Texas' G/H Counter Bluff Reverse

This play exploded onto the scene in 2025, and by midseason, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Saturday or Sunday without some variation of it on film. While it’s tough to pinpoint who called it first, and honestly, who cares, it was made either “famous” or “infamous” thanks to Dan Casey’s viral breakdown on X (formerly Twitter). Texas leaned into it hard, calling it out multiple times throughout the year, including an outrageous variation against Florida that helped fuel a beatdown of the Gators.

So what exactly is the G/H Counter Bluff Reverse? At its core, it’s a misdirection concept that builds off G/H Counter. You get the usual counter pull from the guard and H-back to trigger linebacker flow, but instead of following the pullers, the offense reverses direction while slipping the H and OL back across the formation to lead in the opposite direction.

Our first look at G/H Counter Bluff Reverse comes out of 12 personnel in a 2x2 set with pre-snap motion. The eye candy does its job and all three defenders at linebacker depth work toward the counter action. Texas has the numbers to spring this one big, but the play stalls a bit in space. The pullers get out clean, but they struggle to finish their blocks on the perimeter, turning a potential explosive into a 7-yard gain.

The next variation comes from a 12 personnel bunch squeeze set. The Longhorns want to compress the defense, then stretch it in a hurry, and that’s exactly what this design achieves. Once again, the interior linebackers flow hard with the counter action. Meanwhile, the Z receiver does his job, pinning the Nickel inside. With leverage secured and the edge sealed, Texas hits the gas and this one’s off to the races.

This clip mirrors the Ohio State variation mentioned earlier, but with a key difference. Instead of asking the receiver to pin the defensive end, Texas works him out to the corner. That subtle shift makes a big difference as the receiver is able to secure a better block on the perimeter than the H-back did in the earlier example. The result? A clean edge and a chunk gain for the Longhorns.

Against Mississippi State, Texas dials up the bluff reverse from 11 personnel in a 2x2 set. They use orbit motion to bring the receiver in before ricocheting him back out pre-snap, which is a clever movement that stresses defensive communication. The eye candy pulls defenders out of position, and with the numbers play side, Texas kicks out the final two threats and walks in for six.

The final example, and easily the wildest, comes against Florida. It looks like something drawn up on the sideline just for fun… spoiler alert: it wasn’t. Texas motions the outside receiver from a bunch set across the formation, then brings him back on orbit motion. They fake the orbit handoff, spin back into a counter fake, and finally spin back around for the reverse. It’s a modern-day spin series, single wing DNA with a spread-era twist. The result? Texas gets a hat for a hat on the front side and rips off a huge gain off on a bonkers play design.

Conclusion

If you’re already running G/H Counter, this Bluff Reverse is a natural complement worth installing. It’s a clean counter, no pun intended, to teams that overreact to pullers. This gives you a chance to out-leverage aggressive second-level defenders with a fast skill player and built-in blockers leading the way. It’s not something you’ll call 20 times a game, but in a high school season, you’ll find plenty of spots to drop this in and flip the field with one call.