Race

Wilkes offense simplifies play-calling system to move at rapid, record-setting pace

Courtesy of Warren Ruda

Wilkes (Pa.) first-year head coach Trey Brown implemented a no-huddle offense and a one-word play-calling system. On Sept. 20, the Colonels set a Division III record with 113 plays in one game.

Alcohol and college football are often associated with each other. But for the Wilkes University football team, alcohol is part of a play-calling system.

The Colonels have plays named “beers,” “whiskey” and “vodka.”

“I just don’t believe kids are wired these days the way they used to be wired with needing a bunch of verbiage,” Wilkes head coach Trey Brown said.

Brown, in his first year coaching the Colonels, has implemented a no-huddle offense and a one-word play-calling system. Plays are organized categorically, meaning the alcohol plays are similar, and fruits and animals share a characteristic.

The play-naming system is part of Brown’s effort to have Wilkes (2-4, 2-3 Middle Atlantic Conference) run 80 plays per game, or one every 10 –12 seconds. Through six games, Wilkes — located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania — has run more than 80 plays twice and averages almost 26 points per game.



On Sept. 20, the Colonels set a Division III record with 113 plays in one game.

“Our guys wouldn’t know how to get in a huddle at all,” Brown said. “The word ‘huddle’ is never even brought up.”

Brown’s experience with the no-huddle began as an assistant at Pennsylvania from 2001–05. The Quakers had a change-of-pace package called “attack” that featured about 10 plays.

In the past three seasons as an assistant at Muhlenberg after working for four seasons at Lehigh, Brown’s offenses were exclusively no-huddle with about 30 one-word plays. Over time, he learned different ways to accelerate communication and that’s what he brought to Wilkes during the hiring process this past offseason.

Players evaluated the potential coaches and handed in forms to athletic director and board that included their opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of each replacement option.

Though the players didn’t have the final decision, they knew what they were getting into before Brown was even hired.

“He told the team the first day we met him he’d be implementing the fast-paced offense,” senior wide receiver Jonathan Conklin said.

Since then, simplifying the communication and shortening the time process from one play to the next has been critical to Brown. “Far double-wing right 370 lion” includes the formation, protection and receiver routes. Brown said he could shorten that to “bananas” and the players will know what to run.

Wilkes’ playbook contains a little more than 120 plays, but only about 50 are used each week. This allows players to keep a fast tempo and be comfortable with the communication.

“It was something I always looked forward to and looked up to,” Conklin said, “being part of a team that played like that.”

Brown is enamored with being able to wear opposing teams out, and said that his offense creates incredible chaos for the defense. Since opposing defenses don’t have much time to substitute, Brown uses that to Wilkes’ advantage by running the same personnel package for up to eight consecutive plays.

“They’re always breathing heavy,” sophomore starting quarterback Ryan Dailey said of opposing defenses.

Brown models his offense after those of well-known Division I coaches like Mike Leach when he was at Texas Tech, Chip Kelly when he was at Oregon and Art Briles at Baylor. And it’s very similar to the offense Syracuse planned to run at the beginning of the season.

At the start of this year, Dailey had never started a collegiate game. Wilkes’ tailbacks were inexperienced, Brown said, and the offense went through the growing pains of switching to a completely new style.

Senior tight end Jeremy Hartman said he’s excited for the future once Brown recruits his own players that fit his system best.

“By the time it hits a couple years through the program, this is what we’re doing, Wilkes is going to be really good,” Hartman said. “It’s awesome to be a part of something new.”





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