Now that we have looked at the different positions on the offensive line, it’s important to know how they work together. The most common type of run play in college football is a ‘Zone Run’ and one of the most advantageous aspects of this play is that it can be executed from any formation, versus any defense. The only time a team should audible out of a zone run is when the defense is overloaded, making them too vulnerable to the pass.
Before diving into Zone Combinations it’s important to understand the terminology that offenses use to identify defensive players. Defenders line up either on one of an offensive lineman’s shoulders or directly in front of him (also known as “Heads Upâ€) (fig 1).
 (many teams like to use a tight end in their formations but for the purpose of this article we will only be discussing a five-man offensive line).</p>
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–(yes… your High School Coach used this piece of equipment wrong)–
With extensive knowledge and a great Coach, an offensive-line can block a Zone Run against a three, four, or five man front. They can run the Zone with or without a tight end and they can run it with or without the read. The Zone is successfully executed with teamwork and great communication. An offensive line that has only one of these two skills will not be a successful blocking unit. Remember, there are no poor play calls… only poor blocking.
