Why Are We Running With Tajh So Much?

We're seeing less and less of the running backs as the weeks go on. Even if Rod McDowell rolled his ankle it seems bizarre that The Chad is running the ball with Tajh Boyd when we're up multiple touchdowns against a team that's not going to be able to mount a comeback. But I've vented about that before and how absolutely necessary it is to keep Tajh healthy. So this week I thought it might be fun to ponder why The Chad is doing it.

I think part of it might have to do with our offensive line. We're just not getting a good push out of our hogs on the running plays. And one of the best things we can do to get ground yardage when the O line isn't dominating the line of scrimmage is to run the option.

Run blocking on an option is more about being savvy and deceptive than about being overly physical. So it makes sense to not try and knock people off the ball if you can't and instead just letting our O linemen read defenders.

So if you think this is your most effective means of grinding out the clock against a team like Wake then I guess it makes sense.

But the main reason I think The Chad does it is because we're a pass happy offense and the play action off a successful option puts the defenders in a commitment conundrum that is more complex than a play action off a simple run.

I'm not sure how much of the option we'll see this week against Syracuse. They blitz a ton and run a ton of man coverage so I imagine we'll have the ball in the air for a significant number of our possessions. But I'm going to start keeping a keener eye on the situations we're in when we're running Tajh than I have been. Up until now I've just been shaking my head a crossing my fingers that Tajh just pops right back up after each hit. So I guess I'll just have to keep my head straight and settle on just crossing my fingers.

It's worked thus far.