Triple Option

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The Triple Option is an American football term for a running or possibly passing play, which involves three different ways to progress the football up the field of play. There are two basic forms of triple option known as the wishbone triple option or the veer triple option.

The wishbone triple option can utilize several formations including the flexbone or Maryland I. A wishbone triple option typically means that the play will strictly be a run and that the play will involve the three primary running backs. First, the quarterback (QB) receives the football from the center. Then the fullback (FB) either takes the football from the quarterback and runs up field, or he 'fakes' the handoff. If the fullback does not take the football, then the quarterback sprints parallel to the line of scrimmage with one of the slotbacks or halfbacks trailing him. The quarterback can either turn up field or pitch the football to the trailing slotback. Hence the term triple option because the fullback is option number one, the quarterback keeping the ball is option number two, and the quarterback pitching to the slotback is option number three.

The veer triple option replaces the fullback with a speedy halfback and utilizes a tight end. The veer begins like a wishbone triple option but may involve passing as alternate for the quarterback rather than running the ball.

The triple option forces defenses to worry about fullbacks running in the middle of the offensive line and to worry about quarterbacks and slotbacks running to outside of the line. The decision of who to carry the ball (which option to make) can either be made before the play in the huddle, or during the play by the QB, who will make decisions based on the position and play of certain defensive players and what they are doing. For example, if the QB keeps the ball but a defender is coming after him, he will pitch to the slotback (or FB), but if the defender covers the possible pitch to the slotback, the QB will keep the ball, perhaps even faking a pitch.

In recent years, as spread offenses have become popular, many teams have begun to run variations of the triple option with the quarterback in the shotgun. This has been greatly popularized by the succes of coaches such as Rich Rodriguez, Jeff Tedford, and Urban Meyer. The more traditional version of the triple option utilizes a quarterback under center and is advocated by the service academy Coaches Fisher DeBerry of Air Force and Paul Johnson of Navy.