The best way to keep your passing game open is to have a legitimate ground game to keep defenses honest when you line up in the spread offense.
The counter play is a gap scheme play where both guards pull to the other side of the formation. One guard is responsible for kicking out the defensive end, while the other leads up through the hole to the linebacker.
Oklahoma’s counter trey play has innovated how spread offenses operate, and defenses defend the run. Head coach Lincoln Riley has created a play that is easy for the quarterback to read and for the offensive lineman to block.
The Oklahoma Sooners have one of the most dominant offenses in college football and have done so under Lincoln Riley, their head coach, who came into that position from being their offensive coordinator.
While most spread offenses use a zone running scheme, the “counter trey” play that the Sooners employ is very much a power-running attack.
The Basics Of The Counter Play
The play calls for the backside guard and tackle to pull as the running back receives the handoff to run through the C gap.
The rules for counter are as follows:
- Center + Frontside Guard & Tackle = Gap Blocking
- Backside Guard = Kick out the playside defensive end
- Backside Tackle = Lead up and through for the first player in the hole
As noted by the box, the backside defensive end is the key defensive player who can break this play and cause a loss of yards if he plays it correctly.
The player has a potential free shot at the running back, and this play is best executed if the QB has the option to keep it himself and run backside in the event the play is blown up.
Here is a look at how the Sooners pulled off the play:
The execution of this play sets up a strong play-action call and sets the stage for the QB to keep it himself, as mentioned above. Ian Boyd wrote a fantastic piece (available here) that further details how Oklahoma has used this base play to set up a slew of variations to keep defenses off-balance.
The front side relies on a double team from the right tackle and the right guard, who will then work up to the backside linebacker.
The center will block back on the first defensive player who is in his backside gap as well.
The guard is pulling for the defensive end, or the first player that shows.
Last, the second puller is going to lead up the hole and track the frontside linebacker.
This is one of the ways the actual counter trey helps power their offense by baiting the defense with their look. Below you can see the offensive line block as a counter trey, but instead, it is a swing pass to the halfback.
Variations Of Counter Trey
The Sooners will use play-action, the RPO, and other looks based on this look outside of the swing pass. While the Sooners effectively run this concept, they are far from the only team in the country running trey counter.
Below is a look at Ohio State running a counter trey with the QB keeping it:
The Clemson Tigers also run a similar counter trey, but with the added element of motion. The jet motion from the receiver had him in full motion near the center of the line as the ball was snapped.
This allows the quarterback to fake the handoff before following the left side of his line, leading the charge to run to the quarterback’s right.
That’s how to run the counter trey and why it’s such a successful play, especially at the college and high school levels.
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Learn more about spread offense run plays from the articles below.
Spread Offensive Run Plays – Complete Guide
How To Run Counter In Football – Complete Guide
Running The Power Play In Football – Complete Guide
The Gap Scheme & How It’s Run In Every Offense
Complete Outside Zone Guide & Tutorial