Each week of this football season, I'll take a look at Ohio's opponent to break down what kind of offensive and defensive schemes they run. This week, I'll take a look at the Hampton Pirates. Today, I'll break down the offense.
Breakdown
The first thing to notice about the Pirates offense is that they're truly a multiple team. They'll line up in a traditional I-Formation offense, as well as singleback and spread. The Pirates run multiple types of plays out of that, too, which include speed option, read option and play-action pass.
In the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Hampton finished just 5-6 last year with 19.4 points per game. That won't get easier to improve upon, as three of the Pirates top receivers are gone from last year.
The offense lost some key pieces in the offseason and will likely have to be carried this season by the defense. Quarterback Delmon Williams, a San Jose City College transfer, will start. With a dual-threat quarterback, the Pirates can now show the option of running the ball out of the quarterback position. That will keep Ohio's defensive ends and outside linebackers on their toes throughout the night.
From what I saw in this YouTube video, Hampton's offense is heavily predicated upon quick-hitting plays. They'll run a bunch of screens, draws, slants, everything is quick. Nothing will take too long to set up.
The Pirates will rely heavily on the running game to grind up clock, meaning Yahkee Johnson will receive his fair share of carries.
That's where I took a look at the video, to illustrate Johnson's elusiveness. He stands just 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds, but he can move incredibly well.
At the 6:07 mark, Hampton lines up in the spread. Two wide receivers line up right, a wide receiver left and a tight end on the left side. Savannah State counters with a 4-2-5 look, with a linebacker kicked out to the slot. That's how Ohio countered these types of looks last season.
At the snap, the offensive line sets back into pass protection as three receivers run a go-route. That's designed to get the linebackers and safeties to bite and force them downfield. It works.
Johnson shows pass protection, but then slips out to the right for a screen play. When he catches the ball at 6:10, there's one defender and two blockers within 20 yards of him.
Johnson then shakes out of two tackles and heads upfield for a near 30-yard gain out of that simple screen play. His shiftiness will be the toughest part of the Pirates offense to contain.
Judgement
Ohio should be able to handle business on Saturday night. Simply put, the Bobcats have more talent. With 85 scholarships to hand out compared to the Pirates' 63, the Bobcats just have more depth.
Hampton doesn't have the offense to be able to keep up with Ohio, and if Quinton Maxwell and A.J. Ouellette can take care of the ball on offense, there shouldn't be any reason this isn't a multiple-touchdown winner for Ohio.
First games of the season are always interesting to watch, but if coach Frank Solich and his team have anything to say about it, it'll be boring by the second quarter.
