Cody Hodges had a favorite play when he was the starting quarterback at Texas Tech.
Instead of handing the ball off for a basic running play, he would throw a shovel pass in front of him to the halfback.
"A 1-yard pass," he said, "that sometimes turned into 30, 40 yards. And there's no difference in handing it behind you than dumping it in front of you."
Those plays counted as passing stats for Hodges, the Red Raiders' starter in 2005 who totaled 4,238 yards through the air.
Hodges' thinking exemplifies the basic approach to the Air Raid offense, which new UA offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes has hand-delivered to Tucson from Lubbock, Texas.
There is reason for hope for UA fans and quarterbacks alike — the Air Raid offense might be the most prolific in the history of football.
People are also reading…
In the past five years, the Red Raiders have produced four quarterbacks in the top 14 on the NCAA's Division I-A career total offense leaders list. B.J. Symons holds the record with 5,976 yards in 2003.
Those yards do not come from deep bombs and difficult throws.
"You want a guy that believes he can throw it," Dykes said, "but there's a fine line between believing you can make a throw and understanding that it's best to live to play another down.
"You're a good quarterback in this system when you're not making difficult throws. The more easy throws you make, the more successful you're going to be in this offense."
UA quarterback Willie Tuitama is learning the proper mind-set — take what the defense gives you.
"Before, when I threw the ball, I'd just fire it in there," he said. "With this offense, not every throw needs that."
Former Tech quarterbacks say the same thing — zip is no match for wit.
"More than anything, this is an offense that requires the QB to be very smart," said Graham Harrell, a junior entering his second season as Tech's starter. "You make more plays with your mind than physically."
Harrell posted 4,477 total yards last year, placing him 14th on the career list.
"You don't have to be able to throw the ball 80 yards to be successful," Hodges said. "You have to be talented. You have to be athletic. But if you're a smart guy, it's a 5-yard pass that can turn into a 45-yard gain.
"That's the thing about this offense — the most important thing is to get completions. If the quarterback is throwing incomplete passes, the offense is going to look bad, and the punt team is going be out there right away."
In the past five years, Tech quarterbacks have completed an astonishing 2,135 passes.
That is where Tuitama comes in. The junior suffered a concussion Sept. 9 against LSU, then had three more head-injury episodes during the season.
To the average fan, dropping Tuitama back to pass so frequently seems to invite injury. But Air Zona is probably better suited to a quarterback's health than your average offense.
"Once you get a feel for the system, there's an out for every play," said Kliff Kingsbury, Tech's 2002 starter. "Maybe you make 3 yards, maybe 30."
Most plays have built in hot routes — short routes run by receivers during a blitz — and pressure release valves like dump-off throws to the running back.
And being in the shotgun allows the quarterback to see the field more clearly.
"In this offense, it's the quarterback's responsibility to protect the quarterback," UA backup Kris Heavner said.
Despite attempting 531 passes, Hodges never suffered a concussion at Texas Tech. This past season, as the quarterback of the Fort Wayne Fusion of Arena Football 2, he suffered three in seven games.
"If you're gonna throw the ball 60 times, you're gonna get sacked once or twice," Hodges said. "But being in the shotgun, and with the built-in hots and safety valves, you can get rid of the ball quick enough to avoid trouble."
With the striking statistical totals, almost every Texas Tech quarterback gets labeled a "system quarterback."
It is a pejorative that gives more credit to the scheme than the player.
Even Texas Tech coach Mike Leach jokes about it. He tells his players that if anyone could succeed in his system, he might as well put a bikini model at quarterback.
The Red Raiders have often had the last laugh. Simple, smart throws have led to yards and wins — two things the UA desparately need.
"As a quarterback, you don't like to hear that," said 2004 starter Sonny Cumbie of the knocks on system quarterbacks. "So you just go out and lead the nation in passing."
Texas Tech quarterbacks
Texas Tech's five starting quarterbacks over the last five years. All put up huge passing numbers:
Yr Name Cmp-Att Pct Yds TDs Int
2006 Graham Harrell 412-616 66.9 4,555 38 11
2005 Cody Hodges 353-531 66.5 4,238 31 12
2004 Sonny Cumbie 421-642 65.6 4,742 32 18
2003 B.J Symons 470-719 65.4 5,833 52 22
2002 Kliff Kingsbury 479-712 67.3 5,017 45 13
Where they stand
Texas Tech's last five quarterbacks would hold UA single-season records:
• Passing yards Jason Johnson, 3,327 in 2002
• Pass attempts Johnson, 410 in 2002
• Pass completions Johnson, 239 in 2002
• Passing touchdowns Marc Reed, 20 in 1966
Advice
Here is what past and present Texas Tech quarterbacks had to say when asked if they had any advice for a UA quarterback learning coordinator Sonny Dykes' offense:
"That's one thing that takes a while — you see the offense and see it's so much fun. What some people don't realize is that people start dropping eight, nine, into coverage every down. Check a run at the right time. You'll punish them for dropping eight, nine into coverage."
— Graham Harrell, Texas Tech starter, 2006-present
"Get as many repetitions as possible. The more reps you get, the easier it is to get a hang of it. You look at the offense on the board or in film, and it looks super-complex. I don't want to say it's simple. But it's not as complex as it sounds."
— Cody Hodges, Texas Tech starter, 2005
"I think the biggest thing is to get in the film room and study a lot. Get in the film room with Coach Dykes and Coach (Bill) Bedenbaugh. It's more than the X's and O's. Understand how you want to attack the defense. You have the leeway. You're in control from goal line to goal line."
— Sonny Cumbie, Texas Tech starter, 2004
"The mental side is the biggest thing. Repetition is the key to this offense. Go through the reads in your head. Once that happens, it takes off."
— Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech starter, 2000-02
Total offense
NCAA Division I-A single-season marks
Name School Year Yards
1. B.J. Symons Texas Tech 2003 5,976
2. Colt Brennan Hawaii 2006 5,915
3. David Klingler Houston 1990 5,221
4. Ty Detmer BYU 1990 5,022
5. Kliff Kingsbury Texas Tech 2002 4,903
6. Tim Rattay La. Tech 1998 4,840
7. Andre Ware Houston 1989 4,661
8. Josh Harris Bowl. Green 2003 4,643
9. Jim McMahon BYU 1980 4,627
10. Philip Rivers N.C. State 2003 4,600
11. B. Roethlisberger Mia. (Ohio) 2003 4,597
12. Sonny Cumbie Texas Tech 2004 4,575
13. Chase Holbrook N.M. State 2006 4,541
14. Graham Harrell Texas Tech 2006 4,477
15. Timmy Chang Hawaii 2002 4,457
Did you know?
• In three of the past four years, Tech's leading passer has more than doubled the UA's total passing yards in the same season. In 2006, Harrell threw for 4,555 yards; the UA had 2,024 as a team. In 2004, Cumbie's 4,742 yards eclipsed the UA's 1,876 yards. In 2003, Symons' 5,833 dwarfed the UA's 2,204
