Miami football: Dan Enos showing stubbornness not using shotgun more often

One of the debates during the bye week for the Miami football team has been should redshirt freshman quarterback Jarren Williams be under center or in the shotgun.

Miami football offensive coordinator Dan Enos was asked about what dictates when Miami redshirt freshman QB Jarren Williams is in the shotgun versus when he is under center. On various podcasts and in the media there has been some questioning if the protection for Williams would be better exclusively in the shotgun.

Enos stated during his Monday press conference that certain play calls are better in the shotgun and some are better when Williams is under center. The Hurricanes first-year offensive coordinator also said that he sometimes wants Williams’ eyes to be on the secondary and that’s not always possible in the shotgun.

Williams has exceeded expectations this season. The Georgia native has completed 73.3 percent of his passes for1,027 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Williams’ only turnover was a lost fumble. He has been called courageous and a warrior for the way he has stood in the pocket facing constant pressure.

That pressure is what has led some analysts to call for the Miami football team using the shotgun nearly exclusively. Enos laid out the reasons why his offensive schemes will continue to be multiple when he met with the media on Monday.

"“I think there’s certain parts of your run game that are better underneath center rather than in the shotgun…I think there’s certain play-action passes that are better underneath center rather the shotgun as well. When you’re under center you never have to take your eyes off the configuration of the secondary.You never have to have that moment or two where you have to have your eyes come down (to receive the ball) like in the shotgun. There’s certain things the quarterbacks are more comfortable having their eyes down the field the entire time.And, there’s a lot of times those quarterbacks want to have the ball in their hands right now rather than waiting. When you’re underneath center you have it immediately in your hands. You have the laces already shaped in your hands and you’re able to make some quick throws out of it that way.There’s benefits being under center and there’s certainly benefits from being in the shotgun. We will always continually evaluate what we’re doing out of both from the standpoint of a self-scout situation.”"

Let’s hope that Enos and the Miami Hurricanes offensive coaching staff does continue to evaluate if Williams is better under center or in the shotgun. It is an advantage to be multiple on either offense or defense.

If the offensive line continues to struggle it might be to the advantage of the Miami offensive line to put Williams in the shotgun more often. The Miami offense struggled the last two seasons often because of Mark Richt’s stubbornness to adapt and see that his system was not working. Enos needs to avoid the same mistakes.