Shanahan Niners, 2002-2005 Tedford, Harbaugh Stanford, Wisconsin, etc. Primarily under center, heavy formations, fullbacks**, tackles in 3pt sets except in shotgun, shotgun only on pass downs, etc. Power run blocking schemes, establish the run to PA pass, protection heavy pass schemes, etc. Be more physical than every opponent and dominate the LOS.
There is no reason an offense with bigger and tighter formations cannot also be creative. Invest in the superior intelligence of our players by relying on autonomous reads and options. Befuddle opponents with precisely choreographed pre-snap motion. Give your QBs who earn your confidence the authority to audible at their own discretion.
The end of the Tedford era traumatized so many Cal fans so severely that they forgot how incredibly effective this style of offense can be when done well. During the Tedford era this offense seemed to go stale mostly because our offensive coaching had declined severely in quality, but also partly because our offense was largely mirrored by the philosophies of the defenses we were facing while teams like Oregon and Texas Tech were benefiting from asymmetry of their lighter, spread field schemes against defenses that weren't tailored to face them. Over the last 10-15 years the CFB defensive world has adapted with lighter fronts and base sets intended to defend in space and depth. By going power, we will have the offense that forces uncomfortable asymmetry onto all of these defenses whose base sets feature 225# OLBs, or even 4-2-5 or 3-3-5.
Also, resist the temptation to rely on running the QB by design. Yeah it can be effective but it places the QB at excessive risk. Use mobility to defeat the pash rush and take advantage when containment is broken, not as a substitute for the ability to run with your RBs.
** There's a reason FBs are so frequently fan favorites. More than any other offensive skill position, FBs earn their keep by excelling at skills that make everyone else more effective while capturing very little individual glory. Teams that use FBs naturally promote unselfishness and physicality. Those are great things to have on a football team.
