Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Mtn Buck Sweep is a pure run play out of Shotgun Doubles HB Wk with 11 personnel. The diagram shows the HB taking a lateral handoff and pressing outside, following the pulling linemen who kick out the edge to seal a lane, while the two outside receivers stay uninvolved as decoys and the TE releases as a flat threat to occupy the flow-side second level defender. This is a gap sweep run design meant to attack the edge before defensive ends can set the corner, with the primary read being the HB pressing the pulling blocker's hip and reading the kickout block before deciding to bounce outside or cut up inside the log block.
Defensive Reads
Watch linebacker depth and flow at the snap, since sweep concepts get gashed when linebackers step up into inside run fits and vacate the edge. Key the defensive end and outside linebacker on the play side, if they crash hard inside on the pulling linemen the sweep bounces outside for a big gain. Overload fronts and edge defenders who stay disciplined and squeeze the pulling blockers are the main counter, forcing the HB to cut back into traffic. Man coverage on the outside receivers with no extra run support in the box is a green light since it means fewer defenders can flow to the sweep. User-controlled defenders spying the backfield or crashing the pulling guard's kickout block are the biggest threat, so read their leverage before committing to bounce or cut lane.
Usage Tips
Call this out of run-heavy personnel groupings so the sweep action blends into your base run tendencies and does not tip run on early downs.
Use pre-snap motion if available to identify man coverage versus zone shells, since a defender following the motion man confirms man and opens up the edge for the pulling guards.
Hot route the outside receivers into stalk or crack blocks if you expect an overaggressive corner or safety flowing hard to the sweep side.
This play hits best on second and short or first and ten when defenses are in base fronts and have not loaded the box with extra defenders.
Pair it in your play-calling sequence with Mtn HB Base and Inside Zone so linebackers cannot key the pulling linemen, then mix in RPO Power Peek from the same formation to keep the second level honest.
