The Rodriguez Spread Offense at Full Throttle

(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

When Rich Rodriguez was hired as the head coach at Michigan, many college football experts and fans made the bee line assumption that to achieve real success, the Wolverines must find a Pat White clone at quarterback.

For Rich Rodriguez, it was going to be Pat White at quarterback or bust.

Michigan’s 2008 season record of 3-9 supported this view pretty well, because the Michigan offense played horribly, finishing 9th in the Big Ten and 109th in the nation in total offense.

It has been said that without a decisive, fleet-footed quarterback under center as a legitimate run threat, Rodriguez is incapable of bringing the full force of his elaborate playbook to bear on UM opponents.

This is true to some degree. But is it the whole story?

We know that Rodriguez first began his spread offense experiments as head coach at Glenville State in West Virginia, and then carried those unconventional ideas and philosophies with him to Tulane, Clemson, and then to the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Rodriguez’s strategies were not always an immediate success. And this gives one pause to ask the question:

Under what circumstances does Rodriguez’s spread-option offense really start hitting on all cylinders?

When certain key ingredients were present and well-mixed into the offensive game plan, Rodriguez showed a tremendous yield of both offensive firepower (yards gained, points scored) and victories.

All of Rich Rodriguez’s most powerful offensive units featured three key components.

I.) Quarterbacks With Wheels

II.) Tailback Tandems from Hell

III.) Slot Machines (and Quarterbacks That Crank The Handle)

Quarterbacks With Wheels

During Rich Rodriguez’s most successful coaching stints at Glenville State, Tulane, Clemson and West Virginia, his teams were frequently blessed with quarterbacks that were fast, shifty and rather durable runners.

Some of the more recent examples of quarterback running prowess under Rodriguez included:

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