Running the same plays different ways will keep things simple for your kids, while making you multiple to the defense. The Buck Sweep play is one of the best plays in football. Buck Sweep is utilized on all age levels of football- from youth football to the NFL. The Buck Sweep blocking scheme is great for youth football because it utilizes down block / gap blocking rules. Buck has been our best play the past 3 seasons so we decided to just run the same play out of different formations. At the end of the day, it’s really just the same play that is executed out of different formations. The combinations are endless, but here are the 8 ways to run the Buck Sweep play.

8 Ways to Run the Buck Sweep Play | Same Play Different Formations

Buck Sweep Blocking Rules

The base blocking rules on Buck Sweep is GAP-DOWN-BACKER for the play-side and down blocking for the backside. The play-side guard is going to pull and kick-out the edge / force defender. This could be a first level defender or a second level defender. The backside guard will wrap, and look for the middle linebacker or play-side OLB (depending on the defense). He is to skip pull, keep his shoulders square and eyes on the linebacker he is supposed to block. The play-side TE and OT will GAP-DOWN-BLOCKER. If there is a defender in their inside gap, they are going to block down on them. If there is no gap defender, they block the next defensive linemen down (over the line inside of them). If there is no gap or down defender, they are to get onto a linebacker. The Buck Sweep Blocking scheme is easy to teach and works well on all levels of football. It’s a great blocking scheme because the defensive linemen won’t even see it coming (because their head will be watching the ball).

Buck Blocking Scheme Coaching Points

• Kick-out player (PS guard) aiming point is the inside hip of the defender he is kicking out. His pull path must be tight off of the down blocking OT & TE. Do not pull flat! Guard cannot let the defender squeeze or slice inside of the kick-out.
• Ball carrier must be right behind the back-side guard that is wrapping. You want the ball carrier to be right behind the guard- cut off of the block.
• We prefer to run Buck to the 3-man surface (G-T-TE) but you don’t have too. You can run it to a two man offensive line surface with a H-back or FB.
• Backside OT must step down and always replace / protect the pulling guards gap.
• When the center is faced with double A-gap defenders he is to block the backside A-gap defender. The play-side A-gap defender is blocked by the OT.

8 Different Ways to Run Buck Sweep

(GAP-DOWN-BACKER) blocking scheme applies regardless of formation.

Buck Sweep out of Shotgun Wing T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buck Sweep out of the Shotgun Wing T is how many teams like to run it. This is a great complement off of the Jet Sweep. Faking Jet Sweep will add an element of deception to the play. In addition, it will draw eyes of the defenders. A great Jet Sweep fake is needed!

Download Today: Shotgun Wing T Playbook 

Buck Sweep out of Wing T / Under Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buck Sweep from under center Wing T is another popular way of running this play. This is pretty much the same play as the Shotgun Wing T Buck Sweep. The only difference is that the QB is under center and needs to step off of the midline, fake jet sweep and hand to the 2. We have the 2 off set so that he can get the handoff at full speed and because we run Jet Sweep with him lead blocking most of the time. So it serves as a nice formation key breaker. Again, a great Jet Sweep fake is needed.

Buck out of Beast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This past season was the first time we’ve ran Buck out of our Beast Formation and it was really good to us. The only tricky thing with this is that the (1) is a running back (we take out of our QB when we go direct snap) and he will have to execute a handoff. Make sure you commit some practice time to teaching your RBs how to hand the ball off. If you don’t want your RBs handing the football off, you can just keep you QB in and have him do it. If you have a mobile QB then you can just keep him there. We prefer having our RB do it because the defense will have to respect him as a running threat. We also run QB Buck, which you will see below.

Download: Beast Formation Playbook

QB Buck out of Beast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a nice complement to our Beast Formation Buck Play. The QB Buck play will have the (1) faking to the (2) and he will keep it on the Buck. As I said above, we like to put a running back at the (1) because it makes the (1) and (2) run threats. It gives us the option to run Buck to both sides. I like this because it also adds an element of deception.

Diesel Unbalanced (Tackle-Over)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Out of the 8 ways to run the Buck Sweep Play this was the formation we had the most success with. Defenses just didn’t align properly to this formation. This formation is great because it creates alignment conflict for the defense. It brings the (LT) over to the right side, which gives us a really strong 3-man blocking surface. The (H) will insert for the middle or outside linebacker (depending on the defense). The twins formation will take a defender out of the box. If the defense doesn’t match you can always throw a now screen to the (4) or even to the (SE).

Diesel Formation QB Buck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s Buck out of our balanced Diesel Formation. We will run this to our QB. If we don’t have a mobile QB, we will put in a RB and have him run it- just like I talked about in QB Buck out of Beast Formation play above. This is great for when teams over-shift to our H-back side.

Trips Formation Buck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also had a lot of success running buck out of our Trips Formation. This was another formation that defenses had trouble aligning properly to. They would either over shift to the trips or won’t adjust to it at all. You can also run QB buck to the H-back side if they are adjusting to or following your TE. This is a great way to spread the field and run the football!

20 Personnel- Buck Sweep

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is Buck out of 20-Personnel. All of the other Buck Sweep plays were drawn up running to the TE side. Here we have it going to our (H) side. This is pretty much like running with a TE. The (H) actually has a better angle on his down block. We haven’t ran Buck out of this formation but it is something we may do in the future. Blocking rules don’t change because there isn’t a TE- the (H) will follow the GAP-DOWN-BACKER blocking progression. These were the 8 Ways to Run the Buck Sweep Play. Run the same play out of different formations! This will make you look multiple, while keep things simple for your kids.