Miami Hurricanes Coach Mark Richt's Offense: Running Back Screen Game

Coach Richt has employed the running back delayed screen for years and he flashed it in the spring game- albeit unsuccessfully. At Georgia it went for big yardage to backs like Todd Gurley, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel who fit the Joe Yearby and Mark Walton molds.

As you can see above, Coach Richt likes to run the screen from 2x2 10 personnel sets, 3x1 10 personnel sets and at Miami with the school being Tight End U (amongst other position groups) assuredly 11 personnel. The diagram is from one of UGA's games in 2015. Coach Richt was running the screen in a trips open far (back to the trips) look.

In the screenshot above, the 'Canes line up in 11 personnel in what I call "Doubles"

The back will set-up to false block a linebacker or lineman that gets through too quickly on the screen. After a couple of seconds or "delay" the back will work his way off the block and turn around. As you can see he has a convoy of blockers out in front.

Brad Kaaya struggled a few times with check-down type reads forcing a deep post or ignoring a bubble or swing route out of the backfield. Here, while the back runs free Kaaya grounds the ball to avoid the sack. It's early and you could sense a lack of timing.

You can see a chalk-talk and a few UGA cut-ups with the Miami play above at the video below.