Air Raid Offense started while Mike Leach was at Iowa Wesleyan

[Cycsk]

Interesting article about the original of the Air Raid offense with Mike Leach in an assistant coach position. Here is an article from the perspective of the head coach.

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/s...olutionized-iowa-wesleyan-hal-mumme/95760820/

I would love to hear this story from Leach's perspective.

 

[CYCLNST8]

They lost in the playoffs in a blizzard in Moorhead, Minn.

^This is where finesse always fails.^ Show me how many championships "Air Raids" have won. December is for Defense.

 

[Cycsk]

I'm interested to hear whether Washington State fans know the Iowa Wesleyan origins of their offense.

 

[FrankDrebin]

They lost in the playoffs in a blizzard in Moorhead, Minn.

^This is where finesse always fails.^ Show me how many championships "Air Raids" have won. December is for Defense.

2000 National
2000 Big 12
You can throw 2002-2004, 2007, 2008 Big 12 in there but was less of a pure air raid.
2011 Big 12
2014 TCU (lost tiebreaker)
2015-2018 Big 12

It’s won titles at the FCS level with Eastern Washington.

For a scheme that is a relative newcomer and one that teams with talent edges are reluctant to try its done very well.

 

[CYCLNST8]

2000 National
2000 Big 12
You can throw 2002-2004, 2007, 2008 Big 12 in there but was less of a pure air raid.
2011 Big 12
2014 TCU (lost tiebreaker)
2015-2018 Big 12

It’s won titles at the FCS level with Eastern Washington.

For a scheme that is a relative newcomer and one that teams with talent edges are reluctant to try its done very well.

Seems like a pretty short list to me. Got anything outside of the Big 12? My bigger point is most championship squads feature a balanced attack and can stop the run.

 

[FrankDrebin]

Seems like a pretty short list to me. Got anything outside of the Big 12? My bigger point is most championship squads feature a balanced attack and can stop the run.

It’s only really been known in big programs since the late 90’s if you consider Kentucky one. Since that time the blue bloods aren’t early adopters. Other than a handful of years at OU with their initial 1999-2001 return and the last four there really hasn’t been a blue blood running it. The sample size is small as blue bloods are risk averse and veering away from what other blue bloods do is a risk. So a national title as well as several Big 12 titles is a good list for them given the context.

It’s won a lot at lower levels. Eastern Washington won a natty with it.

This list above is purely for the air raid. If we expand the list to all spread offenses we add multiple nattys and league titles from Oregon, Ohio State, Florida, Texas, and Clemson in. I remember people saying you can’t win titles in the sec or big ten with the spread and Urban Meyer shows how wrong they were.

 

[AttackOfTheClones]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-tiny-iowa-college-that-changed-the-nfl-1540304231

Great article above I read in October 2018 (unfortunately you need to subscribe to read it now) from the Wall Street Journal.

~ Basically the 'Air Raid' offense, which has now infiltrated the NFL, was devised nearly 30 years ago in a broken down trailer (aka a mobile home) occupied by a young asst coach Mike Leach, who was making $12,000/yr @ Iowa Wesleyan in Mt Pleasant, IA

~ They set NAIA passing records during his time in Mt Pleasant. I believe IA Wesleyan is now DIII

~ and one of Iowa Wesleyan players? West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen

You can't make this stuff up

~Hal Mumme was the head coach, where both would end up mentoring all-american Tim Couch @ Kentucky

Leach would coach @ Oklahoma in 1999, where his influence is evident in OU's offense today

I think Leach is also responsible for putting a few Big 12 QB's in the NFL with his offenses used around the league.

 

[Cyrealist]

Seems like a pretty short list to me. Got anything outside of the Big 12? My bigger point is most championship squads feature a balanced attack and can stop the run.

The original Air Raid was fatally flawed in that you couldn't control the clock and it was far more efficient between the twenties than in scoring. Blue-blood teams weren't going to use it when they could just line up and run the ball at most of the teams they faced. But I believe it has been a very strong influence. Elite teams have difficulty against elite defenses and so need an edge. Coaches have looked for ways to incorporate an effective running game. As this article https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2018/1...offense-andy-reid-spread-concepts-tyreek-hill discusses how the Chiefs use spread concepts.

 

[CloneFan4]

They lost in the playoffs in a blizzard in Moorhead, Minn.

^This is where finesse always fails.^ Show me how many championships "Air Raids" have won. December is for Defense.

Thats why I've always been a big fan of the type of Offense KSU has run, specifically when Collin Klein was there. Less limitations from external factors.

 

[CYCLNST8]

Thats why I've always been a big fan of the type of Offense KSU has run, specifically when Collin Klein was there. Less limitations from external factors.

Drawback to that is beating up your quarterback. High risk/high reward. A true dual threat using zone read is the new option offense.

 

[Hayes30]

I will take the Power Spread ISU runs any day of the week

 

[dirtyninety]

Dana Halvorson's bald mullett started in Mount Pleasant also.

 

[Ficklone02]

I will take the Power Spread ISU runs any day of the week

Yep, once the o-line catches up with the skill position talent we have it will be hard to stop.

 

[awd4cy]

They lost in the playoffs in a blizzard in Moorhead, Minn.

^This is where finesse always fails.^ Show me how many championships "Air Raids" have won. December is for Defense.

Yep, and just like this year when WSU lost at the end of the year to rival Washington at home in a blizzard. Would have won’t Pac 12 and made it to Rose bowl without that loss.

 

[Tre4ISU]

Seems like a pretty short list to me. Got anything outside of the Big 12? My bigger point is most championship squads feature a balanced attack and can stop the run.

That has nothing to do with anything.

Name a school with athletes even reasonably close to that of NC winning programs that have failed. The first thing you should probably do is learn what the Air Raid really is, why it works, and where their concepts are implemented elsewhere. I would bet USC puts in on everyone next year as KK has athletes to perform at that top level.

 

[CYCLNST8]

The first thing you should probably do is learn what the Air Raid really is

Um, does it involve passing? Like- a lot?

 

[TSKCoug]

Yep, and just like this year when WSU lost at the end of the year to rival Washington at home in a blizzard. Would have won’t Pac 12 and made it to Rose bowl without that loss.

The Huskies have some kind of voodoo on the Cougs. WSU has now lost 6 in a row against UW, yet WSU has won the last 4 against Oregon all with the same offense. Furthermore Leach is 1-3 in the four bowl games he has coached at WSU. I think it has to do more with the fact that WSU has a history under Leach of coming out flat in big games. I am not sure why that is but is an ongoing pattern. Perhaps the play calling has been too predictable. In any case I think that does bode well for the chances of an Iowa State win.....sadly.