Why Is Jason Beck’s Offense The Right One For Utah?
Dec 7, 2024, 12:27 PM | Updated: Jan 15, 2025, 2:59 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Football officially announced the hiring of Jason Beck on Thursday night. He becomes the Utes new offensive coordinator and is tasked with revitalizing the offensive attack.
𝐔𝐓𝐀𝐇‼️ Join us in welcoming our new Offensive Coordinator @Coach_Beck7 and his family to Salt Lake City‼️
📰: https://t.co/lFhtFR3xyD#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/tdwAbMp2X8
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) December 6, 2024
Under former offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, Utah operated a pro-style offense. The offense operated efficiently with a quarterback who had extensive time in the system. However, without an experienced quarterback, the offense struggled to function at all.
With Beck, the hope is that a simpler scheme can deliver better results regardless of who is at the helm or how long they’ve been in the system. Despite its simplicity, it is a creative and diverse offense that offers balance, efficiency, and explosiveness.
What Is Jason Beck’s Offense?
At New Mexico, the offense was geared to the strengths of dynamic dual-threat quarterback Devon Dampier. He completed 58% of his passes at 7.1 yards per attempt on 32 attempts per game and ran for 1,166 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Running back Eli Sanders broke four digits with 1,063 yards and 9 touchdowns. Meanwhile, Luke Wyson (840 yards) and Ryan Davis (747 yards) were the top two pass catchers for the Lobos.
The Lobos were No. 4 in the country in total yards per game. They totaled over 3,000 rushing yards and surpassed 2,700 passing yards as well. Obviously, the production is promising, but in a lot of ways it’s what Utah needs to adapt to the times in roster construction.
In Beck’s offense, the decision-making process is simplified but it still features a lot of creativity. Everything is built around the read-option, which can be tweaked in numerous ways.
It can be geared to more traditional run reads, or altered to feature more run-pass options. Beck’s option attack this past season featured a good mixture of outside and inside running. It featured option-reads with split-zone, counter, and power blocking schemes up front.
With the passing game, there’s a diverse blend of slide (RB/TE’s crossing formation to the backside flat), mesh, levels, sail, and vertical combinations and concepts. These are all built off of the option look as well. This typically creates a lot of easy completions and big-play opportunities down the field. Here’s a short video that highlights a lot of different looks from the Lobos offense this season.
The most exciting player in #CollegeFootball you didn’t know about is @UNMLoboFB QB @Devonddampier is much watch 📺! This kid is so fun to watch! pic.twitter.com/TNNi1eSEr9
— The cfb lliason (@realfbllliason) September 16, 2024
The Difference Between Pro-Style And Spread Offense
There are many of the same concepts in college football, so why is Beck’s offense the right choice for Utah? That speaks to more of the difference between a pro-style and spread-option offense. In many ways, the offense is simpler for players to pick up.
Pro-Style Simplified
Quarterback Responsibilities: In a pro-style offense, the quarterback reads the defense before the snap to identify defensive alignments, coverages, and potential blitzes. Based on these reads, the quarterback must adjust the play or check to a different play.
Varied Plays and Concepts: A pro-style offense typically has a wide range of plays, including different run and pass concepts, blocking schemes, formations, and route combinations. This requires players to memorize and execute many play designs with precision. When players have time in the offense, it can be a very effective and difficult to stop because it provides answers to the challenges defenses present.
Adjustments to Defenses: Players have to know their reads, audibles, and play adjustments. Collegiate and pro-level defenses can be highly sophisticated. A pro-style offense requires adjusting to varying defenses from play to play. All players have to be aware of defensive alignments and make proper adjustments. This is largely on the quarterback but receivers must also be aware of coverage alignments pre- and post-snap and adjust their routes.
Spread Offense Simplified
Simpler for Players: Since the quarterback reads fewer players and makes simpler decisions, RPO offenses can be easier for younger or less-experienced quarterbacks to execute. They do not need to master a massive playbook. Most . This serves as a foundational principle that can be built upon over time.
Multiple Options with Basic Concepts: The spread offense has relatively simple concepts but can be incredibly versatile. With an offense built around the option, it provides an ability to build multiple plays off the same option-look. It can incorporate different players in the same actions and generate positive results all the same.
Less Mental Strain: Teams can adapt the foundation to focus on the passing or running game, depending on their personnel’s strengths or the defensive matchup. That sort of streamlines the playbook, giving players fewer responsibilities to know and manage. There are also fewer reads and adjustments to master, which is an element still present in the spread offense to help quarterbacks. By lining up multiple receivers or tight ends in a spread formation, defenses must defend more ground. That can force defenders to cheat and tip their hand at what they’re doing, which also provides quarterbacks easier keys to identify.
