When the No. 20 Michigan football team hired Chip Lindsey as the new offensive coordinator late last year, there was little doubt of his acumen.
Lindsey’s recent stint at North Carolina, in which the Tar Heels excelled in the air and on the ground, gave an idea as to what his debut season with the Wolverines could look like. And with highly touted freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, junior running back Justice Haynes and 6-foot-5 graduate receiver Donaven McCulley all joining the program, it was easy to see the product Michigan envisioned on the field when hiring Lindsey.
But absent from all the preseason prognostications, however, was a small yet significant component of Lindsey’s offensive philosophy. Unexpectedly, the Wolverines’ outside zone has been a game changer.
“We’ve started to do that when Chip got here, because he had comfort with it and familiarity with it,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said Sept. 22. “So those guys have done a really good job, and it’s really helped them progress and helped the run game. And when you have an explosive play of 75 and one of 50, you’re gonna keep running it.”
Turn on Haynes’ highlights and you’ll see it. Frequently throughout his four consecutive games of 100-plus yards, Haynes has made the most out of a lane on the perimeter before outpacing the second level. That’s thanks to the offensive line’s outside zone, which aims to displace defensive lines horizontally and create opportunities for the back to break free around the edge.
As a result, Michigan is top 10 in the country in rushing yards per game and yards per rushing attempt. The Wolverines also have more rushes of 50-plus yards than any other team.
Before this year, outside zone wasn’t a staple of Michigan’s repertoire. But after last year’s struggles on the O-line, and with the addition of former-NFL offensive line coach Juan Castillo to Michigan’s staff, outside zone became a focus.
“I’ve watched so many clips on outside zone, it’s not even funny,” junior offensive lineman Nathan Efobi said Sept. 23. “… Now I know the ins and outs of outside zone, how the back’s reading it. So it’s easier to do it now.”
Efobi, along with the rest of the offensive line room, has spent hours analyzing college and NFL teams run the same look over and over again. Steadily, as the O-line’s communication has improved and the unit has gelled, the Wolverines have been more effective at the line of scrimmage. Michigan’s backs have capitalized on that advantage.
Other than where the back is looking and the launch points of the linemen, inside and outside zone plays are fairly identical. For Efobi, the biggest challenge in learning the new scheme was timing.
“You would think that outside zone, you gotta be fast, but if you really know about it, it’s really slow,” Efobi said. “Like you’re opening up and going, but the back’s reading slower than you think. So you’ve got more time than you think.”
Being aware of what the other 10 are doing on the field is a key aspect of outside zone. If the guards don’t know how the tackles are blocking or the tackles don’t know where the back is going, the play doesn’t work.
Especially against Nebraska, the Wolverines were harmonious in the backfield. Facing Wisconsin on Saturday, which boasts the top run defense in the country, Michigan’s offense will need to be cohesive.
“Before how we did outside zone, I wasn’t really thinking about what the back was doing,” Efobi said. “I was really focused on my steps, but coach Newsome and Castillo really opened my eyes to how everyone’s playing and how they’re reading it.”
With a third of the regular season completed, Michigan has proven to be a capable team on the ground. While a team can’t move the ball without a talented running back, the O-line’s outside zone has been instrumental to the Wolverines’ success.
