Double Move Curl Route: Or the Stutter Step Curl Route (10.21.10 UCLA vs Oregon). A Double Move is the same as a Stutter Step, which is a momentary hesitation or false step by a runner done to fake a defender out of position. It is often used by a Receiver running a Fly Route (which is straight and deep downfield) who will use the Double Move to make defenders think he is running a Curl Route. A Curl Route is a turn made by the Receiver in the shallow region of the field about 10 yards past the Line of Scrimmage. If the Double Move is done successfully the defender will move up in position to cover the Curl Zone, while the Receiver continues straight downfield on the intended Fly Route. In the situation where this occurred, the Receiver appeared to be making the typical Double Move on a Fly Route. He stuttered, but the defender did not move up. The defender may have been back too far to come forward into Coverage or perhaps he wasn’t fooled by the Double Move and stayed back. Regardless and whether it was planned or not by either player, the Receiver turned and ran a Curl Route where he caught the ball. The broadcasters were pretty excited by this because it’s not something you see very often and it turned out to be a successful play.
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MANAGEABLE 3rd DOWN: One way to keep 3rd down manageable is by having a good 1st down play. What this means is that if an offense is able to gain 5 or more yards on 1st down, they only need 2 or 3 yards on each of the next two plays in order to reach 10 yards (and therefore earn a fresh set of downs). 3rd down is an important down because if an offense doesn’t reach a 1st down or score on that down, they will most likely be kicking the ball on the next play. A team can either run or pass on 3rd and short because they have just a few yards to gain. But on 3rd and long (with 6 or more yards to gain), the plays are more limiting because the defenders have more space to allow plays that they know will not achieve a 1st down for their opponent. Most teams will pass on 3rd and long because it is easier to gain more yards on a single play passing than running the ball.
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THE MOST SIGNIFICANT REGULAR SEASON in Sports: Its lack of a playoff is what makes College Football the “most significant regular season in sports” as eloquently stated by Rece Davis. The fact that the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision previously known as Division I) doesn’t have an official playoff bothers some people. But those against the playoff (including 73% of Head Coaches) believe the fact that the FBS doesn’t have one is what makes it so successful and competitive every single week of the regular season.
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PISTOL NOT FOR CATCH-UP (10.21.10 UCLA vs Oregon): UCLA was using the Pistol offense and had fallen behind against Oregon. Because the Pistol Offense is run-oriented, it takes longer to execute than a pass-oriented offense. Offenses can use passing plays to gain a large amount of yardage in a short period of time. But running the ball generally gains yards in smaller increments and requires more plays. If a team is behind and needs to score quickly, this can present a problem if they are running the Pistol.
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THE Stutter Step Curl Route: See Double Move Curl Route above
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