Officiating the Football Triple Option Offense

How do you officiate the football triple option?

The triple option offense causes more inadvertent whistles then any other play in football. The main reason is that wing officials (the head linesman and line judge) lose sight of the ball and assume that a certain player has it when they really don't. When that player gets tackled they blow their whistle. This has killed many successful plays, because once the whistle blows the ball immediately becomes dead.

The triple option is a unique and challenging offense to defend and officiate, because three different offensive players can end up with the ball. The quarterback takes a direct center snap and puts the ball in the stomach of the fullback or dive man who is heading straight into the center of the line which is option number one. While doing this the quarterback does not let go of the ball and it becomes hidden from everyone. If the quarterback sees the fullback is being tackled he takes the ball from him and heads parallel to the line of scrimmage towards the sideline. His next option is to keep the ball and head up field. If no one tries to tackle him he does. The third option is to pitch the ball to a trailing back when being tackled by a linebacker or end and this back carries the rest of the way..

I have found in my experience as an official that the only time that I am fooled by the triple option is when I get caught looking for the ball instead of officiating my area which is where the offensive tackle and tight end near me line up. When I look at the fullback diving into the line and the play is going away from me I lose the ball and come very close to blowing my whistle when he is tackled. Fortunately, I have yet to do this. However, I saw this happen three games in a row with the same team one season. Each time a different official did it. And each time they thought the fullback had the ball.

When seeing this I tried to figure out what was the common thread in each inadvertent whistle. It was that the official who blew the play dead was looking at the fullback run up the middle while the quarterback was running away from the official's sideline. The official could not see if the fullback had the ball, because he was surrounded by bodies. And he could not see if the quarterback had the ball, because his back was to the official blocking the wing man's view of the ball.

The question once again became, 'How to officiate the triple option?'

The answer was simple. Don't watch the ball. And don't watch the players. Officiate your area and let the play come to you. Who has the ball on the triple option will take care of itself if you just watch your area.

The easiest way to do this is to key the quarterback not the fullback. Simply take a quick peak at him when the ball is snapped. If he turns toward your sideline then immediately cover your area and let the play come to you. If he gives the ball to the fullback the scrum up the middle will take care of itself. Stay focused on your zone. When the fullback is tackled everyone will stop. No whistle is necessary. If he breaks through to the secondary and you don't pick him up the down field officials will.

If the quarterback pulls the ball from the fullback and heads toward you then you will see him and the pitch back when they enter your zone. If the quarterback keeps the ball and turns up field then you run with him. If he pitches the ball to the trailing back then you cover it like any other loose ball play. Since it is a backwards pass if it hits the ground inbounds it is a live ball. Whoever comes up with possession keeps it. If it goes out of bounds without changing team possession then it is put in play at the out of bounds spot. The main thing is that since the play is coming at you there should be no inadvertent whistle if you cover your area and don't get caught peaking inside.

If the quarterback takes the center snap and turns his back to you then the whistle should never be used on the option. Once again you should be focused on your area and nowhere else. Off ball officiate. Don't look at the fullback. Let the scrum take care of itself. Don't look at the quarterback. He has his back to you so chances are the ball will be hidden from your view. Never look at the pitch man as he is nowhere near your zone.

Let the wing official on the other side of the field handle the quarterback and pitch man when they go away from you. Your only job in this situation is to off ball officiate and make sure nothing illegal happens on your side. Watch for late hits and personal fouls. Watch for players jawing at one another. Stay in your zone in case the play comes back towards you on a reverse or pass.

So what are the keys to officiating the triple option and avoiding the inadvertent whistle?

1.Don't watch the ball or the players.

2. Cover your area not the middle of the field.

3. Key the quarterback (a quick peak) not the fullback or dive man.

4. If the quarterback comes towards you don't take action until he comes into your zone.

5. If he goes away from you don't touch your whistle and off ball officiate.

I have found this method to work best for me. It may not be the perfect way to officiate the triple option, but it will cut down on the number of inadvertent whistles a crew has when dealing with it.