Chip Kelly UCLA Offense- Run Game , Boot and play action pass game

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Chip Kelly Offensive Mastermind!

There are several pieces to Chip Kelly's run game at UCLA. This article focuses on his run game and play action.  He has run  a great pin and pull scheme  for years with always a top running game.  He is also always evolving, adapting and changing his schemes and always one of the lead innovators in the sport. 

Here are some stats about his run game. 

2022.  #5 in rushing yards,  239 yards per game,   

           #1 in yards per rush   6.0 yards per rush

2021  #10 in rushing,    219 yards per game     

           #18 in yards per rush 5.2 yards per rush                

2020.  #12 in rushing ,    230 yards per game 

            #21 in yards per rush 5.1 yards per rush

Some of the plays you will see from their potent rushing attack. Most of this article was from the 2021 season, so there may be some changes in 2022.

1. Wide(outside zone) Zone

2. Duo

3. Pin and Pull

4. Jet Sweep

5. wrap 

6. Inside Zone read

He combines it with his passing game:

1.Boot/play action off the run game

2. Vertical pass game off outside wide zone  run game.

3. Of course Y cross(Saints is a key component) 

 Chip loves to run wide zone. He can run it in different ways. One way I like that he runs it is with the h back slicing across the formation. This is very effective vs man to man defenses who like to spin the coverage. You get a rotation and also can catch them out of position with a LB chasing the H back across the formation.

They ran this play 3 times for 42 yards vs Arizona in 2021.

UCLA Offense:

Jet with wide zone off slice blocking to the opposite side.

Here you get jet motion followed by a slice blocking scheme. Very effective when going against a team that runs man coverage concepts with secondary spinning. 

***NOTE, if the DB doesn't run with the motion, the h back will not slice block it. The h back will actually read what the motion man does. Interesting concept. So if CB doesn't run across the formation, then the h back will stay front side and block the LB if he knows it's zone coverage.

Here's 2 clips of the play. Jet/Slice Zone

PIN AND PULL

Another play that Chip Kelly likes in the run game  at UCLA is his pin and pull. He has always been a pin and pull guru from his days with the Eagles and that continued when he worked with Noel Mazzone at UCLA. 

Here's their variation.

In the next few clips you will see the scheme vs LSU.  

What UCLA does vs the 4-2 scheme is different in the fact that they pull the tackle and center who are uncovered like many traditional teams would do. The traditional theorists would say pull the uncovered lineman.

Teams like UCLA will utilize the QB pin and pull with a lead blocker who is the rb.

Here is my YouTube video of Chip Kelly and his Pin and Pull series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywwtvVAUuuE

WRAP

They will use a wrap scheme at times and depending on the front will pull a different lineman or 2. VS Hawaii they were pulling the center to the side of the 2i and folding the technique with the guard and tackle on the backside.

DUO

Duo is a play that stresses double teams at the point of attack. At times you will get 2 to 3 double teams. Teams like it because it's usually a solid run scheme that can get you 3-4 yards.

UCLA runs it off their jet motion vs LSU

The first example they are condensed formation and run Jet motion.

They do a nice job with the formation and play call.

Here is my YouTube video of duo vs LSU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au-H7vQr7As

Zone Read

Chip Ran more zone read in 22, mostly because he had a great athlete at qb. Here are some examples 

Traditional zone read

Clip Below

Great double teams at the point of attack.

                                           

                                            Nice cut off the 2 way go. RB stays skinny gets north and gets a big gain.

Unbalanced Zone Read

They run zone read with the h back coming across the formation. They get a light surface away from 3x1. They get decent #'s on the backside so Chip calls zone read.  The qb gets a pull read.

The DE comes hard inside and the qb pulls the ball. The H releases to the flat so the cb has to go with him. 

Huge running lane off the zone read action and h coming across nice play call vs the look.

Boot

After the run game, Chip has a great bootleg series both of jet motion and off wide zone. They will run jet and slice block it to the same side of the jet. Here they run boot for a 75 yard td vs LSU.

12/13 personnel Bootlegs is often seen in the offense.

UCLA Bootleg vs LSU

1st and 10 UCLA in 22 big personnel/13 depending on how you count the h back.

They fake jet sweep and counter and run boot to the field. Excellent design for a nice 75 yard TD.

Play action vertical passing game.

They will often run play action off their perimeter run game and can run it off any action. It is a play they run off their effective outside zone. They will get a nice horizontal stretch and throw the ball vertically. IT is a 6 man protection with the h back having a check release option. 

The thing I love most about it is they run it with a 3 man vertical concept that is very tough to defend off their outside zone action. 

Heres a few examples vs Fresno State.

Example #2 

Same pass protection, H back check releases...1/2 man scheme

Vs Colorado they go 3x1 and run a three man pattern on the front side with the deep over route against zone coverage.

Front side 

1- vertical route

2- post 

3-flat

TE runs the deep over and is wide open

Another clip of the passing scheme off jet motion

Another clip vs Arizona State and they run the sail route vs man coverage

Here are just some of the major aspects which makes the offense that Chip Kelly  runs.

Here are some other places to visit and learn about the offense.

UCLA Playbook: How to Run the Ball on USC's Seven Man Box

https://247sports.com/college/ucla/LongFormArticle/UCLA-Playbook-USC2021-175923117/

Chip Kelly 

Y Cross

https://rileykolstefootball.com/2018/02/23/chip-kellys-y-cross-concept/

Attacking the Tite and Odd Front in the Run Game With Gap Schemes

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This article looks at how teams attack the tite front. We will take a look  at some runs vs the tite and odd front. We have several schemes which I highlighted in the article.

1. Guard x block with H Lead

2. Center Guard fold scheme

3. Counter

4. G Wrap

5. Dart(Tackle Wrap)

Ole Miss 

Guard x block with Tackle, h lead

They fold the guard to kick out the edge and they block the h back up on the LB. Nice scheme with good success. Excellent execution. This is a nice gap scheme that takes advantage of some angles in the run game. 

Tackle blocks the 4i, playside guard kicks out and the h is leading for 31 the playside lb.

The RB makes a nice cut as the LB is scraping to the c gap. 

Center Guard Fold 

UCF and Heupel 2019 run the guard and center on the fold block.

Vs the odd front 4i to the run strength

PST down block on 4i

PSG down on the Nose

Center pull and fold for near lb

BSG pull and block back side lb

H lead and block the alley defender

Counter

In 2019 He brought his offense to Houston when he became the head coach. He ran some interesting variations with the H back. Here is some cut ups by Houston  vs UCF.

In the 1st clip it's just straight counter. tite front below! disregard the 4-2 mistake!

In the 2nd clip they motion the h back out and have the screen option. If the DE widens give the ball on the counter. They read the give and it's a 12 yard gain. The other nice part of this play is they run counter to the same side of the back. The back does a nice job with his footwork and reads the play nicely. Good play with no edge defender vs odd fronts. Usually get a 4i and no edge defender depending on the coverage. Good scheme as they force the olb to widen with the motion.

Here are 2 clips that go with the pictures above.

G Wrap

Same Side 2nd Level  Read with G Wrap

The Dakota defense plays a 4i. Oklahoma runs an outside zone variation with the Guard wrapping for the LB. It is successful as the LB takes the QB and gives the QB a give read.

T wrap/Dart- Dart will be run often if the 3 technique is to the side of the puller. Instead of pulling the guard, teams will pull the tackle and let the guard stay solid in the 3 technique. 

The only difference is you are pulling the tackle.

QB Runs

Pull both guards, block solid with both tackles and the center.

This is good against teams that don't move defensively and if your center can handle the nose.

Pin and Pull

Lets look at the pin and pull concept that is becoming popular at the college level. Here are some different ways teams run the QB Pin and Pull.

Oklahoma 2019 with Hurts is one example. Pull 2 guards and get the rb as a lead blocker.

These are some ways of attacking the odd front with gap schemes.