Since we're beating the hell out of an old dead horse, let's revisit under center and condensed sets.
Before we get into "well, Air Force runs the veer and it's different, then running a pro-style scheme" stuff. Take this into consideration -
1. Air Force has all but abandoned the inside veer. The staple play of this offense for 50 years. They ran zero times in this game.
2. Instead they ran zone dive 30 freaking times. It's their version of the classic inside zone.
3. They only ran 9 option runs all night (8 midline triple) and 1 zone option.
4. They have zero scholarship players and hammered a power 5 team.
Calhoun knows that condensed formations are the end all and be all. However, he knows it helps his team of undersized and slower athletes kill defenses. Why?
#1. It immediately gives them a short edge to get outside. Pretty good idea when you have 4.7 and 4.8 slots. Much harder to set an edge with average athletes when the edge is wide.
#2. It reduces the box defenders (c gap and inside).
#3. It limits the coverages you can see. Oh you want to run a ton of man coverage because you've got the bigger faster athletes? Try living in a man world, when you're getting all kinds of crossers, boots, wheels, smash combinations, etc... Ask any DB if they want to be in man vs condensed sets - very rarely will you find a "yes."
The horse is and has been beaten to death. Let's move on..
www.espn.com
