Breaking Down the Buford and Milton High School Clash

Last week, ESPN kicked off its national high school football coverage with a heavyweight matchup between Buford and Milton, two of Georgia’s top-tier programs. It was a fun watch, loaded with talent and energy, but also looked exactly like what you'd expect from a Week 1 game. There were plenty of flags and early-season sloppiness. Still, what stood out was the creativity and scheme on both sides of the ball. This article takes a look at some of the more inventive offensive concepts and the defensive structure that defined the opening weekend of high school football in America.

The Run Defenses

Both teams showed discipline and physicality against the run. Buford’s defensive line stood out, regularly resetting the line of scrimmage and disrupting Milton’s run game. Milton held their own as well, flying to the ball and playing with sound leverage. Both defenses looked like they were already in midseason form when it came to run fits and pursuit.

On this snap, Milton does a great job squeezing and spilling the puller on Power, forcing the ball to bounce right into the free hitter. They also work a well-timed "ton" stunt inside, which frees up the backside linebacker on the run through and shut down the cutback lane that often opens up on Power and other gap schemes. This was a well-executed rep from the Eagles' defense, showing both discipline and awareness.

This play highlights two things Buford's defense did consistently well. First, the defensive end does a great job displacing the tackle, forcing this quarterback sweep variation to hit wider than Milton likely intended. Second, Buford’s defensive line kept their linebackers clean all night. You can see both on display here, as the linebacker flows over the top untouched and makes an easy play on the ball.

Here’s another example of how dominant Buford's defensive line was. They absorb multiple double teams, keeping the second level clean and giving the linebacker a free run to the ball. This is exactly what you want up front and a dream scenario for any linebacker.

This is another strong rep by the Milton defense, with the spiller and backside linebacker combining to shut down the cutback. The running back has nowhere to go on Counter, thanks to a gap-sound effort both front side and back side. Milton closes all the doors here and finishes the play with discipline.

Here’s another example, late in the game, of Buford’s defensive line taking over and driving the Milton offensive line into the backfield. Anytime you’ve got three or more defenders across the line of scrimmage before the runner hits it, good things are going to happen for the defense.

Both defenses gave up a few solid runs throughout the night, but more often than not, the ball carrier was stopped for a short gain or dropped behind the line. For a season opener, the tackling was good and the defensive execution stood out on the lines. Check out the full run defense cutup below.

Explosive Plays

At the end of the day, this is still high school football. Explosive plays are going to happen, and this game was no exception. Most of the scoring came off big gains on offense, and one on defense if you want to count it that way.

Milton’s first scoring drive featured two of those explosive plays in quick succession, helping them flip the field and finish the drive.

The first big play came on a quarterback draw. If he manages to keep an early step in bounds, it might have gone the distance. It was a great call early in the drive, with Milton using an empty formation to create a light box. Their quarterback is a load when he carries the ball, and this was the first glimpse of how dangerous he can be as a runner.

Two plays later, Milton’s quarterback casually drops in a touchdown on a well-designed "Mills" concept. It was a perfect call against Buford’s quarters coverage. Running it out of a stack adds to the difficulty for the defense, as it forces the secondary into a coverage check, often referred to as “IO” or “Banjo.” In this setup, the safety takes the first in-breaking route while the corner takes the first out-breaking one. But with the corner playing outside leverage, as is commonly taught, he becomes vulnerable to the post. The receiver does a great job of stemming the corner outside before snapping into the post, creating a tough ask for the defender. The result is six points for Milton and an early lead.

Later, Buford answered with an explosive of their own, hitting a variation of post-wheel against Milton’s Cover 3. They start in a bunch set into the boundary and motion the wheel to the field. This forces the overhang to carry it, which is always a tough matchup. The route is open, but a lofted throw gives the corner and safety time to recover. Still, the receiver makes an unbelievable catch through contact and delivers the explosive play the Wolves needed.

On the very next play, the Wolves go to a Split Zone Shoot RPO that gets them down to the goal line. A few plays later, they punch it in and take back the lead.

I’m going to cheat a bit and call this a defensive explosive play, because in theory, it is. After having a touchdown called back due to a penalty, Milton calls a sprint-out pass, and disaster follows. First, Buford creates immediate pressure with the defensive end and an inverting linebacker getting to the quarterback. Second, the secondary is ready for the Flood concept. It's tough to tell exactly what happens on the back end, but here's my best guess. Milton runs a Flood concept with a post, sail, and flat combination, along with an over route from the backside. Buford, who had shown a lot of Quarters earlier, appears to be in single-high coverage here, likely Cover 3. The corner recognizes he has safety help on the post, comes off it, and jumps the sail route for a pick-six. I can’t confirm every detail from the angle we get, but this scenario seems to fit the structure and timing of the play.

Late in the game, Milton needed to put together a scoring drive, and this explosive play helped set it up. They run a quarterback counter bash for a big gain, once again showing just how dangerous their quarterback is as a runner.

That drive led to this touchdown pass on 4th down by Milton’s backup quarterback. Nothing fancy here. It's a go ball, and the corner loses leverage in Cover 3.

Big Hits

There were plenty of big hits and highlight plays throughout the night, but none matched this one from a Buford linebacker on a clean run-through. Once again, the Wolves’ defensive line did its job, keeping the backers clean. When that happens, you get linebackers flying downhill and delivering violent results.

Quarterback Run Game

Milton leaned heavily on the quarterback run game, and like I mentioned earlier, their signal-caller was a true weapon on the ground. He ran with power and control, just like so many dynamic high school quarterbacks across the country. Although he might want to get a better fitting helmet.

Blitzes We Liked

Buford did a nice job here scheming up a free rusher by isolating the edge against a full slide protection. The blitzer doesn’t finish the play, but the pressure gets home and shows the value of the design against the quarterback.

This is a standard double edge pressure from an odd front, but the real highlight is the safety in coverage. He stays patient, holds his ground, and understands the situation with pressure called and it being 3rd and 5. When the ball comes out, he triggers downhill and makes an open field tackle, stopping the Eagles short and forcing a punt. Not every pressure has to result in a sack. Sometimes, forcing a quick throw and making the tackle is exactly what you need.

Milton dials up a “Mike Loop” pressure on 2nd and long. The Mike comes untouched off the edge, forcing the Buford quarterback to climb the pocket in a hurry, which leads to a sack. This is a great low-risk call on second and long, and it pays off with a negative play against an athletic quarterback.

Mistakes and Penalties

Both teams dealt with their share of penalties, which added to the early-season feel of the game. For Milton, one flag in particular proved costly and took points off the board.

At one point, Milton catches Buford off guard in coverage and hits the smash route for what should have been a touchdown. But an obvious holding penalty wipes it off the board. On the very next play, they throw the pick-six mentioned earlier.

Buford had several costly penalties throughout the night. On this play, the running back reverses field and breaks off a huge gain that likely would have iced the game by putting them in field goal range. Instead, it's called back for a penalty, and they’re forced to punt a few plays later. It didn’t end up costing them the game, but it did put their defense in a spot where they had to come up with a stop to secure the win.

Creative Play

One of the best designs of the night came from Milton on their final touchdown drive. Facing 4th and 6, they dialed up a quarterback counter pop pass that hit for a first down. The most impressive part? The quarterback, who had injured his throwing hand earlier, completed the throw with his left hand. A clutch call and execution in a critical moment with the game on the line.

Conclusion

Week 1 delivered a physical and competitive battle between two of Georgia’s top programs. While it was far from perfect, the game showed off some of the best elements of high school football. We saw explosive plays, hard hits, creative scheming, and tough, disciplined defense. Both Buford and Milton displayed traits you look for in championship-level teams. As the season continues, expect these squads to clean up the penalties and sharpen their execution. If this game sets the tone for the rest of the year, high school football fans are in for a treat.