Fasten Your Seatbelts, Trick Plays Will Be Part of New UW Offense

Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb like to catch opponents off guard.

Chris Petersen arrived in Seattle in 2013 from Boise State with a coaching reputation known for offensive deception, having memorably toppled heavily favored Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl with a Statue of Liberty play in overtime seven years earlier.

Yet in his six seasons in charge of the University of Washington football team, Petersen largely played the game straight-up.

There were few gimmicks or frills, just fundamental football, though in his final Husky coaching appearance at the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl Petersen permitted himself to call a final trick play with running back Richard Newton lobbing a touchdown pass — against Boise State.

Now comes the Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb offensive show from Fresno State, which stands to be as creative and unconventional as any out there, keeping opposing defensive coordinators on their toes at all times.

In the week that media members were permitted to watch fall camp practices, the Huskies showed off double reverses, wide-receiver passes and a variety of fly sweeps coming from many directions with a host of different ball carriers just to get warmed up. The new staff has taken a particular interest in unleashing the speedy little Giles Jackson this fall in multiple ways.

"We will throw a lot of stuff out there," said Grubb, DeBoer's trusted offensive coordinator from Fresno State. "I think over the years we've always had that element in there."

So true. 

Jalen McMillan (11), Taj Davis (3), Denzel Boston (12) and Giles Jackson (0) all stand to benefit from a more wide-open UW offense / Skylar Lin Visuals

Last season, Fresno State wide receiver Jalen Cropper completed 1 of 2 passes for a 51-yard touchdown and ran the ball 19 times for 76 yards and 2 more scores.

Like we said, this was Cropper the pass-catcher throwing and running nearly every week. 

No Fresno State play was more intricate last season than the double-reverse, flea-flicker that DeBoer's Mountain West team pulled off against San Jose State.

The ball started out with former Husky quarterback Jake Haener flipping the ball to Cropper, changed hands twice more and ended up in Cropper's hands again for a 29-yard touchdown reception. It was highly complex yet totally entertaining.

"I love this new offense, man," said Newton, the veteran UW back. "They put us out wide and let us run routes like receivers."

Always gotta keep your eyes on 5⃣#GoDogs | #PrideOfTheValley | @jcropper_5 pic.twitter.com/EtjQFtOeAm

— Fresno State Football (@FresnoStateFB) November 25, 2021

Husky fans have never been more excited to show up and watch a UW offense in action than when legendary quarterback Sonny Sixkiller was at the controls from 1970 to 1972. He threw the ball all over the field and put it into as many different hands as possible, with tight ends often running the ball.

In the space of 12 months, the Jim Owens-coached program went from a ground-based, grind-it-out Wishbone offense that didn't work and resulted in a 1-9 season to yards and points galore from the let-it-fly Sixkiller with plenty of wrinkles mixed in, returning to the UW to a winning atmosphere.

This could be the outcome for the Huskies once again in transcending from Jimmy Lake's ill-fated pro-style offense that fooled few people a year ago to the DeBoer/Grubb fireworks display.

Several players have gone so far as to call Grubb an offensive genius and a mastermind. 

"It's so fun, man," wide receiver Jalen McMillan, who stands to run the ball some. "It's vertical. It's attacking. You definitely want to play in this offense if you're a wide receiver."

However, Grubb was quick to point out that the idea behind pulling a flimflam on someone is to pick your spots rather consider it a regular directive on Saturdays.

"I think there's a wisdom, too, to understand the defense you're facing and some defenses are pretty darn well-coached," Grubb said. "Plays like that typically are predicated on somebody not doing their job or not staying home and things like that. When you see that, you want to attack and be aggressive, and we'll do that.

"It's got to be there. You don't want to force it in a big moment."

That's the trick, is to do it when no one's looking.

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