Speed Option

Fitz's long touchdown was an audible to that same play. So was the "TIMEOUT...oh, well" play at Notre Dame. Of course, the other occurrence was Akron where Gardner fumbled rather than pitch for an easy TD.

If one benefit of the option is that it takes a defender out of the play via scheme rather than blocking, why haven't we been running a decuple option?

But to the OP's actual question, I dunno. There's plenty about the play calling that I find utterly confounding. We'll just throw this one on the wood pile, I guess. (I'm sure there's a real reason.)

Great idea! Because Devin isn't getting hit enough. Let's run a play where he will literally get hit every snap. 

Wasn't that an audible or a check at the line? I'm not sure if the play that was originally called was the speed option.

One reason is we've had 2 or 3 fumbles out of that play. Devin also doesn't seem too comfortable with the read as far as pitch or keep. It's a type of play that you have to drill over and over again, a la the military academy teams, to be reliable and effective at. That's just not the direction the coaches are going at this point.

and it takes a lot of concerted practice to do it well. My observation is that running option plays sporadically tends to backfire on you.  Denard Robinson seemed to struggle with reads and the keep/pitch decisions, not to mention the pitches themselves. Devin is no different. 

With the right coaching techniques any QB (fast or slow) can learn to do it really well.

But it has to be an important play for your offense. I just don't think Michigan views option football as particularly important. I think it's stupid because with Gardner you could create some huge mismatches on the edge.

 

 

I felt like I remember us (Gardner) calling an audible to the same play against ND. Same result I believe. Solid play, when in short yardage and run correctly.

we aren't running it more, if i might chime in.  first, we don't ever fake up the middle with the FB, so that leaves the traditional option out.  speed option usually only works when its run  more infrequently as a gadget play where there isn't alot of tipping off that it's coming - at least thats how we utilized it.   second, we already are so pass-poor that teams are loading up 8 guys in the box anyway, so not a lot of daylight there either.  third, devin does not appear to make decisions fast enough to pitch it or carry it and that presents it's own set of problems.   granted that might get better with practice and he's a pretty sharp guy, but his confidence is such that he is hesitating on many decisions.   lastly, as others have noted, he is taking enough hits.  the option is a guarantee to tee off on the quaterback and nobody recommend that for devin.

What ever happened to the reverse and the jet sweep? Not very high percentage plays, especially when you cannot run block...but why not mix that fake in at some point in every game?

Wasn't the fumble against Indiana an option?  And Akron?  It seems like we run it once or twice in almost every game to me.  I remember screaming each time we run it, because the options seems like something you have to do a lot to get good at it.  We try to run it as a gimmick play and end fumbling it becasue the quarterback either pitches it late or puts it in a bad spot.  

Ran it against both Akron and Uconn. Against Akron: Should have pitched, resulted in one of Gardner's eleventeen turnovers. Against Uconn: Pitched to Fitz, touchdown.

that running a little but of option is like being a little psychotic. Either we are an option team or we're not. Doing it occasionally just means we won't be very good at it.