It's run versus shoot when Hawai'i plays Rice

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

There are many paths in the college football world, and the head coaches of Saturday's game between Hawai'i and host Rice set off on different courses years ago.

"I was a quarterback," said UH's June Jones, who embraced the run-and-shoot passing attack. "I like throwing the ball. Besides, you get hit too much when you run."

Rice's Ken Hatfield turned to the "flex-bone" offense — a multiple-option running scheme — because of the difficulty in recruiting blue-chip players to the Air Force Academy, where he started as offensive coordinator in 1977 before ascending to head coach the following year.

"We didn't have great skill athletes," he said. "Our advantage was to run an option. It was different from what other people were practicing against."

The offenses are similar in appearance — each uses two wideouts, two slots or two halfbacks, and one running back — although greatly different in execution.

The approach of spreading the field "is the same," Jones said, "except they run it and we throw it."

"Our quarterback will run the ball," Hatfield added, "and (UH's Tim) Chang won't."

Both head coaches admit their offenses are not original. Jones credits his mentor Mouse Davis, who, in turn, drew inspiration from Tiger Ellison, author of "Run and Shoot Football, the New Attack."

"Most of mine were stolen from Mouse and other guys," said Jones, who implemented the run-and-shoot in three different pro leagues. "We had the guts enough to do (the offense) in a four wide receiver set versus (two wideouts and) two tight ends."

Soon after joining Air Force, Hatfield contacted Fisher DeBerry, who was the head coach at Appalachian State at the time. DeBerry, who eventually succeeded Hatfield at Air Force, had run the wishbone for several years. He also had discussions with coaches at Texas and Texas A&M.

"I tried to learn from everybody," Hatfield said. "You pick up things here and there."

The trouble was, Air Force's defense struggled, and Hatfield soon learned the triple-option was less effective when burdened with a 21-0 deficit.

He tinkered with the wishbone, devising a scheme that would allow the two halfbacks and the fullback to sneak into the passing lanes. The wishbone suddenly had a fourth option.

During the offseason, Hal Bateman, who was Air Force's sports information director at the time, asked Hatfield to describe his offense.

"I said it's a lot more flexible than a wishbone," Hatfield recalled. "He named it the 'flex-bone.' "

Both offenses have flourished. The Warriors lead the nation in passing, averaging 398.9 yards per game. The Owls top the Western Athletic Conference in rushing, averaging 249.8 yards.

The flex-bone "has been good to us," said Hatfield, who went on to coach at Arkansas for six years and Clemson for four years before joining Rice in 1994.

Of the run-and-shoot, Jones said, "I wouldn't do it any other way, just because I was a quarterback and I was involved with (the scheme). I was smart enough to realize it was the best way to move the ball."