Trend Line: 4 Advancements on the Counter Run Game

Jun 17, 2025 | The LAB, Offense, 12/21 Personnel Concepts, Run Game, Gap Run Concepts, 11 Personnel Concepts, 20 Personnel Concepts, Personnel

Emerging Trend: “Space and Angles” How Counter is Thriving From Open Formation Pictures

By Mike Kuchar
Co-Founder
X&O Labs
@mikekkuchar

The G/Y counter scheme was without question the most efficient play in college football season, averaging nearly 5.6 yards a carry last season. But the teams that were running it best did certain things to catapult the scheme to maximum efficiency. Our latest analysis of 2,592 counter run plays from the 2024 college football season across 129 teams, and here’s what we found:

Our research has discovered that the most successful teams utilize multiple personnel groupings to run gap schemes, with 11 personnel leading in versatility and 12 personnel providing the best balance of power and deception. Teams that can execute gap schemes from spread formations create the most defensive conflict. How they are doing that is by creating angles and space in the run box by running the play from open formation looks (without a closed tight end).

Key Insight:

The common denominator in efficiency lies in creating space and generating misdirection.

This typically means:

Using 11 personnel (3WR-1TE-1RB) to spread the defense
Force nickel personnel (which happens 74% of the time)
Create a +1 advantage without inviting 8-man boxes

Offenses are creating space by using open formations to generate “loose” run boxes with only six defenders. And these are the four trends in how the most successful programs are doing just that.

Trend 1: Double Detached Formation Structures

Problems Solved:

Creates more space for down blocks at the point of attack
Allows for a wider D-gap kick play
A detached tight end alleviates any issues with blocking a C-gap defender at the first level.

We’re all searching for ways to get bigger bodies on smaller bodies at the point of attack, and keeping the Y off-the-ball playside does exactly that. G/T and G/Y counter schemes become D gap kick plays, where you’re almost guaranteeing the first puller to be matched up on a Nickel safety or outside linebacker rather than a hefty 5-technique defensive end. And if you have a tight end that can be physical on down blocks at the point of attack, keeping him off the ball allows for the timing and space needed to get the play started effectively.

Such was the case at Elon this season, where its tight end room was separated into two body types: a physically glorified offensive tackle who can pound people at the point of attack and a hybrid receiver type who was more accustomed to blocking in space. They were both able-bodied blockers, so why take them both off the field? Instead, Elon used a double Y-detached formation (the Phoenix called it “Rocky”) where both tight ends were in off-the-ball alignments.

Why it Works:

For starters, the timing and space cultivated from keeping the Y off the ball allows for a more physical block at the point of attack. Secondly, creating an additional gap play side guarantees the kickout block being on a D gap- and not a C gap- defender, which can be an outside linebacker or safety. The first puller can be more aggressive on the three-surface on his kick out. Texas State, for example, will use its Y as the first puller to kick the D gap, while its second puller can be the backside Guard or Tackle.

This formation’s versatility allowed Coach Stadler and the offensive staff to check the counter play to the most advantageous look. He’d often prefer to have his ass-kicker, who has since entered the portal and arrived at NC State, be at the point of attack while his hybrid type can be the second puller in G/Y schemes.

And if keeping their bigger tight end to the play side generated a heavy tendency, they would arc their hybrid tight end to get him on a safety, eliminating him from having to down block a defensive end. “It just made it easier to execute with both of them being off the ball,” he told me.

For more on Elon’s Gap Schemes from Double Detached formations, click below:

https://www.xandolabs.com/the-lab/offense/run-game/gap-run-concepts/2025-gap-scheme-research-and-development-case-1-y-detached-play-side/

Trend 2: Wall Pull Responsibilities for Motion Man

Problems Solved:

Creates a two-back run scheme from a one-back formation
Forces defenses into a light run box pre-snap
Allows for the wall puller to come from depth, which produces better vision on his assignment.

When we analyzed all of these counter concepts, we found that motion is used on 55% of counter plays and was done primarily to:

Manipulate defensive alignment
Create misdirection
Change formation strength
Set up better blocking angles

This became another way for the offense to package counter with motion. At McNeese last season, the counter run scheme was its most efficient run scheme, so the staff had to continually find ways to hide it. And one of the most productive ways they did so is by presenting 10 personnel pictures and motioning the tight end to be the wall puller. Not only did it open up the run box pre-snap, but it also allowed a physical blocker like a tight end to block in space.

The play was structured as a motion tag like “H-Speed,” which told the tight end he was going to be the wall puller. According to offensive line coach Ryan Allgood, the tight end needs to know whether the counter is on the same side of the motion or away from it. “We used a snap point as a yard before the backside tackle,” Coach Allgood told me. “They would get into their motion, and once they got close to the snap point, they would throttle down 1-2 yards before the Tackle. We did enough non-motion same-side counter with him, so he was taking his two steps like pulling in the opposite direction and then pulling behind the Tackle. Once they felt the puller go across, they fit behind it.”

If the counter was on the same side of the motion, he would work halfway through the line of scrimmage and be behind as a second puller with the Guard. “Our tight ends were savvy enough to fit in with the rhythm of the motion,” he said. This leads us to the counter turn principle.

Trend 3: Counter Turn Principles

Problems Solved:

Eliminates second-level defenders from being able to “rock back” with Y-motion
Eliminates the ability for second-level defenders to key the tight end
Causes man coverage defenders who are tracking the Y to misfit runs

The counter-turn build-in has become one of the most effective ways to run counter. The University of Tennessee got a great deal of mileage from it this fall as it McNeese and Harvard. The purpose is for the tight end to simulate working in one direction, but then going opposite on the snap. “He will open up with his first step and work two steps opposite the play call,” said McNeese offensive line coach Ryan Allgood. “On the third step, he sticks his foot in the ground and gets behind the first puller. Coach Allgood cautions against moving too fast and running into the snap. This was predicated on who that first puller is. At times, it can be the Center. “We have to match the tempo of that puller. If we are pulling the Center, then the tight end has to go faster because he has less time.”

At Harvard, the concept is built into the play call and is termed something different. Offensive line coach Keegan Kennedy would call it when defenses assume that the counter play is going away from the tight end. The tight end acts like he’s blocking backside, but when he gets to the far hip of Center, he gets back in phase with the first puller.

Coach Keegan likes to use it against rock back defenses because they can be out-leveraged by building a wall, inserting, and getting vertical.

In order to execute this responsibility, the tight end must cheat his split to be deeper than 1×1 off Tackle, which is why Coach Kennedy likes using it more in a fullback alignment. This way, he doesn’t need to be motioned in. He can already align to the weak side.

Trend 4: Wrong Way Runs off Counter Action

Problems Solved:

The mix of fast flow and split flow reads produces indecision for second-level defenders.
Gets the ball to an athlete in space, particularly when formationed into the boundary.

Using a mix of counter and fast flow run principles, Monmouth produced uncanny numbers in generating explosives with them. Offensive coordinator Jeff Gallo terms them “Exits,” which essentially told the slot he was the ball carrier on the fly sweep element of the play while the offensive line blocked G/T counter, except for the Center, which I’ll explain later.

Run game coordinator Brian Gabriel built the Hawks’ run game on downhill principles like tight zone and gaps, so this build-in was a no-brainer in providing false keys to second-level defenders. “It gave us a great way to mess with linebacker run fits,” coach Gallo told me. “They would fly so high over the top, triggering pulls that this slows them down. We figured since the linebackers were gone with pullers, let’s eliminate the Will and Mike and let’s circle the boundary.”

And that they did this season. So much so that Coach Gallo often refers to the concept as a kick return, allowing his top slot receiver (who happens to be their kick returner) to get the ball in space with blockers in front of him. While some teams package the jet sweep with a quarterback counter away, it’s important to note that this was built as a “call it, run it” concept with no read element. Monmouth has traditionally had a pocket-style quarterback under Center, so Coach Gallo and his staff used the back to add onto the blocking scheme on the sweep element.

Why it Works:

At Monmouth, the concept is built upon giving the slot as much green grass as possible. This is done with FIB (formation into boundary) structure, which, against four-down defenses, forces the Nickel into the boundary. Coach Gallo also prefers the concept with the ball off the hash so there is more space to operate.