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Despite its bruising reputation, Big Ten full of spread offenses
Friday, July 25, 2008
CHICAGO — The Big Ten may be perceived as having slow-footed football teams built for foul weather, but eight of the 11 schools will line up primarily in spread offenses this season.
Illinois has been utilizing the trendy spread-option under fourth-year coach Ron Zook, riding the skills of dual-threat quarterback Juice Williams to the Rose Bowl. Zook decided to adopt the system after taking some lumps against it.
"The one thing I wanted to do is run an offense that I hated to see," he said at the Big Ten kickoff event here Thursday, July 24.
Northwestern has a new offensive coordinator in Mick McCall, but the team won't veer much from its multiple-receiver sets.
"If you've got a solid quarterback, make good decisions and can run a little bit, it opens up a lot of things," coach Pat Fitzgerald said.
"I love it. It puts the defense on its heels, and they've got to be assignment-sound."
But while most of the Big Ten is running new-generation offenses, Wisconsin is staying old school.
"For us now, Wisconsin is unique because we line up with a fullback and a tailback and some big ugly guys up front. And I like that," Badgers coach Bret Bielema said.
Paterno still undecided
Penn State's Joe Paterno couldn't be pinned down on when he might retire. Big surprise.
"I want to get out of it when I think it's appropriate, and I want to make sure when I do it, I do it the way (predecessor) Rip Engle did it," the 81-year-old coach said. "When Rip retired, he left a lot of meat on the bones. I inherited a good team."
When the retirement subject was raised again later, Paterno became exasperated.
"Can we get off that?" he said. "I don't know (when it will be). I don't know. Want me to spell it?
"If I don't feel I'm doing a good job, I'll know."
Refs to be more vigilant
The NCAA has announced several points of emphasis for officials in 2008, all of them centering on player safety and sportsmanship.
Hitting a defenseless opponent above the shoulders will draw a 15-yard penalty, as will a helmet-to-helmet hit.
Yellow hankies also will fly for taunting and excessive celebrations such as spiking the ball, leaping into the stands and somersaults or high-stepping into the end zone.
Like the NFL, the NCAA also has outlawed horse-collar tackles.
Tiller bowing out
Joe Tiller, who is credited with bringing the spread offense to the Big Ten, is retiring after the season, his 12th at Purdue. And though he was showered with praise by other league coaches, Bielema roasted his colleague for showing up in casual attire.
The laid-back Tiller, 65, donned a golf shirt while everybody else wore suits.
"The reason I admire Joe Tiller is that he can come in here without a tie. If I didn't wear a tie, I'd get heckled," Bielema said.
"When a guy is going into his last year, he can basically wear whatever he wants and no one says anything."
The Boilermakers had just one winning season in the 13 years before Tiller arrived, but they've been to bowls in 10 of his 11 seasons.
Asked what his legacy should be, Tiller said, "I suppose bringing the Purdue program from the depths and becoming competitive."
Clifford exit likely
Ohio State apparently is ready to part ways with troubled defensive back Eugene Clifford, a celebrated recruit from Cincinnati Colerain.
The redshirt freshman was involved in a bar-room brawl July 4 and was slapped with two misdemeanor assault charges for alledgedly punching a pair of employees who were trying to break up the fight. He also was suspended for the national title game last season and the spring game in April for undisclosed team violations.
Asked about Clifford's status, coach Jim Tressel said, "I really can't say anything in case he ends up (transferring) somewhere else and they need to talk about it."
When asked whether he expected Clifford to return this season, Tressel said, "Probably not."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com
