Genes'Blog: What happened to the inverted veer, our 2010 BreadnButter?

For those noobs who do not know what the inverted veer is, here is TCU running it

Inverted Veer TCU



In 2010, the play that arguably made Cam Newton was this inverted veer. While the traditional read option has potential runners going in opposite directions, this inverted veer has two potential ballcarriers running playside with the read being the playside DE.

Drawup of this read Courtesy of SmartFootball




As you can see in this play, the read is on the DE. If the DE plays the inside run by the QB, a handoff is made to the RB running the sweep. If the DE plays the sweep, the QB keeps it up the middle for minimum few yards (assuming Chad Slade holds a block)

As Smart Football points out in their article on this play, a traditional veer offense has a fast but larger runner play the inside with a guy sporting some wheels being the outside runner. The defense is required to respect both speed and power in that situation.

Now, this inverted veer, as Auburn and other teams have started to run it, adds this read to it that options the DE and gives the offense a numbers advantage based on that read.


So what about Auburn and this play and where has it gone?

Here is Cam going beast mode during one instance of this play


We have heard a bunch of fans looking for that "OMac" role in our offense. That speed demon who is the homerun threat. What they don't realize is that it is this inverted veer that makes that role special in Gus' offense. When the inverted veer is run, it forces the men in the box to respect the inside run leaving the defending of the sweep exclusively to the CBs. Even with Jaylon Denson out for the season, our WRs have shown adequate ability to block for our RBs.


Here is OMac's Highlights. You'll notice nearly all of his running plays were variations of this inverted veer


So why is it that we have seen almost no success witht his play this year?


Fact is, we have seen a little bit on the Frazier wildcat. Unfortunately, they are playing run which makes it easy to defend.

But what about Nick Marshall? The truth is, Nick Marshall cannot run the inverted veer (or the coaches won't let him). At 6'1 (on a good day) and less than 210 pounds, he doesn't fit the billing for the inverted veer as he doesn't demonstrate that power RB role that a Cam did. It is dinks and dunks that won't stand a chance of getting too much more when NM runs it. Also, While the read will get the QB past the LOS if done properly, it essentially opens the QB up to a direct shot by the LB. While Cam Newton both outweighed LBs and could outjuke them, Nick Marshall's conservative play has shown the coaches (and Nick) do not want Nick Marshall risking injury. This has effectively thrown this play out of the playbook unfortunately.



So when you wonder why the past two years, OMac and now Corey Grant always have had to make a defender miss in the backfield when in 2010 they just had to make a DB miss 2 yards past the LOS, this is why.