One thing this offense does really well is present the defense with run game threats in multiple directions at the same time. It's not uncommon to see Zach Wilson carrying out multiple fakes one way and then the other when handing off the ball, or carrying out a play action fake, almost like he's playing QB in a Wing-T scheme.
This play takes that progression to the next level, and the BYU offense has packaged a horizontal threat in both directions with a wrinkle to get their H-Back the ball in a wide-open space in the middle of the field.
This is a game plan-specific play that you put in when you see how the defense adjusts to your motion and what kind of space can be created where those guys used to be sitting.
It's the kind of play you've seen from Andy Reid and the Kansas City offense many times when he's looking for new and creative ways to get Travis Kelce the football.
So let's dive a little deeper and see why this works.
BYU vs UTSA - 10:24 1Q
Here's a pre-snap look at the offensive and defensive alignments.
That slot receiver to the boundary will go in jet motion to the field, and the two safeties rotate in response.
The defense is trying to keep the picture as simple as possible for those interior defenders in the front, and so they're not going to ask them to do a lot of moving around pre-snap. They're OK with letting the secondary take care of the adjustments.
That field safety gets wide to try to stay outside of the jet sweep threat, while the boundary safety moves to get right on the hash.
At the snap, the QB Wilson has two skill guys crossing his face with the jet motion, and the stretch play fake going to the weak side.
Meanwhile the H-Back is going to take a wide release as if he's arcing out to the apex defender. This gets the edge linebacker to widen with him, and create extra space inside.
Once the jet motion and the stretch play fake clears, and Wilson still has the ball, the H-Back is wide open at about 7 yards.
The defense was occupied with the misdirection going both ways, and let that guy slip into the hole in coverage without much trouble.
Now let's take a look at the end zone view.
We see the near inside linebacker #15 shuffling his feet and trying to stay tight to his gap responsibility without overpursuing.
Meanwhile the H-Back's wide release has created a TON of space between him and #15, so Wilson has an easy throwing lane to work with.
The boundary safety was sitting on the hash, and was caught a little flat-footed since he also had to be concerned with the run threat coming from his right side.
The H-Back doesn't really "bend" the route too much back into the middle, because he's smart. He's not going to run himself right into the defender and a big hit.
Conclusion
Just like all good ideas, I recommend you steal this one if you use a lot of H-Back looks in your offense, and especially if you use a lot of jet motion.
This offense has a TON of these types of plays, and I'm excited to share the whole picture with you in the next couple of weeks.
Want more?
Check out the in-depth study we put together of the BYU Offense HERE.