Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/847744
2 0 1 7 S E A S O N P R E V I E W solutely taking the run away from Saquon. Indiana, Minnesota, some other teams [did that], and we were able to throw the ball effectively and still put points on the board. There were other teams that decided they wanted to take the ball out of Trace's hands and our re- ceivers' hands, if you look at the Mary- land game and some of the others. And there were some where they couldn't defend either. It's great to have that flex- ibility where you can be multidimen- sional and not have to rely on one facet of your offense and lean on them to win the game for you. BWI How much control over the explo- sive-play aspect of the offense do you have? To the outside observer, a lot of the explosive-play success that you had appeared to be built on Trace's ability to extend plays. They didn't necessarily seem straightforward. MOORHEAD I would say it's the exact opposite of that. While there were some plays during the course of the season where the outcome was based on our players making a play, I would argue that if you go through game-by-game, the majority of our explosive plays and touchdowns were created and executed within the framework of the offense. Finding a one-on-one matchup, I mean, there's something to that. The notion that we're just closing our eyes and throwing the ball up and asking our kids to make a play, to me is farcical in a lot of ways. If you go back and really look at it, a lot of our things are about finding a way to create the one-on-one matchup. If you would go through it with a fine-tooth comb, some of those plays stick out because they're highlight reel plays, but the majority of the things that we did to create explosive plays and touchdowns were, I think, well-game- planned, well-called and incredibly well-executed plays by our kids. BWI Trace finished with the highest yards-per-completion average in the country. Have you ever identified that as being a goal before? MOORHEAD You look at the Fordham numbers, and I think it's something that happens organically, just within the framework of the offense. We look to run the ball successfully. When we aren't able to do that, people have to take it away by either pressure or secondary support. When you do that, it creates one-on-one matchups on the perimeter. So this isn't something where, from an offensive system standpoint, we just de- cide to take deep shots down the field. This is a system that is based on West Coast principles and the ability to throw the ball down the field, coupled with an RPO-based spread run system. That's why I think you see the results you do. It's a hybrid spread that allows us to push the ball down the field in the pass game but still experience the benefits of a spread run game, if that makes sense. BWI Would you prefer to see more ball- control plays? MOORHEAD If they happen within the framework of the offense. Not to get in- credibly technical, but when we call a pass play, generally speaking there are plays within the system and there are plenty of medium to nonexplosive pass completions in the system. But I think what ends up happening is, they get overshadowed by the ones that are going 50 and 60 yards down the field. So to say ALL SMILES Penn State made big strides on of- fense last season, im- proving its scoring average by more than two touchdowns per game. Photo by Mark Selders/Penn State Athletics