Wildcat formation
It has been used since the late 1990s at every level of the game, including the CFL, NFL, NCAA, NAIA, and high schools across North America.
The wildcat was popularized in the first decade of the 2000s by South Carolina Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier to use Syvelle Newton in all offensive positions on the field.
It was also used in that decade by the Arkansas Razorbacks, employing the unique skill set of their three running backs, Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, and Peyton Hillis.
Though its popularity as a regular offensive weapon has waned in recent years as defenses have adapted to it, some teams still use it occasionally as a trick play.
One possible precursor to the wildcat formation was named the "wing-T",[2][3] and is widely credited to being first implemented by coach Tubby Raymond and the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team.
[citation needed] In a standard football formation, when the quarterback stands watching, the offense operates 10-on-11 basis.
The Wall Street Journal credited Hugh Wyatt, a longtime coach in the Pacific Northwest, with naming the offense.
Wyatt, coaching the La Center High School Wildcats, published an article in Scholastic Coach and Athletic Director magazine in 1998, where he explained his version of the offense, which relied on two wing backs as the two backfield players directly behind the center, alternating to receive the snap.
Both Malzahn and Lee ran a variation of the wildcat formation which prominently featured running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.
The wildcat formation was called the "wildhog" in honor of the razorback mascot at the University of Arkansas, and then rebranded as the "wild rebel"[11] when Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt went to Ole Miss as head coach (Ole Miss' mascot being the Rebel), and a variation involving a direct snap to a tight end has been called the "wild turkey" by the Virginia Tech Hokies.
[12] Villanova won the 2009 FCS championship with a multiple offense that included the wildcat, with wide receiver Matt Szczur taking the snap.
"[15] It was originally intended to be run by Rob Calabrese, even after he lost the starting job in 2010 to Jeff Godfrey, but he tore his ACL using the play to score a rushing touchdown against Marshall on October 13, 2010.
[15] The wildcat formation made an appearance in 1998, when Minnesota Vikings' offensive coordinator Brian Billick began employing formations where QB Randall Cunningham lined up as a wide receiver and third-down specialist David Palmer took the direct snap from the center with the option to pass or run.
[22] Relying on the experience of quarterbacks coach Lee, who had run the scheme at Arkansas, the 2008 Miami Dolphins under Henning implemented the wildcat offense beginning in the third game of the 2008 season with great success, instigating a wider trend throughout the NFL.
"[25] On September 21, 2008, the Miami Dolphins used the wildcat offense against the New England Patriots on six plays, which produced five touchdowns (four rushing and one passing—from Brown himself) in a 38–13 upset victory.
Defending plays from the wildcat requires linemen and linebackers to know and execute their own assignments without over-pursuing what may turn into a fake or a reverse.
