Why the Air Raid? For its simplicity more than anything else, Helton says. The root of the Trojans’ woes last year, particularly a season-ending three-game losing streak, was discipline and focus—turnovers, penalties, etc., Helton contends. “We had got so scheme oriented that we weren’t as good fundamentally.” Harrell’s offense contains a total of 12 pass concepts, and his playcalls are sometimes a single word in length. The thick pro-style playbook USC operated under last season—quarterback JT Daniels calls it an “encyclopedia”—included playcalls like “I-right G-short A-42-Tom Y-Shallow-X-in,” Helton says. And now? “We’ve gone from that to ‘Cross.’” It took Harrell just three days to install his offense this past spring. Now, the focus is perfecting it with repetition.
People hear Air Raid and they think five wide receivers, no tight ends, 60 pass attempts and 50 points a game. To Harrell, the Air Raid is something else. It is working to death a small number of plays, with shorter playcalls, perfecting those plays and out-executing—not out-scheming—the opponent. Option-based coaches, like former Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, operate under similar mentalities, but with a different focus: rushing the football. Leach does it through the air. “You can’t do everything. I think a lot of people try to take a little bit of everything offensively,” Harrell says. “If you do that, you don’t have much of an identity. You’re just O.K. at everything and not really good at something.”
People hear Air Raid and they think five wide receivers, no tight ends, 60 pass attempts and 50 points a game. To Harrell, the Air Raid is something else. It is working to death a small number of plays, with shorter playcalls, perfecting those plays and out-executing—not out-scheming—the opponent. Option-based coaches, like former Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, operate under similar mentalities, but with a different focus: rushing the football. Leach does it through the air. “You can’t do everything. I think a lot of people try to take a little bit of everything offensively,” Harrell says. “If you do that, you don’t have much of an identity. You’re just O.K. at everything and not really good at something.”
