HATE RPO!

aggiesdidwhat · Post by **aggiesdidwhat** » October 17th, 2021, 12:53 am

Just hate it so much. Over the years I've really watched the whole RPO.... I feel like we always do better when our online knows they have to run block. And when they have to pass block. And it has to make our RB job easier knowing, "I'm getting the ball, hit hole A or B"

I would almost bet money that we average far more yards on designed run plays over RPO.

What do you guys think? I tracked it one year for 4 games, wish I could remember where I put that doc. But RPO was like 1yrd per play and tackled for a loss was very high. And our designed, go smash their mouth was almost 4yrds a play. Rarely loss for yards. Never been a fan I guess. But that's probably why I sit in the stands to watch games haha.

hickaggie · Post by **hickaggie** » October 17th, 2021, 1:23 am

Is there any evidence that this line would block better. I agree with you as a matter of personal football philosophy in power, H-Backs, lead backs, Pulling guards, TEs, exc. That is not what the Aggies run and with the development of defenses to stop the spread the RPO to freeze up the LBs and safeties is a critical component. I like Anderson as a coach although I wish we ran a Wyoming or SDSU type offense and recruited the horses to do it but that isn't what is sexy and its not what Anderson will ever do.

Its not the offense but the personell and the execution. You need an agile smart O-line and a QB who can take advantage of the whole field with his arm and be a threat with his legs. Did you hate the RPO in 2018?

Post by **Aglicious** » October 17th, 2021, 1:25 am

I know we've already hashed this out but we are running a read option offense, not the RPO. In any case, the problem I have with it is we are running it with personnel that don't match the scheme. You need to have a true dual threat QB to make it effective. A QB that is a threat to run every bit as much as the RB. No one is buying our read option, the defense just crashes to our RB every time. Bonner is too slow to do any real damage so teams let him have his for the 2-3 times he might actually pull the ball in a game. I think he only pulled it once in tonight's game for a 10 yard pickup. The point of the read option is to keep the D guessing and take advantage of an undisciplined DE that loses contain. There us no guessing involved with how we run it.

I was surrounded by Rebel fans today and they honestly couldn't believe how many times we just handed it off on the read option for no gain or a loss. It was mind boggling. We don't even have set running plays meant to attack different areas of the field or the DL. It is literally the same motion with the same handoff, in the same spot in the backfield. You see it enough times as a defense and it becomes rather easy to defend over the course of a game.

We have really wasted 1st and 2nd downs with this scheme. We almost seem to treat those downs as throw aways with the hope that we'll convert on 3rd with a pass. I feel like if we opened things up on 1st down or 2nd down then our running game might be more effective. We should be establishing the pass to set up the run given our starting personnel. We seem hell bent on doing the opposite and it doesn't work.

hickaggie · Post by **hickaggie** » October 17th, 2021, 1:47 am

It sure looks like rpo on some if those passes unless it's the slowest play action I have seen or they are called throws intended to replicate read play action.

In any event you hit the nail on the head. I don't know why aggie qbs the last 3 years have been basically ordered not to pull the ball on the runbread. It's useless to hold it in there on a readunless you actually read the end or lb. And it's not conducive to Bonners game at all.

And we run it so bad.. Remember when wake forest killed our d with the qb who rode it the fb belly for what seemed like forever until he got his read to committ to him or the fb.

You have to have a line that can block a bit to do that though.

aggiesdidwhat · Post by **aggiesdidwhat** » October 17th, 2021, 2:19 am

hickaggie wrote: ↑
October 17th, 2021, 1:23 am
Is there any evidence that this line would block better. I agree with you as a matter of personal football philosophy in power, H-Backs, lead backs, Pulling guards, TEs, exc. That is not what the Aggies run and with the development of defenses to stop the spread the RPO to freeze up the LBs and safeties is a critical component. I like Anderson as a coach although I wish we ran a Wyoming or SDSU type offense and recruited the horses to do it but that isn't what is sexy and its not what Anderson will ever do.

Its not the offense but the personell and the execution. You need an agile smart O-line and a QB who can take advantage of the whole field with his arm and be a threat with his legs. Did you hate the RPO in 2018?

Yes sir, I did hate it. But I also don't understand all the ins and outs like you seem to. Just from watching. Seems like teams Oline that know to run block or pass block and an RB that can get some steam running works better. It just seems so slow to develop.

Sorry, maybe it's not RPO. I just assumed it's called that when a QB and an RB wait in the backfield for the qb to decide what to do. Whatever it's called, I like running plays or pad plays.

I do appreciate you explaining it to me. I didn't realize all that need to happen for it to work. Seems like it struggles all over in ncaa. Not just us. I want trying to take a shot at Aggies. Just those plays.

Appreciate you guys!

Post by **Aglicious** » October 17th, 2021, 2:59 pm

hickaggie wrote: ↑
October 17th, 2021, 1:47 am
It sure looks like rpo on some if those passes unless it's the slowest play action I have seen or they are called throws intended to replicate read play action.

In any event you hit the nail on the head. I don't know why aggie qbs the last 3 years have been basically ordered not to pull the ball on the runbread. It's useless to hold it in there on a readunless you actually read the end or lb. And it's not conducive to Bonners game at all.

And we run it so bad.. Remember when wake forest killed our d with the qb who rode it the fb belly for what seemed like forever until he got his read to committ to him or the fb.

You have to have a line that can block a bit to do that though.

Agreed...and perhaps a portion of our calls are RPO. The way Brett Favre invented the RPO, it was meant to put the ball in the belly of the RB, read the safeties and LBs, and then either let the RB take it or pull it and pass the ball after holding or manipulating the D how he wanted.

It's hard to know what we are calling when our QB just holds the ball out in front of him as if it is some backward play action only to have our RB immediately go directly into pass protection without ever making an effort to take a handoff. All I know is that it fools exactly no one ...ever.

I will say I was happy to see some new running formations with Thompkins lined up in the backfield and a sweep to Scarver but we seriously need to reconsider how we use our RBs in the rush game.

bull · Post by **bull** » October 17th, 2021, 3:12 pm

Aglicious wrote: ↑
October 17th, 2021, 1:25 am
I know we've already hashed this out but we are running a read option offense, not the RPO. In any case, the problem I have with it is we are running it with personnel that don't match the scheme. You need to have a true dual threat QB to make it effective. A QB that is a threat to run every bit as much as the RB. No one is buying our read option, the defense just crashes to our RB every time. Bonner is too slow to do any real damage so teams let him have his for the 2-3 times he might actually pull the ball in a game. I think he only pulled it once in tonight's game for a 10 yard pickup. The point of the read option is to keep the D guessing and take advantage of an undisciplined DE that loses contain. There us no guessing involved with how we run it.

I was surrounded by Rebel fans today and they honestly couldn't believe how many times we just handed it off on the read option for no gain or a loss. It was mind boggling. We don't even have set running plays meant to attack different areas of the field or the DL. It is literally the same motion with the same handoff, in the same spot in the backfield. You see it enough times as a defense and it becomes rather easy to defend over the course of a game.

We have really wasted 1st and 2nd downs with this scheme. We almost seem to treat those downs as throw aways with the hope that we'll convert on 3rd with a pass. I feel like if we opened things up on 1st down or 2nd down then our running game might be more effective. We should be establishing the pass to set up the run given our starting personnel. We seem hell bent on doing the opposite and it doesn't work.

Excellent Post- I have thought the same thing. Someone share this with the coaches.

AggieFBObsession · Post by **AggieFBObsession** » October 17th, 2021, 3:20 pm

hickaggie wrote: ↑
October 17th, 2021, 1:47 am
It sure looks like rpo on some if those passes unless it's the slowest play action I have seen or they are called throws intended to replicate read play action.

They are running RPO plays at times, hickaggie. You are correct.

AggieFBObsession · Post by **AggieFBObsession** » October 17th, 2021, 3:22 pm

It's hard to understand how you all are criticizing the RPO without criticizing the QB who is supposed to make the correct reads but often doesn't.

Post by **Aglicious** » October 17th, 2021, 3:50 pm

AggieFBObsession wrote: ↑
October 17th, 2021, 3:22 pm
It's hard to understand how you all are criticizing the RPO without criticizing the QB who is supposed to make the correct reads but often doesn't.

Hard to lay blame on the QB being asked to run a scheme that does not play to his strengths. In read option, Bonner is not a threat to run or run very well so is there really an option involved if he is not a threat? In RPO, I have yet to see us run it how it is supposed to be run. What we do is wasted motion. We would be better if we had some planned roll outs and moved the pocket once in a while.

Bonner and Peasley both have flaws but they both also have some great skills that should be schemed to. Both are doing the best they can with the scheme they have been handed.

Stormblessed · Post by **Stormblessed** » October 17th, 2021, 6:51 pm

hickaggie wrote: ↑
October 17th, 2021, 1:23 am
Is there any evidence that this line would block better. I agree with you as a matter of personal football philosophy in power, H-Backs, lead backs, Pulling guards, TEs, exc. That is not what the Aggies run and with the development of defenses to stop the spread the RPO to freeze up the LBs and safeties is a critical component. I like Anderson as a coach although I wish we ran a Wyoming or SDSU type offense and recruited the horses to do it but that isn't what is sexy and its not what Anderson will ever do.

Its not the offense but the personell and the execution. You need an agile smart O-line and a QB who can take advantage of the whole field with his arm and be a threat with his legs. Did you hate the RPO in 2018?

I am confused, you want to throw out the #13 offense (yardage wise at least) for the #106 and #112 offenses? Don't get me wrong our play calling with the running game is way too predictable and our red zone numbers are bad, but I don't think we want to be copying what Wyoming and SDSU are doing.

We do need more consistent blocking and a little more creativity/unpredictability with the run game, like avoiding 90% of our drives being the same read option play (with almost no chance of a Bonner keeping it) on 1st and 2nd downs and then 3rd down usually being a 10 to 15 yard throw to Thompkins over the middle. It seems like defenses would have figures out that route by now watching our tape.

3rdGenAggie · Post by **3rdGenAggie** » October 18th, 2021, 9:22 am

Aglicious wrote: ↑
October 17th, 2021, 3:50 pm

AggieFBObsession wrote: ↑
October 17th, 2021, 3:22 pm
It's hard to understand how you all are criticizing the RPO without criticizing the QB who is supposed to make the correct reads but often doesn't.
Hard to lay blame on the QB being asked to run a scheme that does not play to his strengths. In read option, Bonner is not a threat to run or run very well so is there really an option involved if he is not a threat? In RPO, I have yet to see us run it how it is supposed to be run. What we do is wasted motion. We would be better if we had some planned roll outs and moved the pocket once in a while.

Bonner and Peasley both have flaws but they both also have some great skills that should be schemed to. Both are doing the best they can with the scheme they have been handed.

I was thinking about this. I completely agree that the constant not-fooling-anybody fake hand-off before every pass play does nothing except slow down the pass.

However, I was wondering if it is part of the reason Noa was able to just waltz into the end zone on his 11 yd TD run to win the game. Most of the plays immediately prior to that they had pretended (poorly) to hand the ball off before passing, but on that play they handed it off very quickly and Noa was able to hit the hole.

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