Breaking Down Iowa State's R-Flip Run Game
Iowa State has an interesting backfield action they leaned on in 2025 that I’m calling R-Flip. The concept is simple: post-snap, the running back flips to the opposite side of his alignment before taking the handoff. It’s not a revolutionary idea, but it gives the defense a different look to process, and the first time you see it, it can create some genuine confusion in the run fits.
Call it whatever you want. Someone’s already named it. But for this article, R-Flip is what we’re going with.
Update: I just saw a profile on Twitter call this skip action.
R-Flip with Power
Against Kansas State, the Cyclones run Power with the R-Flip action out of a semi-condensed formation. The front side movement from the defense muddies up the blocking scheme, but the flow of the guard, fullback, and running back on the flip triggers fast flow from the backside linebacker, opening a clean cutback lane. The condensed tight end works to the safety, clearing that second level, and the play hits backside with nothing but a corner left to make the stop. He does, but not until after a 7-yard gain.
Here’s another variation, this time against Kansas. The Cyclones run into a fire zone pressure and pay for it. A run that normally hits the third level gets tackled at the second by a third-level defender working down in a 3-under, 3-deep coverage scheme. Still picks up four yards, but this is about as unfavorable a look as you can get for this concept.
R-Flip with Zone Insert
The flow here almost looks like Counter, but it’s just Zone Insert. The flip puts backside defenders in conflict because suddenly they feel like read players. That’s exactly what this action is designed to do: create hesitation and make defenders question their assignments. Am I the quarterback defender now? Do I play the dive? It’s the kind of confusion that sends a defensive coordinator straight to the iPads on the sideline trying to get answers between possessions. The backside safety plays flat-footed, the insert climbs to the play side safety, and the running back doesn’t see contact until the third level.
R-Flip with Counter
Counter is where Iowa State got the most mileage out of this action. First, let’s look at it paired with G/H Counter. The Cyclones align in 13 personnel, standard for this offense, and attack the four-man surface. The defense gets a decent squeeze, but Iowa State does a good job logging the end, the H works around to the next defender, and the running back finds the end zone. The R-Flip flow makes the backside linebacker and safety hesitate just enough that neither one makes it play side in time to affect the play. And if you can’t get backside defenders flowing play side against Counter into a four-man surface, you’ve got problems.
One more rep of G/H Counter, again in 13 personnel against a four-man surface. Watch the slicing tight end on this one. He does a great job recognizing his responsibility on the playside linebacker, and when that linebacker shoots the gap, the tight end is sitting right there in the B gap to make the key block. Iowa State’s guys understand their assignments and adjust on the fly. The guard makes the kick-out clean, the corner can’t fold in time, and the flip action holds the backside interior linebacker in place, leaving the defense a man short on the front side. Another big run for the Cyclones.
The last clip is Super Counter. Why not pull everybody? At the point of attack, Iowa actually fits this pretty well. They get a squeeze and put a dent in the line, but with three pullers working, the Cyclones eventually get the end logged and get the next pullers climbing to the second level. It doesn’t hit the way you want Counter to hit, but it bounces and turns into a solid gain. The flip action genuinely helps the timing here. When you’re pulling that many players, backfield timing can become a problem. The extra time built into the flip gets the running back on track and gives the pullers time to clear, which improves his vision on the whole scheme.
Final Thoughts
R-Flip is not a complicated concept, and that’s the point. Iowa State isn’t reinventing the run game. What they’re doing is layering a simple backfield action on top of sound run concepts to create hesitation at the second and third levels. Power, Zone Insert, G/H Counter, Super Counter. These are all concepts defenses see every week. The flip is the wrinkle that makes them harder to fit.
The real value of this action shows up in the details. Backside linebackers freezing on Counter. Safeties playing flat-footed on Zone Insert. Defenders second-guessing their assignments in real time. That’s not scheme beating scheme, that’s execution and deception working together. When your backfield action is putting a defensive coordinator on the iPad between possessions, you’re winning the chess match.
What makes it sustainable is how clean it pairs with 13 personnel. The Cyclones have the personnel to stress the point of attack with a four-man surface and still get pullers to the second level. Add the R-Flip timing benefit on Super Counter and you’ve got an action that does more than just look different. It actually makes the scheme work better.
Keep an eye on Iowa State’s run game going forward. If they continue to build off this action, defenses are going to have to account for it in their prep. And that’s exactly the kind of problem an offense wants to create.