MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — If anyone has watched a football game on TV the last two years, college or pro, they’ve noticed announcers and analysts have fallen in love with the term “RPO.”
It’s not necessarily a new fad in football, but the “run-pass option” has certainly taken over as the hottest offensive trend at all levels. The Philadelphia Eagles did it throughout the playoffs last season on their way to a Super Bowl title with quarterback Nick Foles. West Virginia is using it with a ton of success with Will Grier this season.
The concept is simple — in spread offenses, the play is originally called to be a run. The quarterback is given the option based on the defensive look to either keep with the run call or pull the ball back and quickly throw it out to a receiver. He can make the decision to handoff or throw it pre- or post-snap.
The offensive line blocks for the run the entire way, which is why RPOs were once frowned upon, at least by defensive coordinators. Lineman can get close to being ineligible downfield — three yards from the line of scrimmage without making a block — on a forward pass by pushing forward.
RPOs have made it into the high school game and University High is allowing quarterback Logan Holgorsen to take the reins.
“He hasn’t screwed it up yet, that’s the beauty of it,” head coach John Kelley said after his team’s 46-19 win over Buckhannon-Upshur on Friday.
The threat that Holgorsen could pop out a pass at any point is what helped the Hawks (4-4) offense flow this season. In the loss to Mountain Ridge (Md.) on Oct. 5, Holgorsen couldn’t play because of a high-ankle sprain, and it took the RPO out of the playbook.
Without that threat, Mountain Ridge was able to key in on the run.
“That’s what cost us last week because we only had one basic look without Logan in there, but when he is in, I don’t care who you are, you’re in trouble,” Kelley said. “You have to worry about stopping Logan Raber and Ben Gribble and then you have to worry about the RPO. [Buckhannon-Upshur] tried to blitz a lot and Logan read it and boom, we hit it all night long to Evan (Parow).”
Holgorsen and Parow have hooked up for 13 touchdowns in seven games, including three on Friday night. Total, the connection has hooked up 53 times for 755 yards.
In the RPO, Parow is typically lined up in the slot and Holgorsen finds him in open space in the middle of the field, left by a blitzing linebacker.
“I usually read the box and if we have a good box then I’ll just hand the ball off,” Holgorsen said. “If not, then I’ll throw the ball like I did [Friday] at the goal line. It’s a lot on me but if you get it down, then it’s extremely effective and I think we’re pretty good at it.”
It’s definitely lethal inside the 5-yard line because opponents have to worry about Raber and Gribble, who weigh a combined 425 pounds. That’s where a majority of Parow’s touchdowns have come.
“It definitely helps having Evan out there,” Holgorsen said.
Twitter @SeanManning_DP
