Countdown to Camp: Film Room breaks down the two-back look

As part our Countdown to Camp series ahead of the start of practice next month, we’re going to start rolling out more Film Room features as we take a look at what Cavalier fans can expect from their new coaching staff and the schemes they have brought to Charlottesville.

Our first few in the series will be focused on the hallmarks of Tony Elliott’s offense, including pass and run concepts, and some of the ways this scheme will differ from what we have seen in previous years.

In today’s piece, we’re starting with the basics of how Elliott’s offense will line up and particularly how the second player in the backfield opens up a world of possibilities in play design.

At his introductory press conference earlier this year, Elliott described his offense as a “two-back, no-huddle spread.” From there he went on to discuss the importance of being multiple and adapting to the personnel that are available.

So while Elliott and his staff have had specific experiences in the past, they could look to take advantage of the current UVa roster that has had a ton of success in the passing game.

Elliott’s offense is very similar to what his predecessor Chad Morris ran while at Clemson. Morris came to the Tigers from Tulsa and this offense was cultivated in the high school ranks and has a significant Gus Mahlzahn influence as well.

Those who are familiar with Mahlzahn’s Auburn teams will likely recognize many of the schemes that we will discuss in this piece and in future editions.

Elliott also mentioned the no-huddle component of the offense, something that seems likely to carry over to Virginia as it is one of the core fundamentals of how plays are called and players line up in this scheme. UVa didn’t run much no-huddle under Robert Anae after doing so initially, so that could be a bit of a transition for the players.

When Elliott describes the offense as a “two-back” system, he is referring to alignments with a typical running back either next to or slightly behind the quarterback and an H-back player usually lined up closer to the line of scrimmage. The H role is present I a bunch of different offenses and schemes at both the college and pro level, existing in a sense as a modified tight end.

At Clemson, tight ends were used in this role, contributing to the offense as blockers and pass catchers. The Tigers run this two-back alignment on about half of their plays, with plenty of other formations with that H-back lined up out wide or on the line of scrimmage at TE. Then there are one-back or no-back formations typically associated with passing downs, allowing four or five receivers to get on the field at once.

In 2021, Clemson leaned on Davis Allen to play the H and he did a nice job in that capacity. He finished sixth on the offense in snaps played at 556 with 271 as a run blocker, 41 as a pass blocker, and 244 in the passing game. As a receiver, Allen had 28 receptions for 208 yards and three touchdowns.

In today’s Film Room, we’ll show a lot of clips of Allen playing the H-back role, how that position’s alignment opens up options, and how the two-back offense can be set up.

The picture above shows a typical two-back look in Elliott’s offense. Here, the H-Back is in the backfield lined up behind the left tackle and a step in front of the quarterback, who is lined up in a pistol set.

This particular alignment allows plenty of different looks, with the H-Back able to set an edge block on the left side of the line for a “trey” run left to right by Travis Etienne. The H-Back can also cross in front of the quarterback and set the edge on the right side of the line. Or, if the line blocks down or if there is a pulling guard and an open hole, the H-Back can get into that space and act as a lead blocker.

Here is another two-back set, this time with both backs lined up to the right of the quarterback. Again, the quarterback is a step or two ahead of the running back in the “offset” backfield look. Most of the same plays available in the first formation are available here. The H-back can set the edge on either side or serve as a lead blocker.

This setup also allows the H-back to help out in pass protection or serve as a blocker on the right edge, with a possible flip or bubble throw to the running back.

Here is yet another look, this time with three backs in the backfield. This formation accomplishes the same as the last two but with more options and more potential plays for the defense to worry about.

Elliott’s offense features a good amount of quarterback run plays and having the extra back allows more flexibility here with counters and option looks.

Here is an interesting alignment with two backs lined up, one in front of the other on the right side. This look can provide protection for the quarterback on play-action bootlegs, can create more run blockers loaded to one side, or could simply be a diversion to the opposing defense, which can create assignment errors.

And finally, here is the H-back player split out wide in the slot. This is where the H and tight end roles intersect, and Clemson’s offense often lined up Allen out wide.

This look, as well as formations with no H-back at all, are more common on obvious passing downs when the offense would get more skill on the field at receiver.

Fortunately for Clemson, though, its H-back was a solid receiving tight end so the Tigers didn’t always have to sub out the h-back for a fourth receiver.

The next two formations are from UVa’s spring game. There are some similarities to the Clemson clips, but Elliott’s offense was relatively vanilla in April’s game, so we can’t draw any definitive conclusions from the looks.

In the first image, UVa has Sackett Wood in the H-back role, and a running back behind Brennan Armstrong. Also, you’ll notice that this is more of a “heavy’ two back look, as the offense also has a tight end on the line-of-scrimmage left (Josh Rawlings).

This feels like a run-first formation (and this was a run play), with potential play action looks available, with both an H-back and a tight end on the field on opposite sides.

This look has no H, with the Cavaliers in the red zone. Instead, Grant Misch is lined up on the line of scrimmage left, with a back level with Armstrong and three receivers right.

This seems like a more obvious passing down, with Misch able to run a route or stay in to block, and the back, Amaad Foston, available to protect the QB.

We have a few clips today showing how the H-back can be incorporated into Elliott’s two-back offense.

First, having the bigger back (or really, a tight end lined up differently) in the backfield allows a lot of different blocking opportunities on both pass and run plays.

In the first clip below, the H is lined up left, and at the snap fills in with the center in a “max protect” block. This helps Clemson set up a deep shot down the field, giving the receiver enough time to work open on a post and the quarterback enough time to deliver the ball. The result here is a touchdown pass. The H-back is perfectly set up to help in pass protection here, and if he goes unaccounted for on these looks, could even slip into the flat or up the seam to come open.

The next play shows how the H-back can be used in run blocking schemes, in this case a read-option play.

On this touchdown run against Wake Forest, the H is lined up left again. At the snap, instead of blocking on the edge, Allen allows Wake’s defensive end to step into the backfield and his quarterback makes the appropriate read, handing off to the running back who now has an inside lane available.

Once the handoff is coming, the H-back steps up as a lead blocker, crosses the face of the offensive line and executes a downfield block on a defensive back, helping the play reach the end zone.

This look is a good example of how the H-back can be used as a lead blocker and get upfield, as well as sealing edges on the line.

We haven’t talked much about the H-back as a receiver, but this player is usually a converted tight end, so opportunities will be there.

This play below looks to the defense like a flare pass to the running back right, with the H-back lead blocking. Wake’s defenders flood right to cover the play, but Clemson breaks tendency and the play becomes a downfield pass.

Allen isn’t the primary read but he is able to work open against a linebacker with a lot of space available, with Wake’s defenders out of position.

Finally, because the H is used so often as a blocker and isn’t really a threat to run, he is often ignored by the defense in assignment football.

Here, Clemson takes advantage of Miami’s over aggressiveness, allowing the H-back to roll to the left flat where he is wide open for an easy catch and run.

The two-back offense is going to be a big part of Virginia’s new look and based on what we’ve seen so far, it should help the Cavaliers have a more balanced offensive attack.

Just as the previous offensive coordinator used pre-snap motion and different personnel groupings to fool opponents, Elliott’s offense can use these various two-back looks to throw different concepts at defense from similar-looking formations. The H-back is a bit of a chess piece in this offense, and it’s difficult to tell from pre-snap alignment which way the play is going or how the H-back will move post-snap.

The big question for this team is who fills that role, and do they have the right players to execute these assignments?

At Clemson, Elliott used tight ends to perform these duties but he had players that were specifically recruited to play these roles. UVa’s tight end position has been led by grad transfers in the previous two seasons, and the players stepping up to fill the void are largely unproven heading into fall camp.

Based on the spring game, it seems that Misch and Wood will have the inside track to play this position that is so pivotal to the offense. Those players will need to demonstrate that they can not only block but move quickly after the snap, to get to the right spot and execute whatever the assignment is.

If UVa can’t find the right player to execute this scheme in Year 1, perhaps they get a bit more creative, playing someone like Keytaon Thompson there (which opens up a world of possibilities) or even doing less two-back and more spread-to-throw looks with four receivers.

In our next two Film Room installment, we’ll take a look at the running and passing game looks and schemes in Elliott’s Clemson offenses.