Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
HB Power out of Shotgun U Off Trips is a gap scheme run play designed to pull backside blockers into the hole for a numbers advantage at the point of attack. The diagram shows a 12 personnel look with two receivers isolated wide left and a bunched trips-style set to the right, with the offensive line down blocking and the HB taking a lead step behind the pulling guard before hitting the hole. This is a downhill run play, not a man or zone beater in the passing sense, and the primary read progression for the ball carrier is to press the point of attack, read the puller's block, and decide between the called hole, a bounce outside, or a cutback lane based on how the defensive front flows.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify the number of defenders in the box and check for a strong safety or nickel corner rotating down toward the trips side, since that indicates the defense is selling out to stop the run to that side. Watch linebacker depth and alignment, if they are stacked tight behind the down linemen with no natural gap fits, this play struggles to find a crease because the puller has less room to work. Post-snap, key the play side defensive end and outside linebacker, if they crash down hard on the down blocks the ball carrier should look to bounce outside off the puller's block. User-controlled defenders flowing hard downhill or shooting gaps immediately after the snap are the biggest threat to blow up Power before the puller can seal the edge, so watch for aggressive user blitzes off the edge. This play gets shut down by stacked fronts with extra linebackers or a run blitz call that brings a fifth or sixth defender into the box, since the numbers advantage Power relies on disappears against overloaded fronts.
Usage Tips
Run this play when you see base 4-3 or 3-4 fronts without extra defenders stacked in the box, since Power thrives against light boxes rather than run blitz looks.
Check the defensive alignment before the snap and if you see a linebacker cheating downhill or a safety creeping into the box, consider audibling to Inside Zone or Read Option from this same set to keep the defense honest.
Use manual control on your HB to press the hole hard and manipulate second level defenders before making your cut, since Power's blocking is designed to create a natural crease that can disappear if you cut too early.
Pair this play with RPO Alert Bubble or RPO Alert X Gift on early downs so the defense has to respect both the trips run threat and the boundary run action, forcing linebackers to hesitate on their fits.
Save Power for second and short or third and short situations where you need a physical, downhill gain, and mix in HB Sweep from the same formation to keep defenders guessing between gap schemes.
