The Pistol formation has taken college football by storm. It is used by many top programs.

According to the AP, “Invented in Nevada, the short shotgun setup — hence pistol — that places the quarterback about 4 yards behind center and a running back 3 yards behind the QB is now being used in varying amounts at Alabama, Arkansas, Duke, Indiana, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and UCLA, just to name a few.”

So what makes the formation so difficult to defend? Simple. It looks “weird.” According to the story below, “Texas Tech linebacker Bront Bird played at Nevada in 2008 and the Red Raiders won 35-19. He said the pistol causes problems for linebackers who try to decipher which way a play is going by watching the running back’s first step.” And to make it clear: “It just looks weird and there’s just so many different things you can do” out of it, he said. Read more below.

3 thoughts on “The Pistol”

  1. Yeah – the pistol formation allows the offense to change plays ar the last minute without motion with an audible/hand signal. Depending on how the QB can read the defense – changes can be made without “tipping off” the defensive formation. Even in a 4-3 let alone the 3-4.

  2. Pistol Shmistol.
    All you need is genuis like auburn has. Gus malzahn.
    Gene Chizik. Pat Dye.
    But could you imagine Cam Newton in the pidtol . He would revolutionise the game. I digress Bammer Morons. Can Newton is already revolutionizing the game.
    Auburn has the inventor of the the hurry up spread offense so we are like….light decades ahead of the Bammer troglodykes. I know some of yall think that tony Franklin was the inventor but he stole what he knew from Gus malzahn.You can see how well Houton “we have a problem” Nutt, is doing without Gus malzahn.

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