Raleigh Hokie stops by again in this Friday’s Q&A, and he gives a short
lesson on the different types of option offenses in college football. He
also talks about whether we can expect to see Darren Evans and Ryan Williams on
the field at the same time this season.

1) What are the basic differences between the different types of option
offenses? I.E. the spread option, read option, triple option, etc.

The terminology can be confusing because it can vary depending on what you read
and who you talk to. For example, the use of the term “spread”
implies some sort of offensive structure to spread the defense out
horizontally. It can mean anything from formations that include at least
three wide receivers, to wider splits by the offensive line, to any formation
that has the QB in the shotgun. For the purposes of this discussion, I
will define “spread” as any shotgun-based formation. That will
simplify things for me here as I try my best to describe the various types of
option plays.

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