Breaking Down YY Counter at Montana State and Missouri
YY Counter, not my term, has picked up steam over the last few years. But what is YY Counter? Simply put, it’s zone with two slice blocks. Is that really counter? Probably not. But there is still, in theory, a kick and a wrap, so we’ll go with the name for now.
We’re going to break down YY Counter at the FCS level in one of the best conferences in the country, then at the FBS level in one of the best conferences in the country, and look at where the two differ.
Montana State Running YY Counter
The Bobcats are in heavy personnel here with an extra offensive lineman and two tight ends. They’ll motion one tight end over to join the other before running YY Counter. If this was normal split zone, Idaho State has the fit correct. They have an edge fit with a linebacker gap exchanging over the top. The second slicer is what creates the advantage for the offense. That linebacker ends up caught in the wash, and the slicer continues all the way to the third level, leaving the running back one on one with a corner.
They end up calling holding on the tight end downfield. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, but the point stands. By running this scheme, the offense got numbers at the point of attack.
Under center now, 13 personnel, and we see YY Counter again from the Bobcats. Mercyhurst is squeezing the hell out of zone and outside zone like a well coached defense, so Montana State comes back with the YY Counter call. The squeezing defensive end gets logged, and the second slicer pulls all the way to the safety. This scenario is nightmare fuel for a defensive coordinator. An offense getting a tight end to the third level against your post safety is a disaster, and off go the Bobcats for a huge gain.
