The UC football team faced a number of challenges in 2010. The first challenge was to replace 7 starters on our defensive unit, 2 starters on offense (including a record setting quarterback) and complacency after a tremendous 2009 season. We finished 6-5 which was disappointing, however, still winning season.
Defensively we had a new defensive coordinator who was thrown into the fire because of an illness to our coordinator’s wife. Kasey Teagarden who was our secondary coach took over for Carey Baker who had to move to Arkansas just before the start of camp.
Kasey did a good job but it was adjustment.
Our defense had a lot of veterans to replace from the # 1 defense in the conference. So with a new coordinator & new starters things had to be simple.
On offense we played with a first time starter at QB. The Triple Gun Offense revolves around Quarterback play. He is the trigger.
So what was the plan?
The formula for winning remained the same:
#1 – Play Great Defense
#2 – Win the Kicking Game
#3 – Control the ball on offense
#4 – Score when you get the opportunity
#5 – Win the turnover battle.
To make this plan work with such youth at key positions we had to focus on fundamentals and keep things as simple and basic as possible. The answers were not going to come from Xs & Os but in teaching the basics – blocking & tackling.
Our Defense played well most of the season but gave up more big plays than we have given up in the past. We shutout our arch – rival West Virginia State and held a solid Glenville State team to only 16 points. The good news is we have a lot of young players back that gained valuable experience this season. We did not create as many turnovers as we’d have liked but we did return a pick for a TD.
Our Special Teams did a solid job – we finished 1st or 2nd in the conference in most areas. We returned a punt for a TD & we had the # 1Kick returner in the conference.
The Triple Gun averaged 30 points per game and was #1 in the conference in rushing the ball and #10 in the country. We also gave up the fewest sacks in the conference and scored 80% of the time in the Red Zone. Ralph Isernia did a great job of adapting The Triple Gun to our personnel. The biggest problem we had on offense is we turned the ball over more times than we are used to doing. I’ll take responsibility for that because I coach the QBs. Ball security has to always be a priority.
Though we were more simple on offense, we continued to use multiple formations to gain numbers advantages and to out-flank the defense. Our Gun Triple averaged 5.98 yards per attempt and was still the hub of the attack. We played two QBs, a senior who had been a back up for 3 years and a true freshman who is EXPLOSIVE. Blaine Wilson our senior was the ultimate team guy mentoring freshman Mo’ Leak in the Triple Gun. Mo’ eventually won the starting spot in the 7th game when he came off the bench in the 2nd quarter with the team down 13 – 0 and led us to a 44-34 victory. Mo’ rushed for 205 yards and passed for 223. This was the first time in conference history that a player rushed for 200 and passed for 200 in the same game! He also set the UC record for most total offense in a game. Mo’ finished the season 7th in the conference in rushing, 8th in total offense and 4th in pass efficiency. He also finished 2nd in the Conference in freshman of the year despite starting only 3 games.
The key to the Triple Gun offense lies in the fundamentals which are only mastered by reps. We used 2 tailbacks Nick Lockhart and Jordan Roberts that combined for 800 yards and 15 TDs. Our big play receiver averaged 22 yards per catch for over 800 yards. We spread the ball around & use a lot of players.
2011 looks very promising with an experienced trigger guy and both tailbacks returning plus the majority of our starters on both sides of the ball. The key is how strong we get in our conditioning program and how committed our players are to being all they can be.
In our six years at UC we have won more games than any other period in school history while raising our team’s GPA to a 2.9. The Triple Gun will continue to evolve and adapt as the years go on. The goal of any scheme is to maximize the potential and ability of your players.
The Secrets of the Triple Gun:
1. Simple scheme so more time to master technique.
2. Flexible to adapt to personnel.
3. Presents a balanced offense & forces the defense to defend the entire field.
4. Unique so it’s hard to prepare for in a week.
5. Can always run the ball thus control the clock.
Let us know about your seasons – we are sincerely interested in your progress.