25 Toughest Plays to Stop in College Football

There is no question that points have not been hard to come by in college football this season or in years past.

Part of that is because there are so many dynamic offensive players.

With so many talented players come a bevy of different offenses. Every week can be different and opposing defenses often have their work cut out for them.

With so many different offenses, there are some plays that are a little harder to stop than others.

Here are the 25 toughest plays to stop in college football.

Jordan Lynch Option Run

Jordan Lynch has emerged this season as one of the most talented players in the entire country.

He has led Northern Illinois to the MAC championship and an appearance in the Orange Bowl, while running a number of different plays including the option. 

He is third in the country in rushing yards with nearly 1,800, and when he has the ball in his hands on the option, he is very tough to stop.

Terrance Williams Hail Mary

The combination of size and speed for Terrance Williams makes him one of the top two receivers in the entire country.

He leads the country with nearly 1,800 yards receiving and picks up huge chunks of yardage on long pass plays.

One play Baylor likes to run is similar to a Hail Mary pass, allowing Williams to streak down the field and get behind the defense for huge gains.

Montee Ball Power Run

Montee Ball is one of the best running backs in the country and he has benefited over the past few years from a strong offensive line.

Wisconsin loves to run the football and one of its favorite plays is the power run.

This play is the perfect chance for the offensive line to open up some holes in the middle of the field for Ball to scamper through.

Georgia Tech Triple Option

There are many teams who run some type of an option offense, but few have had the success in recent years as Georgia Tech has running the triple option.

Led by quarterback Tevin Washington, the Yellow Jackets have been near the top of the country over the past few seasons in rushing yards.

It is one of the hardest plays in college football to defend, because the defense does not know who is getting the ball.

Collin Klein Speed Option

Collin Klein is one of the best running quarterbacks in college football history. He loves to run the football, particularly close to the goal line.

He is at his best running the speed option.

That play is nearly impossible to stop and has helped Klein rush for 59 touchdowns over the past two seasons.

Fortunately for Big 12 opponents, he will be gone after the Fiesta Bowl.

Marqise Lee Go Route

Marqise Lee is not only the most talented receiver in the country, but could be the best player in the entire nation.

He is a huge target for quarterback Matt Barkley and is harder to cover than any other wide receiver.

There are many different routes that Lee runs well, but the go route where he streaks down the field toward the open field is very tough to stop.

Boise State Hook and Ladder

Even though it is not run very often, the hook and ladder play that Boise State displayed against Oklahoma a few years ago in the Fiesta Bowl was something remarkable.

The play is as hard to stop as any and is one of the most unique plays in college football.

Whether the Broncos run it or not remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that teams are preparing for it before playing Boise State.

Denard Robinson Quarterback Draw

There might not be a better running quarterback in college football history than Denard Robinson.

He is as fast as nearly any player in the country and has made a name for himself with his legs.

One of the most unstoppable plays he runs is the quarterback draw where he drops back to pass and then runs straight up the middle into the open field.

From there it is a free-for-all trying to catch him.

De'Anthony Thomas Kickoff Return

Speaking of very fast players, Oregon running back De'Anthony Thomas is definitely one of them.

While a kickoff return is not a specific play, Thomas is so good at it that he makes this list.

He just might be the fastest player in the nation, and when teams kick to him opposing fans are certainly holding their collective breath, hoping he does not break free.

Thomas has certainly had some success in this category over the past two seasons.

West Virginia Quick Out

There are plenty of excellent offenses in college football. One of the teams near the top of that list is West Virginia.

One of the favorite plays of West Virginia is the quick out.

With so many talented skill players, led by quarterback Geno Smith, the Mountaineers love to snap the ball and throw it directly to a wide receiver.

Players like Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey do the rest of the work. There are very few players in the country that get more yards after reception than these two guys.

Tyler Eifert Jump Ball

Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert is not only the best in college football, but like many other talented players at his position, he is a serious threat near the goal-line.

The Fighting Irish love to snap the ball and throw it up to Eifert in the corner of the end zone. He is a tough matchup for any cornerback in the country at 6'6" and 251 pounds.

Alabama will have its hands full with him in the national championship game.

Johnny Manziel Scrambling

A scramble is certainly not a designed play and is not necessarily a good thing.

For Heisman winner and Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, scrambling is almost always a good thing.

Manziel is one of the best runners in the country and when a play breaks down there is no better player to have with the ball in his hands than Manziel.

Stephen Warner Audible

There are talented centers and then there is Stephen Warner from Louisiana Tech.

The former walk-on is like a quarterback on the field, calling the plays and reading the defenses.

He has the ability that no other center in the country does, doing not only his own job, but also the job of the quarterback.

This is not one particular play, but is definitely top 25 worthy.

Navy Midline Option

Navy is another team that loves to run the football. The Midshipmen do it with a an option attack that has helped them finish sixth in the nation in rushing yards.

The midline option is a form of the option they love to run and this is not an easy offense for a quarterback to run.

Needless to say, Navy has perfected it over the years and opposing defenses still have trouble stopping it.

Isi Sofele Pitch

Even though California has not been very good in recent seasons, that is not because of a weakness at the running back position.

Speedster Isi Sofele is one of the fastest players in college football. He is also one of the most talented running backs.

Sofele is at his best when he is in the open field. California loves to pitch the ball to him and allow him to do his thing.

Sammy Watkins Fly Route

Sammy Watkins has certainly not had the sophomore season he was expecting, but that does not mean he is not one of the most dynamic players in the country.

He is a threat to score every time he touches the ball, and he is great running routes down the field.

One of the routes he loves to run is the fly route. This is similar to the go route or a streak play.

It is a perfect chance for Watkins to showcase his skills in the open field.

Braxton Miller Spread Option

Urban Meyer has virtually mastered the spread offense, and in 2012 he had the perfect quarterback to run that offense with.

Braxton Miller is the perfect combination of size and speed, running the spread option. Ohio State loves to spread the field with its receivers and let Miller go to work.

That was a good thing this year for the Buckeyes.

Alabama Stretch Zone Read

Alabama loves to run the football and has two very talented running backs to hand the ball to.

The stretch zone read is a chance for the ultra-talented offensive linemen to get outside a little bit and run over opposing defenders.

With Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon, the Crimson Tide have plenty of talent to run this play all day long.

Johnathan Franklin Delayed Run

Like many other teams, UCLA runs its offense out of the shotgun. This season running back Johnathan Franklin was the center of attention and he excelled on delayed runs.

Franklin finished the year fifth in the country with 1,700 rushing yards and picked up 214 of them on 15 carries in the season-opener against Rice.

Plenty of that came on delayed handoffs out of the shotgun.

Rakeem Cato Play Action

Not many people in the country know much about Rakeem Cato, but the Marshall sophomore quarterback led the country in passing yards with 4,201.

Marshall ran a more conventional offense at times and had a lot of success running the play action. 

This has been one of the most dangerous plays in college football for quite some time, and the Thundering Herd ran it to perfection. Just ask West Virginia.

Blake Bell Wildcat Run

When Oklahoma gets close to the goal line, the Sooners love to hand the ball off to Wildcat quarterback Blake Bell.

He often comes in to replace Landry Jones.

Bell takes the direct snap and waits until a hole opens up. Then the 6'6" and 254-pound bulldozer plows his way forward.

Even though teams know it is coming, nobody can really stop it, or even slow it down for that matter.

Ka'Deem Carey Shotgun Handoff

Many people may not be aware of it, but Arizona running back Ka'Deem Carey led the nation in rushing yards with 1,929.

Arizona loved to run the ball out of its shotgun offense, and one of the favorite plays was a handoff right up the middle to Carey.

He has tremendous vision and plenty of physical skill to go along with it.

Look out for this guy as well as the Arizona offense over the next few years.

Oregon Inside Zone Read

Oregon has had the best offense in the country over the past few seasons.

That has been the case for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is the inside zone read the Ducks run out of the shotgun.

Quarterback Marcus Mariota has done a remarkable job this season deciding what to do with the ball when he gets it.

Le'Veon Bell Halfback Dive

Michigan State loves to run the football. Running back Le'Veon Bell has received the bulk of the carries this season.

The Spartans are a little more traditional than a lot of other teams, using the shotgun offense very sparsely. The I-formation is more their cup of coffee.

While they have a number of different runs for Bell, he is at his best running straight up the middle and plowing defenders in his way.

Chuckie Keeton Shotgun Run

While this is also not a designed run, Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton loves to drop back to pass out of the shotgun and run straight up the middle of the field when he sees an opening. 

He is not only dynamic with his arm, but is also very explosive with his feet.

Keeton has made a name for himself this season and is a huge threat in the open field.

Look out for this kid over the next two years.

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