COLLEGES

The spread is ahead in the Big 12

Against a standard I-formation that stresses offensive balance, Baylor defensive tackle Vincent Rhodes spends much of the game on the turf, bruised and bloodied.

He prefers it to the alternative.

“The spread, oh, man,” Rhodes said. “That wears you out.”

Rhodes and every other Big 12 defender last season were doubled over in exhaustion at some point chasing spread offenses across the plains.

Not every team ran a spread, but the scheme is now prevalent enough to explain why the Big 12 had seven teams ranked among the nation’s top 19 in total offense and eight of the top 28 in scoring offense.

It seemed like half the season, Rhodes should have played in track shoes.

“Every play is a downright sprint to get off the ball,” Rhodes said. “You put a move on somebody, trying to get to the quarterback. After they throw the ball, you have to pursue to help the secondary get a tackle.”

Whew.

Line Rhodes up against a traditional offense any day.

But that won’t happen anytime soon. The spread is ahead these days. Formations vary, but the idea is the same. Deep snap to the quarterback, five targets race to space, distribute and reload. Quickly.

Texas Tech and Mike Leach introduced the style in 2000, and by 2007, historically stodgy Nebraska got 70-ied one Saturday, and 70-ied the next.

It’s how 6-feet or shorter quarterbacks Chase Daniel of Missouri and Todd Reesing of Kansas can become first- and second-team All-Big 12, passing for school-record yardage.

Cornhuskers coach Bo Pelini, defensive coordinator for national champion LSU last season, couldn’t believe the numbers rolling out of the Big 12.

“For a defensive guy, it woke me up a little bit,” Pelini said.

So how can defenses limit the spread-ing? Oklahoma has been about as successful as any program. Take the Sooners’ success against Tech, which has averaged about 36 points per game in the Leach era. Against the Sooners, the Red Raiders have averaged about 19.

“You can’t let the quarterback get comfortable, that’s the first thing,” Oklahoma safety Nic Harris said. “Then, you have to be able to make plays in space, bottle up receivers and not let them get yards after the catch.”

Oh, and recruit only the fastest athletes for the back seven. Call them linebackers and defensive backs if you prefer, but any more, they’re charged with the same responsibilities.

“People look at me and don’t know what position I play,” said the 6-foot-3 Harris. “I get a lot of, ‘He looks like this, but he plays like this.’ ”

Iowa State coach Gene Chizik, the former defensive coordinator at Texas and Auburn, said the league’s different spread styles complicate matters. Daniel and Missouri’s attack differ from Reesing and Kansas’, Joe Ganz and Nebraska’s, Sam Bradford and Oklahoma’s, and so on.

“It’s the dangest thing I’ve seen,” Chizik said. “Do you want your eyes poked out or nose cut off? This guy this week is going to throw for 500 yards. The guy next week is going to rush for 100 and throw for 400.”

Eventually, defenses will catch up, Chizik insists, and he’s right. The unstoppable offense has always been countered. Wishbones and options died when defenses put more speed on the edge.

“Everything in football runs in cycles,” Chizik said. “The more you play teams, the more familiar you get with what you did well, what you did badly.”

Then make the adjustment. But defense may need more time in the Big 12. College football goes to a 40-second play clock this season with the countdown beginning at the end of play.

With that rule change comes more no-huddle sets. Oklahoma, Kansas State and Colorado have all indicated a switch to a set already employed by several Big 12 programs. It means a greater tempo on offense and more running for guys like Baylor’s Rhodes.

“I like it better when it’s physical,” he said.

To reach Blair Kerkhoff, send e-mail to bkerkhoff@kcstar.com.