Beneath the 21st century layers of hype, gimmick and change, the magic of smash-mouthed football hasn’t gone anywhere.
Sometime around 2007, variations of the spread offense became the staple of premier offensive units. But it hasn’t been without its flaws, and it’s far from the only offense left ready to obliterate all in its way.
Two schools in the AP top seven — Wisconsin and Stanford — have completely defied the logic since the start of last season. Both wear white and red. Both are far from flashy. Both have routinely dominated opposing defenses for the last two years, leaving most spread offenses struggling to keep pace.
Wrapped by an impenetrable front force and pristine balance, Wisconsin’s 48-17 welcoming of Nebraska to the Big Ten on Saturday night resembled that nasty Jell-O mold your conniving mother gives to her least favorite sister-in-law when the two are forced to reunite over the holidays.
At one point during the ABC broadcast, a graphic displayed that the average starting offensive lineman at Wisconsin, a school that has sent its last two left tackles to the first round of the NFL Draft, measured larger than the average front man from last year’s Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.
That uncanny size and power put on a show Saturday in pushing around Nebraska’s top-tier defensive linemen as if they were light snow blocking a doorway. The complete inactivity of Nebraska’s accomplished defensive end Jared Crick resembled the way the Badgers took Ohio State’s Cam Heyward out of nearly every play in a 31-18 victory the last time Madison hosted “College Gameday.”
Wisconsin has done this since the start of last season. In that span, the Badgers are 16-2 and have averaged 43 points and 467 yards a game. Oregon is the only BCS school that has scored more points in the same time frame than the Badgers, who this season added dual-threat quarterback Russell Wilson to create what _might_ be America’s best offensive unit.
Out west, the story is much the same for Stanford, a masterful pro offensive machine that has gone 16-1 and averaged 42 points and 472 yards a game since last season began. The balanced, power-I system has given quarterback Andrew Luck a golden avenue to supply NFL scouts reason to liken him to Peyton Manning as the future top NFL Draft selection.
Stanford’s show came in last January’s Orange Bowl, in which a beautiful mix of run and pass totaled better than 500 yards and 40 points in a 40-12 win over Virginia Tech. Yet again, nobody was supposed to dominate the stalwart Hokie defense. Luck and the Cardinals did in the most vanilla of ways.
Perhaps what’s most telling of Stanford’s magical return to history’s roots is that in the last two seasons, the school has produced three top 10 Heisman Trophy candidates: Luck, a quarterback; Toby Gerhart, a running back; and Owen Marecic — a _fullback and linebacker_.
Stanford and Wisconsin are showcasing the advantage a pro offense offers over spread attacks: balance. Selling out on Wisconsin’s power running game leaves Wilson with a one-on-one matchup with Nick Toon. Luck’s crafty audibles and play-action leave plenty of opportunities on the ground and in the air.
Spread attacks have been routinely game planned for en route to big bowl games since the wave hit the sport. Defenses with time can force one-dimensional spreads into uncomfortable situations. Oregon has seen it in its two BCS bowl games under coach Chip Kelley. Big 12 spread offenses see it nearly every bowl season.
No amount of game planning can defeat a power offense’s pure size, great connections or running backs that can’t be tackled. Well-oiled pro machines don’t need to get their players in space. They simply line up, tell the opponent the play and dominate all the same.
Spread offenses remain effective, popular and fun. But Wisconsin and Stanford are sure not to let anyone forget the value to the smash-mouthed, grind-out style of play that gave this game its storied legs.