This was the first time the two backs have split the drives 50/50—save the one play both were in the backfield on a fake pitch that ended up being a throw to Hubbard from Young. Hubbard took the lion’s share in the first four weeks, before a calf injury sidelined him, and Dowdle became RB1 in the last two games. Now that Canales has seen it in action, he’s looking forward to working out some of the kinks and employing this tactic again.
“Being able to be versatile with our play passes, our screens, and our run, it is critical for us to have success,” Canales said as to the advantages of the system.
And as for the guys on the field, well, Dowdle is advocating for even more running backs in the backfield.
“We always want to be on the field, so we always joke about it like ‘Hey, we need to go 3-0 (personnel). Three running backs, no tight ends,” laughed Dowdle. “I’ve never seen that before, so hopefully— I know we all can go out there and play, so it’d be nice to do it.
“Or triple option! Put me at quarterback, Chuba right there, Trev over there on the side. Let’s run triple. I think it’ll work.”