The 1989-1990 Houston Cougar Run & Shoot

   It's possible that we may never see anything like it ever again in College Football.  An offense that changes the game forever.  Some will argue that the current shotgun spread offenses have changed the game but I disagree.  Those offenses are just taking old concepts and putting them in a shotgun spread formation.  What the Run & Shoot did for offensive football was something completely different.  It brought a scheme that had never been used.  For the first time receivers changed their routes based on what the defense was doing not only pre-snap but also post-snap.  It also stretched the field vertically and horizontally.  The west coast offense of the time wanted to stretch defenses horizontally and the classic drop back teams using the Sid Gilman system wanted to beat you vertically.  The Run & Shoot combined the two by spreading you out and giving the quarterback deep and short options on every play.  It also didn't completely sacrifice the run game because at least in the old run and shoot, the quarterback was under center. 
    You'll see in the Houston Cut-ups that they spread out much further than the traditional run & shoot teams of Mouse Davis and June Jones.  Houston's receivers were out past the numbers and the slot receiver was much wider than the 1-2 yards that Mouse Davis preaches.  Houston of the late 80's and early 90's was actually very similar to what Baylor is running today in 2013.  They wanted to make you declare your coverage and make it nearly impossible to double cover any one receiver.  
    Now I will say that defenses were much different in this era.  Most Defensive Coordinators were scared to death to play man to man or blitz so most hung back in a 2 or 3 deep zone.  This would usually cause a slow death as the quarterback could select almost anyone to throw the ball to while barely having any pressure to deal with.  The teams that were successful against the R&S were usually the one's who had more talent up front on the defensive line and could just flat out beat you without blitzing.  Then others had the guts to just bring everybody from everywhere.  Bob Davie did a great job of this when he was at Texas A&M.
They usually handled Houston pretty well and consistently put pressure on the quarterback while making the receivers uncomfortable as well.
     When I see high powered offenses today I wonder why more defenses don't play tough man to man with 1-2 safeties over the top.  Sure it makes you vulnerable to the run but most offensive teams are not patient enough to just run the ball and they will eventually try to force the big play.  Plus, it forces the offense away from the dink and dunk strategy that they want. 

Anyway, enjoy these clips from one of the best offenses of all time.  Featuring Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware and First Round Draft Pick David Klingler.