2025 Pin and Pull Research and Development: Case 1 – Divide (or Segment) Runs

Jan 14, 2025 | Offense, Run Game, Pin and Pull Run Concepts

 

The reasoning why midline reads are better coupled with Pin/Pull (rather than wide zone) is simple: A double pull concept combined with a vertical read element causes a defense to completely pause and cannot play fast.

 

By Mike Kuchar
Senior Researcher/Co-Founder
X&O Labs
@MikeKKuchar

 

 

Rhode Island offensive coordinator Pat Murphy has continually built his run game around what he calls “segment runs,” which essentially are divide runs, where the QB is asked to read any defender in any gap along the line of scrimmage. While many coaches have implemented some of these concepts with concepts like zone read, midline read, bash, etc.- Coach Murphy and his staff use all of them and will use them weekly. Its advantage is simple- it allows quarterbacks who aren’t necessarily run threats to be accounted for defensively.

This season, the Rhodies were struggling with an inexperienced offensive line and a backup quarterback, so he decided to build these reads exclusively into his Pin and Pull concept. The result generated 7.8 yards per play on gives and double-digit runs when the quarterback pulled the ball. Coach Murphy and his offensive staff took the Rhodies to a new level this season, registering an FCS semi-final appearance for the first time in four decades. And he did it by essentially retooling two base run schemes- tight zone and pin and pull.

 

Why it Works:

This season when Coach Murphy lost his original quarterback who may have been more mobile, he was tasked with preparing more of a pocket passer to be a dual threat, making defenses to respect the quarterback run game. Running traditional zone reads wouldn’t work because of their lateral nature. “You want to build in reads where he can get downhill quicker now,” said Coach Murphy. “Interior reads are much better. It was the widest play we can run with a read.”

The progression starts by deciding where he wants to divide the defense. While linemen have their rules based on the run concept, the divide gap is the read gap and cannot be blocked. Coach Murphy and his staff formulates the read each week is what makes the system unique. “It’s not something defenders see regularly. Often there is no one in the divide but the actual read defender because they are getting tight zone action one way and stretched opposite.”

 

Visual Evidence:

The tutorial below will give you a better understanding of the Pin and Pull divide read.

 

 

 

Editor’s Note: In this report, Mike reveals the details of how this works, and best practices, and he identifies who else is using it. And, as always, Mike includes a lot of video and diagrams—as well as shares where to find more game film in X&O Labs’ Film Room. Login below to get unlock the full report (and if you’re not a member, click the ‘Join’ button in the upper right-hand corner of this page).