Football 101 - Basics of the Wide Splits Offense

Note: This is a new series intended to assist fans in learning more about the basics of Old Dominion football and the game they play. Our goal is to give all fans a better understanding of the basics of our program, the offensive and defensive schemes and concepts and the verbiage used so they can further enjoy the program we're building at Old Dominion. Since this is an introductory level tutorial, it might not be for everyone. But we hope you enjoy it and appreciate our want to help educate the entire fanbase on the fundamentals of this game we all love.

By Robert King, with assistance from Mike Langston and Justice

In 2020, Ricky Rahne was hired as head coach of Old Dominion football. Early on in his tenure, the offensive coordinator position was a bit of a revolving door with 3 offensive coordinators in a 3 year period and 2 seasons of football (Kirk Campbell, David Patenaude and Kevin Reihner). After a challenging 2022 season in which the team struggled offensively and finished with a disappointing 3-9 record, Coach Rahne brought in Kevin Decker from Fordham University.  

Under Decker’s guidance, Fordham led the FCS (and had the second-best offense in FCS history) with 609 yards per game and ranked second in the country with 49.5 points per game. The Rams also led FCS in first downs and passing offense. Fordham quarterback Tim DeMorat led the country in touchdown passes, total touchdowns, passing yards and total offense, leading him to be named a first-team FCS All American and Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year.  Decker's offensive success was driven by the Wide Splits Offense.

Verbiage:

Now, before we get into the basics of this offense, we feel like we should explain the verbiage first so we can all be on the same page throughout the article.

Splits refers to the amount of distance between each lineman's outside foot or how wide the WR’s are spread out at the line of scrimmage.

ISO is short for isolation, which is another way of saying 1-on-1 matchup.

RPO is an acronym for Run, pass, option. RPO is an offensive scheme where run and passing options are built into each play. For instance, a QB can either hand the ball off to a running back, keep the ball to run, or throw.

Man refers to man coverage which creates a 1-on-1 matchup between the receiver and secondary.

Zone refers to zone coverages (Cover 1, cover 2, cover 3 or cover 4 for example). Cornerbacks and safeties are assigned different areas of the field as opposed to man. Cornerbacks have more support in this set-up as it releases their fellow members of the secondary into a help position when the ball enters their area of the field.

Tackle box refers to an imaginary box between left tackle and right tackle. Defense will typically add personnel to defend the run inside the box when you're having success on the ground.

Fundamentals:

The basic premise of the Wide Splits offense is to spread the defense out wide horizontally, to create running and passing lanes for the running back and quarterback.  It achieves this by having the offensive linemen with 2-to-3-foot splits and the wide receivers lined up out wide on the edge of both sides of the field, creating a wide gap between the offensive line and the wide receivers. The idea behind this horizontal stretch is to force defensive players to win 1-on-1 matchups and make 1-on-1 tackles, giving offensive players an opportunity to make plays in open space.

You are forcing the defense to play well in space, which can challenge a defensive players’ skills and athletic ability. These players are being isolated to make 1-on-1 plays that they normally wouldn’t have to do.

The wide splits offense is a version of the spread offense and when combined with tempo it can be very difficult to defend. The RPO scheme fits nicely into this offense because the wide splits force the defense to prioritize the outside so they can’t put additional personnel in the tackle box. There are also wide running lanes for the running back due to the wide splits. If the quarterback were to keep the football and run off the edge, it would be difficult for the corners and safety to defend this because they are stretched out past the numbers.  

From a passing perspective, defenses have to run a lot of man coverage, which means the safeties are not there for support. This is a great offensive attack because you are putting pressure on the defense and creating space for the offense and your playmakers. 

Personnel:

While this offense does offer advantages, it does require certain skills from the personnel.

The quarterback must have a strong enough arm to throw deep and wide to the sidelines. They also must be mobile and decisive in decision making to get all the benefits out of the RPO system. The edge gained in space with this offense is reduced with the amount of time you allow the defense to react.

The offensive line should be strong in the passing game, winning 1-on-1 blocks and have good lateral mobility. Given the wide running lanes, the blockers are put in more 1-on-1 situations, giving them an advantage. However, teams will blitz this offense and force the QB to be decisive. If the pass blocking isn't stout and the plays takes too long to develop, it can be blown up by the blitzing defense.

Running backs must show good vision, a strong burst and an ability to cut. While the offense does open some wide running lanes, you have to select the right ones and be able to make the first man miss to turn this running offense into a success.

Wide receivers should be quick, run smart/crisp routes, win the ball frequently and make defenders miss in space. While they will be put in advantageous positions, you need to win those 1-on-1 matchups and make sure you put the quarterback in a good position to hit you in open space.

Summary:

Assuming you have the right personnel, the wide splits forces teams to avoid zone coverage, since it puts additional pressure on their defensive backs to win battles in the secondary in man coverage on the edges. It increases their chances of being beaten deep for explosive plays whether through the running or passing game. However, this offense can be vulnerable to the blitz with the wide gaps between lineman. Additionally, with the wide gap between receivers and the quarterback, it can make even short throws very long. Given that a football field is 53 yards wide, a simple hitch route to the outside receiver could require a 30-yard throw to gain as few as 3 yards or perhaps less. If that throw isn’t made with sufficient velocity, those throws become vulnerable to turnovers and pick 6’s. While this offense affords you the opportunity to add tempo changes, you have to have consistent success to run it up-tempo. If you aren't, it can lead to quick 3 and outs and more time on the field for the defense. The more time on the field for the defense can lead to a tired defense (especially later in a game) and the more tired you are, the more vulnerable you are. 

Essentially, the wide splits is an offense that requires good decision making, a multi-dimensional quarterback and play-making skills at the wide receiver and running back spots. While it does create a lot of open space by putting the offense into good leverage situations across the entire field, you have to take advantage of those opportunities or you could see an offense that routinely goes three and out.

Throughout Decker’s tenure at Old Dominion, we have seen the wide splits have a positive impact on the running game. In 2022, they averaged a meager 92.3 yards per game on the ground. In the two years since his hiring, they have averaged 153.4 yards per game in 2023 and 209.8 yards per game in 2024. In 2025, the room for growth will come in the passing game, an area they haven’t seen as much success in since the installation of the wide splits offense. In 2022, they averaged 247.2 yards per game through the air while it’s hovered around 193 yards per game in the two seasons since that change. The reasons for that decline are varied but we have seen glimpses of what this offense can be in 2024, like the season ending win over Arkansas State and the primetime show they put on against Georgia Southern. 

If we can maintain the strong running game that the wide splits have given us in the last two years while also making the passing game more effective, the likelihood of a more successful 2025 season improves immensely. If not, we could see similar results to the last two seasons where we are fighting for bowl eligibility in the final week of the season.

Robert King is an ODU alum (class of 2021) and a lifelong ODU sports fan, having attended football games since 2009 and basketball games since the days of the ODU fieldhouse. Currently, Robert is a local P.E. teacher and HS football coach. He spent his college years working as an ODU football intern, scouting and evaluating high school prospects. In his spare time, he enjoys attending concerts, traveling, movies, and outings with family and friends.