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Joe Matheson, OC/WR Coach, Wisconsin-River Falls

Full video on Glazier Drive:  6 Back Offense: Creating a Schematic Advantage in a Spread Tempo System

SIX BACK OFFENSE: ATTACKING DEFENSES WITH THE QUARTERBACK AND RUNNING BACK AS RUN THREATS

The transcript covers a football coaching presentation on the "six back offense," a concept coined by Michael Lombardi, centered on keeping the quarterback as an accountable run threat on every snap while using the running back creatively to stress defensive run fits.

THE PROBLEM WITH TRADITIONAL SPREAD OFFENSE

Defenses have caught up to standard 11-personnel spread concepts. They've become comfortable with ball-keying, aligning to take away RPOs, and adding extra run fit defenders. Rather than cycling through 10 different personnel groups — which doesn't suit tempo teams with limited rosters — this approach finds ways to create conflict out of base 11 personnel.

THE CORE CONCEPT: USING THE RUNNING BACK AS A "FIXER"

The running back is used as an extra gap creator, essentially a modern version of the single-wing. The main method discussed is "JC coursing" (arc releasing) the running back to attack the backside C gap, adding a gap the defense isn't expecting. This stresses run fits without changing much for the quarterback, who still reads RPOs in the same way.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The tag works across multiple run schemes including pin and pull and power. Notable uses include sending the back to kick out a defender while RPOing the tight end, running power away from the run strength while arc releasing the back the opposite way, and pitching to the back in space against edge pressure. The coach emphasizes that big explosive plays are a bonus — consistent six to eight yard gains are the real goal.

KEY TAKEAWAY

By forcing defenses to account for the quarterback and running back as dual run threats on every snap, the offense generates conflict without the complexity of multiple personnel groupings, keeping tempo and efficiency intact.

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