Trojans debut new formation and offense
The Trojans offense known as the Jet Offense or the Double Wing Jet has an Auburn, Wash. connection. Trojans Coach Joe Clayton is from Washington. He said it comes from Auburn Coach Gordon Elliott from Auburn High School.
The philosophy is simple, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” —Leonardo Da Vinci.
The offense is based on five principals: 1. Use formations to stress the defense; 2. Make the defense defend the entire field; 3. Simple offense for execution, but appear complex to the defense; 4. Flexible enough to feature the best players. Help them make big plays; 5. Balanced, able to take what the defense gives and control the football.
Auburn has a steady track record to prove its philosophy works. The run stats are off the charts. In 2006 they had 530 carries for 3,990 yards with a 7.5 average per carry and 63 touchdowns in 13 games. In 2007, they had 482 carries for 3,387 yards with a 7.1 average per carry and 43 touchdowns in 11 games. In 2008, they had 559 carries for 4,362 yards with a 7.8 average per carry and 53 touchdowns in 12 games. Finally in 2009, they had 507 carries for 4,643 yards with a 9.16 average per carry with 63 touchdowns in 12 games.
The Auburn team maximized the running game with a stable of running backs. Clayton feels he can do the same thing and this is the main reason he changed his strategy. The formation uses a double wing and uses the basic threat of a sweep in either direction. There is just one running back, usually a fullback.
The Trojans will have four or five backs always fresh and ready to go. Scott Maughan, Devontae Brown, Brandon Coffman and Keenan Harris are some of the runners.
The offense makes the blocking simple for the lineman. It disguises five running plays, utilizes misdirection and motion to make it more complex.
The bottom line is the defense needs to be able to react to the hard-hitting offense, which makes the defense worry about who has the ball every down. Also, look for the passing arm of quarterback AJ Segura to get a workout in the second half because the defenders should be worn out chasing the run.
