Spread the word: Defenses evolving to take away option

For one of the few times in his career, Chase Daniel was confused.

Sooners were coming from everywhere. For 12 straight games last year, Daniel led an offense that had become the only unit in the country to score at least 31 points each time out. The Missouri quarterback usually had the comfort of standing seven yards behind a big, athletic offensive line and surveying the defense. Even if the D blitzed, the play was often over before defenders could lay a paw on him.

Chase Daniel had trouble evading Oklahoma defenders in the Big 12 title game. (US Presswire)

"If you're at linebacker depth that's almost 10 yards you've got to sprint," Daniel said. "With 2.5, 2.2 seconds to get the ball off, it's almost impossible to get to the quarterback."

The spread option -- refined by offensive coordinator Dave Christensen and executed by Daniel -- was the story of the Tigers' breakthrough season. It got Daniel a trip to New York as a Heisman finalist. It got the Tigers to the Big 12 championship game. It got them to No. 1, within sniffing distance of the BCS title game.

It couldn't get those Sooners off his back last December. Daniel's support system in the Big 12 title game -- his mind, his arm, his line, the system -- collapsed. Missouri lost 38-17 to Oklahoma largely because the Sooners had found a way to neutralize Daniel and his offense.

"I was up on the phone with the coaches (in the press box)," Daniel said. "I asked, 'Why are they blitzing so much?' They said, 'Chase, they're bringing four every time.'"

What was once an offensive revolution is now slowly and assuredly falling prey to evolution. The formation that has largely been responsible for every major NCAA offensive record set this decade is on the clock. It's time is limited. The modern gurus of the spread -- Mike Leach, Urban Meyer, etc. -- might not admit it but defenses and their coordinators do not stand still.

The Big 12 arguably has the best collection of spread offenses in the country. The conference led the country in passing yards, total touchdowns and scoring. Six of the top 13 teams in total offense last season were from the Big 12. Five of the six -- Texas Tech, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Texas -- run some form of the spread. For people like Daniel and his peers, evolution sucks. All the great college offenses have been shuffled to the oldies bin -- the wishbone, the I, the pro-style -- because defenses reacted and evolved. It's going to happen again in this age of pinball scoreboards. It's just a matter of when and how.

"I think it's the beauty of college football," said Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, whose defense practices against Daniel's elite unit every day. "The offenses in the NFL are much more predictable. The more people that run this offense the better defenses are going to get at it. It's going to happen."

Peers all over the country agree with Pinkel.

Boston College offensive coordinator Steve Logan: "Right now I think defenses are a little bit on their heels. But in the end if you're a spread team and somebody can play an effective man-to-man, you can stop it. That's why the NFL pays those corners millions of dollars."

Colorado coach Dan Hawkins: "If you run that quarterback a lot and he gets doinked (you're done). Look at Oregon with Dennis Dixon (shredded knee), even Florida with Tebow and his shoulder. Pat White went down last year."

Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom: "The defenses will catch up to all that. In your defensive front, the only big guys are your two interior guys. Once you get past those two defensive tackles, it's all about speed and even they have to be able to run."