Hoo Preview ’09: The Spread

Al Groh has used pieces of the spread previously.

Several years ago when I was doing radio I was talking with a guest about what was wrong with the Virginia basketball program under former coach Pete Gillen. He said Gillen doesn’t know what kind of offense he wants to run. I grew up on Big East basketball watching Gillen and his run-and-gun, press and trap game, which he brought to Charlottesville. But mid-way through his tenure Gillen went away from his up-tempo style and attempted to play more of a half-court game. It didn’t fit – the change had a negative impact on recruiting, the coach and more importantly Virginia basketball never really has recovered.

The state of the Virginia football offense at the end of 2008? Transition. But it’s a transition that has been ongoing since Groh arrived in 2001. Virginia deployed a modified version of the West Coast offense, using a passing game designed to continually put pressure on opposing defenses as well as a power running game to sustains long drives. Bill Musgrave, Virginia’s first offensive coordinator under Groh was well versed in the West Coast system and appeared to be the perfect choice to implement the plan.

...