I think the beginnings of the evolution of that last play Dallas used came from my high school. Seriously.
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When I was in high school, Coach Rich Pease had this play we'd run on extra points. The center would be alone with the kicker and holder directly behind him. The rest of team would form up in a line on the opposite side of wherever the ball had been placed for the kicker by the officials. There would be a long line of blockers and two receivers behind the wall of blockers.
What happened would depend on the opposing team. Invariably on the first extra point of the season, the opposing high school would all line up on the kicker the way they were trained. The ball would be then snapped and the holder would stand up and pass it to one of the receivers who would run it in for two points.
Then the opposing team after falling for this once, or twice in a couple cases. would line up opposing the wall of blockers and the two receivers. The center would then snap the ball and the holder would run it in for two points. If they'd left someone behind to watch that side, the holder would pitch it behind him to the kicker who would run it in for two points.
By about the mid-point of each season, the opposing team would come out in a formation on our first extra point to oppose both options. The wall of blockers and receivers would then move in motion and reset into regular kicking formation and we'd just line up in regular kicking formation for the rest of the game. But we'd always try that at the start of each game to see if that particular high school knew about our trick play.
Anyways, my last two years of high school, our quarterback was my classmate Brent Pease, son of coach Rich Pease. Brent graduated, went to a junior college at first and then to be the starting quarterback for Montana. Brent then went on to the NFL and then a series of coaching jobs.
In 2006, Brent became the WR coach at Boise State. From 2007-2010, Brent was Assistant Head Coach and WR coach at Boise State. In 2011, Brent was the Offensive Coordinator for Boise State.
I remember watching a Boise State game somewhere around 2010 or 2011 against a small college and I saw that formation on an extra point. I laughed and said to myself "Brent is running his dad's old play on that school". It worked on whatever team it was against, but it was a small school. I don't think you could get away with it against a top tier college program.
Anyways this all matters because from 2007 to 2011. the same years Brent was there, BSU's quarterback was the all time QB wins leader in FBS, Kellen Moore. The same Kellen Moore who is now Dallas's offensive coordinator.
I didn't watch the game but when I read Reagen's comment about an exposed center, I went and looked at the video of Dallas's last play. I personally believe the idea of leaving a center solo and having a wall of blockers with a receivers behind them came from my high school, went through BSU and stuck in Kellen Moore's mind.
The problem is, you can't run a trick like that against top tier talent who will adapt on the fly.
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