Owls’ playbook is a blend of Kiffin, Briles
BOCA RATON — What do you get when you add two of college football’s most talented offensive minds? Florida Atlantic’s football team intends to find out.
FAU coach Lane Kiffin said on Thursday morning that the Owls have added some of Kiffin’s offensive concepts to offensive coordinator Kendal Briles’ playbook.
Kiffin spent the past three seasons modernizing Alabama’s offense, installing a spread attack. Briles was previously the Baylor offensive coordinator, where the Bears ran one of the fastest spread offenses in the nation.
“We’ve kind of mixed some things in, especially in different scenarios or situations that come up,” Kiffin said. “Instead of maybe whole formational stuff, more like ‘Hey, let’s have this play ready for when we need a chunk play down 12 seconds left,’ things like that.”
For the first time in his head coaching career, Kiffin has ceded play-calling duties to his coordinator, Briles.
Both Kiffin and Briles’ offenses are spread offenses, but that doesn’t mean they’re similar systems. Kiffin has described Briles’ scheme as a simple one, using only a handful of formations. Fewer formations mean less motion, allowing FAU to go faster.
Kiffin used to direct a pro-style offense when he was both an assistant and head coach at USC, relying on a two-back system. But he changed his approach when he got to Alabama, resulting in three straight SEC titles and a national championship. The Crimson Tide averaged 38.8 points and 455.3 yards per game in 2016.
Kiffin said the addition of some of his offensive concepts have made the offense slightly more intricate.
“It’s probably a little more complex, but again, we’re not doing too much,” Kiffin said.
In the spring, Kiffin said the Owls have ditched using X, Y and Z designations for receivers and have simply called them by their side and position (example: left slot). Receivers have also said they feel freer in Briles’ system, which includes plenty of option routes.
When Kiffin chose to give up control of the offense, the decision was largely based on freeing up his time. He wanted to take a more hands-off approach to the program, resembling Nick Saban’s Alabama program. He would have more time for the other parts of being a head coach: fundraising, recruiting, even helping out on defense and special teams.
Another consequence of giving up control was welcoming a clash of styles that Kiffin plans on avoiding.
“The worst thing that you can do is you come in,” Kiffin said, “as coaches, most of us have been around a situation where the head coach tries to get too involved. … Then they’re trying to do your stuff and their stuff and it doesn’t fit all the time.”
Almost no one has a higher tempo than Briles’ offense. During Briles’ two years leading Baylor’s unit, the Bears ranked third in the country in plays run. Clemson, which played two more games than Baylor each year, led the nation both times.
Baylor’s offense has typically been a run-heavy system, ranking 10th in the country last season with 48.3 rushing attempts per game. In 2015, the Bears were fourth at 54.9 rushes per game.
This year, the Owls boast one of Conference USA’s best rushing tandems in Devin “Motor” Singletary and Gregory “Buddy” Howell Jr. The pair combined for 1,849 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns last year.