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Breakdown
Read Option out of Shotgun Tackle Over Trips is a zone read run play with the QB and HB mesh point aligned in the backfield behind an Over front offensive line that has an extra blocker bumped to the strong side. The diagram shows the QB reading the play side end or OLB, with the option to hand off on an inside zone track or pull it and attack the edge himself, while the trips receivers to the far side occupy the defense vertically without running live routes shown. This is a run scheme designed to punish light boxes and overaggressive edge defenders, not a man or zone beater through the air, so the primary read progression is the mesh point defender first, then the alley defender if the QB keeps it.
Defensive Reads
Watch the play side defensive end or OLB pre-snap, if he is crashing hard on run downs the QB should plan to pull and attack the edge. Check strong safety depth before the snap, a safety cheating into the box signals a run blitz or contain call meant to take away the QB keep. Post-snap, key the read defender's first two steps, if he sits and stays home on the QB this is a good indicator the defense is running a disciplined scrape exchange or spy technique. Man coverage with a nine tech or wide alignment on the edge defender often opens the keep lane, since he is more focused on outside leverage than the mesh point. Zone coverage shells with linebackers reading run gaps first can shut this down quickly if they get quick fills, so avoid this call against defenses showing heavy inside linebacker flow to the mesh on tape.
Usage Tips
Check the box count before the snap and only trust the mesh read if the defense shows six or fewer in the box.
Use the trips side pre-snap motion or a hot route shift to bait the defense into rotating a safety down, which opens up the keep lane for the QB.
Pair this play with RPO Read Bubble and RPO Read X Smoke from the same set so defenders have to respect both the run action and the quick perimeter throw off identical formation and mesh look.
Run this on early downs like first and ten or second and short so the defense cannot sell out to stop the QB run without risking a big keeper.
If the defense consistently sends the read defender hard upfield, sequence in HB Power O or Inside Zone to punish that aggression with a designed handoff instead of relying on the option read.
