2025 Wide Zone Research and Development – Case 3: The Backside Fold Block on Wide Zone

“You have to find ways to not have your Tackle block that 3-Technique every damn play. To me, this was the best way to do it.”
- Ron Crook, (former) offensive line coach, Virginia Tech University

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

If you’ve been consistently reading our research this off-season on wide zone schemes, you’ll know that these Y-lead build-ins have become the flavor of the month. We’ve already worked with William and Mary on its two-surface lead play and South Dakota's three-surface lead play on how each program has adapted the newest element of wide zone guru Kyle Shanahan’s creation. At Virginia Tech last off-season offensive coordinator Ty Bowen brought his two-surface adaptation over from his previous stop at West Virginia. But the difference was the Mountaineers were truly taking the front-side combination to the backside linebacker while the motion tight end would insert on the play side linebacker.

When Coach Bowen came to Blacksburg, he and offensive line coach Ron Crook taught the play side Tackle and tight end combo to work to the overhang because so many safeties react to the play side with the tight end working that way. It gave them a better chance of getting everyone back.

It was Coach Bowen who termed it a “non-adjacent combo” where instead of the Guard/Tackle involved in the combination, the Tackle works the combination with the motion tight end coming from the backside.

Essentially what it did was allow the play-side Tackle in wide zone to be as aggressive as possible on the C gap defender because he knew he had help with the motion tight end. All the lag fits that stymied the stretch of the wide zone were eliminated. “We would teach that tackle to get going on the defensive end and then all of a sudden we would get pinched inside and the play would get dented,” said Coach Crook.  There is no great answer to all those things. You start overcoaching the Tackle and he doesn’t know what to do. We struggled with that. This was a really good way to allow that Tackle to focus on coming off the ball and get protection for him to the inside. This was a way to do it without getting caught up overcoaching the Tackle.”

In order to not overcoach the play-side Tackle, Coach Crook emphasized driving his backside leg through the defender, without having to crossover. “We don’t open up and crossover,” he said. “We take the first step to the target. If you take a poor first step you are going to spend the rest of the play trying to make up for it. If you’re driving through the defender, the back will outrun the defender”.

In this report, we will not only uncover the details of how Coach Crook and Coach Bowen taught the “non-adjacent” combination block with the play side Tackle and Tight end but also reveal the one adjustment the Hokies made on the backside of the scheme that generated continual explosives in the A gap.

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).