In this guide, we'll break down the elite-level split-field coverage adjustments. Whether you're facing spread teams weekly or just need to shore up your defensive toolkit, these battle-tested coverage concepts will give your defense the confidence to dominate any 3x1 formation they encounter.
The presenter is Coach Chris Jewell, Defensive Coordinator at the College of Idaho.
This 10-minute segment is a part of his entire 50-minute Clinic 3x1 Split Field Coverage Options. You can view it in its entirety on Glazier Drive.
How the College of Idaho handles trips:
Number one, cut the field in half and keep it split.
The base approach to handling trips is to stay versus one receiver, keeping the boundary safety playing to the boundary. This safety plays his half of the field and may clue three to one, helping a little on that side. They want offenses to know we are not leaving this guy isolated.
On the field side, they lock and eliminate number one. They treat him as if he doesn’t exist. That allows the field side safety to play as a corner over number two, turning him into a corner safety.
For any quick flat route (our "fast wheel" rule), the linebacker covers three to the flat while the safety works over the top of two. The safety will yell "wheel" to signal this, so if two is vertical, he can switch his focus and assist the linebacker with three to the flat.
For the linebacker on the boundary, they call him a "Green Dog" player. He’s responsible for manning up on two and blitzing if two stays in to block. If two releases, he covers man-to-man. If two goes away, he looks to help cover crossers from the other side.