Every Wednesday in Stillwater, Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State work their two-minute drill to wrap up practice under a variety of different situations with the field position and timeouts available always changing week to week. Chances are good that you probably do something similar during your weekly game prep.
However, as the Times Record points out, while the situation may get tweaked week to week, one thing always stays the same for offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, and it's the key to a successful two-minute drill.
“The key for two-minute drill is to try and stick to somewhat of a menu. To go to those plays so your players understand and can anticipate what the calls are going to be.” Yurcich explained.
Players, including running back Raymond Taylor explain in the piece how that approach helps them in the heat of the moment, because running those plays becomes muscle-memory - meaning that they don't have to think and process a lot of information, they can just got out there and execute it.
“When we hear them, it’s not even a thought process that happens," Taylor noted. “It’s just something that we go to.”
Yurcich goes on to explain in the piece how they come up with their menu each week.
“You’ve got to find time to look at the two-minute drill and what coverages they lean on. What are their calls on third down? Usually if you find a defense on third down in a two-minute drill, that’s going to be the most critical part of the half.”
This past weekend that approach really came in handy as Yurcich deployed the Cowboy's two minute approach at the end of the game, down 33-34 to Kansas State with just over three minutes left in the game. Starting quarterback Mason Rudolph engineered a 45-yard drive over ten plays (including a 19-yard strike on fourth-and-eight to keep the drive alive) that ended with a 37-yard game winning field goal.
As you and your staff continue to prep for your game this week, you might want to consider adopting the menu approach to your two-minute drill.