In His Words, Why Longo Opted For The Triple Option Play

CHAPEL HILL – Even though North Carolina has begun preparation for Saturday’s game at Georgia Tech, the decision to go for the two-point conversion and the play the Tar Heels ran this past Saturday versus Clemson remains a hot topic.

So naturally, when offensive coordinator Phil Longo met with the media Monday, as he does every week, he fielded several questions about the read option play that didn’t work in UNC’s 21-20 loss to the top-ranked Tigers.

After sophomore running back Javonte Williams scored with 1:17 remaining on the clock, UNC Coach Mack Brown decided to go for the two-point conversion to try and win the game in regulation instead of taking his chances with Clemson banging through a game-winning field goal or facing the more talented Tigers in overtime.

Longo called a traditional triple option play that was ultimately sniffed out by the Tigers’ defense, ending all hopes Carolina pulling off the upset. In Longo’s words, what went into the Tar Heels running that play instead of something else?

“Every week we put together a goal line play list and usually your two best goal line play list plays, maybe our three best, are your choices for the two-point play. We had one that we were going to run out of our base offense in trips but we scored with the RB (running back) in one game this year, the other one that we ran that same play was the touchdown catch that won the Miami game. So, we had that play produce two touchdowns for us in two of the last four games.

“Clemson has an excellent staff and I just felt like that wasn’t going to be the right call at the three-yard line. Because, what they do defensively, it can create some issues at the three (yard line), we like that play maybe from the seven (yard line) or the 10 (yard line) but that was one of the calls.

“The reason we didn’t go with it is because I just think they had their guys coached up, they knew that we ran that twice, it was really productive for us down there so, it really was the third choice. The second choice was the play we ran and, the first choice for us as the two-point play, we exhausted that trying to score. That was the great catch that (Jake) Bargas caught on the one-inch line. That would have been my first choice as the two-point play.”

The Heels have attempted four two-point conversions this season, and the one Saturday looked an awful lot like the one they converted versus South Carolina. Longo, however, said it was a different play.

“No (it wasn’t), and everybody kept saying that. We ran straight speed option at South Carolina on a two-point conversion and it was a check by Sam Howell. We had a play called and, if they gave us a certain look where we had great numbers, he made the call to run the speed option. We ran a very simple speed option and he optioned off the d-end and he worked off the d-end and he scored.

“This one was a true triple option play. We could have given the ball to Javonte (Williams), we could pull it if the end crashed and we were going to pitch off the safety. The defensive end at Clemson made a great play, he did. He came down, gave us enough of a look where Sam pulled it and then rocked back out just athletically he tracked Sam back down the line of scrimmage and got to him before Sam was able to square his shoulders and get up field. He tried to muscle it in, he gave it his best effort.

“I don’t know how he got that ball out to try and even pitch it at the end when we has wrapped up but the safety triggered to the pitch man, so Sam had to keep it, and the d-end caught him. That’s what happened on the triple option.”

Even though the play didn’t pan out the way he wanted to, Longo still sticks by his decision to run that play:

“There’s nothing to dwell on. I had three choices, one of them I just thought, schematically, was going to be well worked on and well defended. We carried it into the game to run it from further out. It was a choice because it’s been such a good play for us but I don’t think it was the right move down there. The play we really wanted to use, when you’re driving to score the touchdown to keep yourself in the game at the end there, we were in an eight and a half minute drive that stemmed most of the quarter and got us all the way down to the one-inch line.

“The play that got us to the one-inch line was really our top two-point play but, at that point, our priority is to score the touchdown and then you worry about the two-point after that. So, it didn’t get us in, it got us to the one-inch line, Javonte punched it in after that and so we had to go to our second choice and it was the triple option.

“But, I have confidence in the play or I wouldn’t have called it. It’s a great call and I’m a genius when we score and it’s a terrible call when we don't and, obviously I’m not happy we didn’t get in, but right now our focus is on Georgia Tech.”