Pin and Pull Clinic: Inside SDSU’s 2025 Run Game

South Dakota State ran pin and pull like it was a religion in 2025. They dressed it up, motioned into it, ran it from condensed sets, heavy personnel, and even built in a few tricks. It was their bread and butter, and they used it as both a base call and a constraint. The Jackrabbits didn’t just run pin and pull. They built a lot rush offense around it. When they needed to control the tempo, take the air out of the ball, or hit you with a big play outside, that’s what they leaned on. They didn’t try to out-athlete you, they tried to out-leverage you.

Pin & Pull to the Nub

I’ve said it plenty of times, and it still holds true. Defending pin and pull into the nub side is one of the hardest things to do as a defensive coach. You are already short on numbers and leverage, and now you are getting stretched with pullers and down blocks. If they add an additional element to it, like motion or an RPO tag, it becomes a nightmare to fit cleanly. In this case, South Dakota State didn’t need the boundary help. They got what they wanted by formation alone.

Here the Jackrabbits line up in 12 personnel and run pin and pull into the YY side. Because they read the backside defensive end, they get three pullers out in front. The concept is clean. They get the play-side tackle up to the safety, and the center climbs to the interior linebacker. When big bodies get matched up on smaller ones, you usually win the rep. This is your standard pin and pull. SDSU executes it well, but what makes them dangerous is how many ways they can dress it up. This is just the base call. The variations are what really stress you.

Pin & Pull Toss

Toss is another variation, and South Dakota State used it to the same effect. It might feel slower, but the timing is nearly identical to a traditional pin and pull handoff. It may even hit a touch faster. The only real drawback is that toss tends to trigger the defense to flow quicker than a mesh look would. But that is probably splitting hairs. The blocking and angles stay the same. The presentation just changes.

Q Pin & Pull

Defending pin and pull into the boundary is already tough. Defending Q pin and pull is even worse. South Dakota State adds a mesh going the opposite direction, which holds the linebackers just long enough to create clean angles on the edge. On this rep, that delay lets the down block land with perfect leverage. The angle was so good, they ended up getting a two-for-one. That is the kind of detail that turns a good run into a chunk play.

Pin & Pull Read

When offenses run pin and pull, or any gap scheme, linebackers have to flow over the top. Once South Dakota State adds a read on the defensive end, that creates another layer of stress. The linebackers flow hard, the defensive end might not surf or sit on the quarterback, and then bang, a big gain on the quarterback pull off pin and pull action. To make things even tougher, the receivers run RPO routes off the fake. At that point, SDSU has essentially built the triple option out of pin and pull.

Pin & Pull to Condensed Sets

Condensed sets are a lot like nub sets, but in this look, South Dakota State adds motion to force the secondary to over-rotate. One of the reasons pin and pull works so well is the angle it gives receivers on their blocks. It is a much easier job to pin a defender inside from a tight alignment than it is to stalk a DB in open space. That is exactly what happens here. The condensed split sets up the down block, and the pullers get a clean run at the alley. When an offensive lineman gets a free shot on a corner, it is never fun. Trust me, I have been that corner.

Pin & Pull as a Change Up

For most of the season, SDSU had a clear tendency. When they lined up in 20 personnel with a pistol back and an offset back, they ran Power nearly every time. But against Youngstown State, they flipped the script and ran pin and pull from the same look.

The Jackrabbit offense came prepared with a change up. And it was not a one-time wrinkle. They brought this variation back in later games too.

Once defenses started overplaying Power to the offset back, SDSU used that against them. They ran pin and pull away from the fullback look, using that same player as the ball carrier. That forced linebackers to slow their read, and when it comes to pin and pull, playing slow is not your friend. One false step toward what looks like Power turns into six points going the other way.

Trick Play Off Pin & Pull

Off any good run play you should always build a trick or two. Here the Jackrabbits run pin & pull reverse, the “pinners” become the escorts on the reverse, not that the runner needed much help. Honestly, this should’ve been six, and the receiver probably got hell in the meeting room for not finishing this in the end zone.

Final Thoughts

South Dakota State did not just run pin and pull in 2025. They built an identity around it. It was physical, versatile, and layered with just enough window dressing to keep defenses guessing. From nub sets to condensed formations, from toss looks to quarterback reads, they found every possible way to dress it up without losing the core structure. The best part is that it all tied back to one simple goal: out-angle and out-leverage the defense.

If you are looking to build a run game that travels, start here. Pin and pull gives you answers. SDSU showed the blueprint.