It’s a spread offense, but there’s nothing finesse about what Auburn, Ohio State do in it

0 Shares Print There’s a danger in broad-brushing with the term “spread offense.” Being too liberal with it can lead to another, often false marker: finesse. No team that uses the spread wants to be called finesse, although the designations often go together. The word finesse — defined by Webster’s as refinement or delicacy of workmanship, structure or texture — is blasphemous in a sport that shapes its identity around brawn. While certain spread systems do have a finesse flavor, others, like Ohio State’s and Auburn’s, sit on the opposite side of the spectrum. “That’s completely different than what we believe in,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. Good luck finding the finesse in the way Ohio State stomped its final three opponents to win the first College Football Playoff national title. Try to locate the delicacy in how Auburn’s H-backs take on defenders to clear lanes for ball carriers (“They have a mindset,” Tigers defensive end Carl Lawson said, “to blow up whoever’s out there”). Refined? Ohio State’s offensive linemen prefer to be called “the slobs.” Offenses don’t finesse their way to a combined 1,167 yards against Alabama, as Ohio State and Auburn did last season. Finesse teams don’t combine for 249 runs of 10 yards or more. …

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