Defense and Long Bowl Layoff Disrupt Rhythm of Non-Traditional Offensive Teams

A common narrative among most football programs after a long layoff is that the defense is ahead of the offense when the team hits the field.

Whether it is spring practice, fall camp or during the bowl season, the defense generally builds chemistry much quicker than the offense. More than any other sport, football requires every man on the field to be in tune with what his teammates are doing. 

That is especially true on offense, where timing and rhythm mean everything. especially when it comes to non-traditional offenses like the spread.

There are many variables that come into play when looking at the lack of success certain offenses have had in recent bowl games. Sure, the caliber of opponent might be better than an offense has faced, but a properly executed offense can beat almost any defense. 

The length of time that a coaching staff has been running the system is one of the biggest factors in a team's postseason success. The opponent, the opposing coaching staff, experience, leadership and hunger all come into play as well. But if a staff has total command of its program, the long layoff usually won't be an issue.

If a team is happy to be playing in the bowl to which it was invited, it is likely to stay focused and work hard during the long break. If the team is disappointed with the outcome of its season, veteran leadership is key to keeping the team on track.

Every team, every game and every opponent are different, but history has shown that no matter the circumstances, offenses just aren't as sharp after seeing no game action in a month or more. 

For teams that operate a run-based spread, the extended layoff usually doesn't have the same impact as it does for a team that likes to air it out. The timing between a quarterback and his receivers can be thrown off after a month with no live game action.

West Virginia is a prime example of the good that can happen when a talented team, which knows its system well, is faced with the challenge of remaining in sync for the month leading up to a BCS bowl game.

West Virginia's success has been more the exception than the rule for spread offenses. The Mountaineers have dismissed the notion that the layoff hampers spread teams, with outstanding offensive performances in all three of its BCS appearances.

The Mountaineers didn't skip a beat after a 30-day layoff before their 2006 Sugar Bowl win over Georgia. After missing out on a spot in the BCS Championship Game following a loss to Pittsburgh in 2007, West Virginia had to wait 32 days before taking on Oklahoma.

In the 2008 Fiesta Bowl, West Virginia beat the Sooners—who unlike the Mountaineers, haven't seen their offensive success carry over to bowl games very often—48-28. That wasn't the only time the Sooners failed to pick up where they left off at the end of the regular season.

Under Bob Stoops, the Sooners have used a wide-open, hurry-up attack to become one of the most feared offenses in college football. For all the success the Sooners have enjoyed, they have only reached their season average in total yards in five bowl games since 2000.

In 2008, Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford led the Sooners to an average of 548 total yards per game. They were a well-balanced offense with 349 yards per game through the air and 199 yards per game on the ground.

Oklahoma had not been held to less than 35 points in a game all season. The Sooners entered the BCS National Championship Game having played five Top 20 teams in their last eight games. Despite facing stiff competition, the Sooners averaged 576 yards and 57 points over the final eight games of the season.

Their reward for a dominant season was a 33-day layoff, with the Florida Gators and their coach Urban Meyer waiting on the other end. Meyer is among the best coaches in America at keeping his team focused in preparation for a bowl game.

Meyer proved as much against the Sooners, who entered the game averaging 54 points per game. The Sooners were so good on offense during the season that they had already broken the NCAA record for points scored in a season.

Some of it was Florida's defense, but the 33-day layoff also played a role in Oklahoma's 24-14 defeat. The Sooners looked nothing like a record-breaking offense with the Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback. 

The long break between games contributed to the low-scoring affair, which was supposed to be an offensive showdown. The Sooners gained just 363 yards of total offense, 185 less than their season average.  

Practice, final exams, media requests, the holidays, award ceremonies and ticket requests are just some of the things that players are faced with during the month of December. With so much down time, it is easy for a college kid to lose focus and allow distractions to creep in.

That is where the need for experience and leadership come into play. One advantage that Auburn has over Florida State as it prepares to meet in the final BCS National Championship Game, is experience.

Both teams have players and coaches who have been through it before, having been to recent BCS games and endured the long layoff that comes with it. Before facing Oregon in the 2011 BCS National Championship Game, Auburn had to wait 37 days to take the field.

According to dothaneagle.com, Auburn has 13 players and three coaches on its roster who went through the extended break in 2010. In the story, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn, who was the offensive coordinator in 2010, spoke about how beneficial the experience from three years ago will be.

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I thought we had a solid plan in 2010. Anytime you have a (break) before you play, you’ve got to be strategic. You have to rest your guys enough mentally and physically, but keep them as fresh as you can and get your work done. Then you try to keep some type of routine—especially the two weeks before you play. I really felt good about our plan in 2010 and we’ll be fairly similar to that.

 

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In the same article from the Dothan Eagle, Iron Bowl hero Chris Davis said it all boils down to one thing.

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It’s preparation. We need to know what they’re doing before they do it, and I think that will give us a good head start on them—knowing the things they do before they do it. And just keep doing what we’ve been doing. Keep doing what we’ve been doing to get us to this point here.

Like Coach Malzahn said, you’re not going to change nothing. We’re just going to prepare like we’ve been preparing until the game comes.

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Junior Tre Mason, the Tigers' star running back, was also interviewed in the story. Although he is an one of the veteran leaders of the team, he plans to rely on the seniors to guide him through the long layoff.

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I’m still a student of the game. I’m still looking up to guys like Chris Davis. He’s been through it. Dee Ford’s been through it. I’m still a student of the game. I’m learning from them. They know what to expect on a stage like this. I’m going to stay under their wing and learn from them.

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There are some coaches who think too much is made of an extended break, regardless of how their teams have fared in bowl games.

Prior to the 2013 Fiesta Bowl, former Oregon coach Chip Kelly—who guided the Ducks to a BCS game in each of his four seasons—told the Chicago Tribune that he doesn't think the long break makes much of a difference.

Of course, the quote is from after the Ducks dropped 45 on Wisconsin in the 2012 Rose Bowl. In the 2010 Rose Bowl, Kelly's high-powered offense was held to 260 yards and 17 points by Ohio State. The following season, the Ducks managed just 19 points against Auburn after averaging 47 points per game during the season. 

Current Arizona State coach Todd Graham was the head coach at Tulsa for three bowl games. A program like Tulsa is thrilled any time it has a chance to play in a bowl game. Reaching a bowl is something it can hang its hat on as a program as it builds for the future. 

With that in mind, it's easy to see why the Golden Hurricane were able to stay focused during layoffs of 37 and 31 days prior to the 2007 and 2008 GMAC Bowls. Putting up 63 and 45 points in the GMAC Bowl and 62 points in the 2010 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl is one thing, but doing it in a major bowl against a BCS conference opponent is a different story.

Having 36 days between games didn't bother Graham in his first bowl game as the Sun Devils' coach, either. Arizona State blew out Navy in the 2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl 62-28. ASU had its best offensive game of the year in both total yards and points, despite not playing a game since the 23rd of November.

The list of high-powered offenses that have struggled in recent bowl games is long and prominent, but there are some coaches whose programs have been able to be as effective on offense in bowl games as they were in the middle of the season.

The Exceptions

Graham, Meyer and former USC head coach Pete Carroll all mastered the art of keeping their team sharp during the long break, and the offensive output by their respective teams in recent bowl games proves as much.

Carroll's Trojans ran a pro-style offense, but due to their incredible offensive output in seven consecutive BCS games, they are worth a mention. In their seven BCS games, the Trojans scored 38, 28, 55, 38, 32, 49 and 38 points.

Here is a look at some of the non-traditional offensive teams from BCS conferences which have come close to or surpassed their season average in either yards or points during bowl games since 2005.

In scenarios where a team must wait three weeks or more to step on the field again, often times it takes a quarter or even a half for it to find its groove. Sometimes, it doesn't find it at all and struggles throughout the entire game.

Here is a look at some of the non-traditional offensive teams from BCS conferences who were seemingly affected by the long layoff. 

Offenses based on misdirection, timing and tempo can be tough to prepare for with just a week between games. Many teams utilize the spread option, the Run-N-Shoot or the triple option to achieve regular-season success, due in part to the lack of preparation time the opponent has to game-plan against a unique offense.

Postseason success has been much more difficult to come by for those teams as opponents are able to dedicate weeks to finding ways to stop an offense they haven't seen before. 

Team	Offense	Bowl	Opponent	Layoff	YPG (Rounded)	Points/Game (Rounded)	Bowl Yards	Bowl Points	Yard Diff.	Point Diff.
West Virginia	Spread Option	2006 Sugar Bowl	Georgia	30	389	32	502	38	+113	+6
West Virginia	Spread Option	2008 Fiesta Bowl	Oklahoma	33	456	40	525	48	+69	+8
West Virginia	Air Raid	2012 Orange Bowl	Clemson	35	470	37	589	70	+119	+33
Oklahoma	Multiple	2010 Fietsa Bowl	UConn		482	37	524	48	+42	+11
Oregon	Spread Option	2012 Rose Bowl	Wisconsin	31	523	46	621	45	+98	-1
Baylor	Spread	2011 Alamo Bowl	Washington	26	587	45	777	67	+190	+22
Tulsa	Multiple/No-Huddle	2007 GMAC Bowl	Bowling Green	37	544	41	562	63	+18	+22
Tulsa	Multiple/No-Huddle	2008 GMAC Bowl	Ball State	31	570	47	632	45	+62	-2
Tulsa	Multiple/No-Huddle	2010 Hawaii Bowl	Hawaii	28	506	41	531	62	+25	+21

It isn't just the elite programs that suffer from the bowl game blues. 

Nevada has always been known for its high-powered, pistol offense. From 2007-2010, the Wolfpack was among the top offensive teams in the nation with Colin Kaepernick at quarterback.

After having a lot of regular season success from 2007-2010, Nevada was held in check in four consecutive bowl appearances.

As you can see, there are plenty of instances where the long layoff has affected high-powered offenses by slowing them down and disrupting their rhythm.

There are also plenty of examples of coaches keeping their team so focused on preparing for the upcoming bowl game that they perform offensively as they normally would.

It will be interesting to see if that form holds this bowl season.