Chapter 3 - Offensive Playbook

Who doesn't love a 45 to 44 shootout? Well, defensive coaches most likely. But fans love offense. Whether it's a 50 yard bomb to an elite wide receiver or an amazing six-tackles-broken run from a beefy running back, the offensive side of the ball offers plenty of potential excitement.

This section offers tips on executing a dominant offensive gameplan. You'll find tips on the passing game, running game, and option plays as well as details on new NCAA Football 07 features, such as the momentum meter. We'll cover offensive formations, match-ups, and profile some of the best position players in the game.

Offense Fundamentals

New features do change strategies but there are fundamentals that every NCAA Football 07 needs to know before hitting the gridiron. This section provides some general strategies for succeeding in NCAA Football 07 Play Now, Dynasty, and online game modes.

• Play to your selected team's strengths. Don't choose the Air Force Falcons and expect to pass it around like the Texas Tech Red Raiders. A team's playbook gives the first indication of strengths and weaknesses. An option offense will be geared more toward the run while a spread offense will generally be geared more toward the pass. Check your selected team's personnel statistics. What's the quarterback's statistics? Does he have speed and carrying ability but weak throwing power and accuracy? Then he's likely better suited for a scrambling, mobile style. Then again if the quarterback is slow but excels in throw power and accuracy, he's a better pocket passer.



• Watch your player fatigue levels. If you just broke a long run with your running back, use packages to sub him out for a play to catch his breath. Get your backup running back in there with some fresh legs. Likewise if you continue to pass to the same receiver over and over again, expect him to suffer some fatigue. Mix it up and toss the football to other receivers to spread it around and keep your players as fresh as possible for the long game. Note that you can always call a timeout and replenish fatigue levels. It might be worth it if you have an impact player in the zone but he's tired.

At the formation selection screen, alter packages to try and exploit mismatches.

• Utilize motion and packages to gain match-up advantages. For instance, you have scouted the opposing team and know which defenders are the weakest on the squad. Instead of lining up your best receiver against his best cover guy, use motion to spread your best receiver around the field. Or utilize formation packages to shift your best receiver into the slot or outside to move him away from the opposing team's best corner guy. This could be especially important if your opponent has an impact player in the secondary.



• Consider play selection carefully and become as unpredictable as possible. Don't run out of the Ace formation every single time you call it; don't pass out of the Shotgun formation every single time you call it. Pass out of an expected run formation, such as Ace Big or run out of an expected pass formation, such as Shotgun 4 WR. You can gain match up advantages by doing so. If your opponent calls a stout run defense then calling a pass play will match your stronger receivers against weaker cover guys, such as linebackers.



• Avoid the defense's impact players. If your opponent has an impact defensive linemen or linebacker then call your run plays toward the opposite side of the field to take that impact player out of the equation. Likewise, in the passing game avoid testing an impact cornerback every single play. You may pay the price with a costly interception. Obviously this tip is even more important if your opponent's impact defender is in the zone.

Gaining Momentum

The primary new gameplay addition to NCAA Football 07 is the momentum meter. The meter looks a bit different between the Xbox 360 and current gen systems but the concept remains the same. To put it simply: you want the momentum! You've seen it before watching any college football game. One team is in control the game. Perhaps they're just running down some clock and protecting their lead. But then all off the sudden, a big time linebacker puts a bone-crushing hit on the running back, jars the ball loose, and scoops it up and returns for a game changing touchdown. That's a momentum shift!

That's essentially how it works in NCAA Football 07. Good plays provide momentum and bad plays remove momentum. With momentum on your side, your players are a bit better, a bit stronger, a bit faster, etc. You can gain momentum by scoring the first touchdown or intercepting a pass on your opponent's first possession. It doesn't matter how it's done but you want to try and keep the momentum for as long as possible--ideally the entire game!

Scoring the first touchdown of the game is a huge momentum shift.

It's a cool concept that really mirrors real life college football. If you have momentum and the lead but are careless with the ball and toss a costly interception, the other team gains the momentum, which translates into player confidence (in game terms: boost to stats). You may now find the opposing offense a bit harder to stop than last time when you were in control of the momentum meter!

There's no real rhyme or reason on how to manage the momentum meter other than take advantage of it. When you have the momentum, grind it out and don't take chances with the ball. Don't toss the ball into triple coverage just because you think you have a confidence advantage. An interception could shift momentum. If you lack momentum, you may have to take more chances because safe plays may not work against a momentum-juiced defense. Or you could choose to try and build that momentum through successful, high-percentage plays like screen passes.

Scoring a touchdown first has a big impact on momentum--usually the opening scorer receives a full momentum bar. That's a big advantage in the early game and could create an uphill battle for the opposing offense. To get it back, the trailing team may need to grind it out and get some first downs to reduce the opposing team's momentum bar.