes.
In this example, the offensive line is “Plus” which means they are pushing their combos to the frontside and comboing up to what looks like a void where a linebacker should be. This is where the safety will fit into the scheme thus allowing them to read that lineback off of the QB pull for a keep into the alley or throw out to the TE skip.
Coach Denbrock explains it on film here (click on image for video):
Split Zone RPO
While Coach Denbrock shows this with the TE skipping to the same side, this type of RPO can be created off of a split zone look with the TE coming across and then into his flat route behind the line of scrimmage. Where the LB has a bit of an easier read with the TE releasing to his side, there is definitely more “eye wash” for the LB in this split zone version.
Head Coach Tim Lester of Western Michigan shows the play in this video (click on image for video):
Video: 7 Man RPO Look, 6 Man Out
Shovel-Rub Scheme
You can count on Joe Moorhead, Head Coach at Akron, to be very creative with what he does with the RPO. Utilizing the flat route on the perimeter to a receiver or running back, he brings the tight end back underneath on a shovel and creates a true triple option. He illustrates it in game video here (click on image for video):
“Mubble”
Matt Drinkall, now the TE Coach at Army, ran a high powered offense that utilized the RPO to take advantage of the defense.
Once you start utilizing the TE in your offense, the defense will look to put seven in the box.
To take advatantage of this, Coach Drinkall like to go to what he calls “jettison” RPO and throw the “mubble” which is his name for a motion-bubble to the runningback.
He has the quarterback key movement, and as he says in this video in which he illustrates an example, “If we move one and they adjust with zero, something good just happened for us.” (click on image for video):
Video: Examples of Mubble Throws
20 Personnel Motion Bubble
Olivet offensive coordinator likes to utilize a similar concept as Coach Drinkall. However, with 20 personnel the QB can make the throw-keep decision on Counter and get the ball out to the perimeter to the running back on the screen or keep it himself on the counter (click on image for video):
The beauty of the RPO game is that you are really only limited by your creativity. There’s a way to fit many of the schemes you see into the personnel groups that work best for you.
The coaches and their concepts we highlighted here show that.
Always be growing!
Coach Grabowski