Trailing Wyoming over the weekend midway through the third quarter, Mike Leach's Washington State squad was looking for a spark.
With the ball on the left hash, the Cougars came out in one of the most bizarre formations of the weekend. Most football enthusiasts will recognize it as a form of the swinging gate that has been popularized on PAT attempts, while hardcore enthusiasts will trace the roots back to innovator Tiger Ellison, the creator of "the Lonesome Polecat," and what has evolved into what we now know as the Run & Shoot.
Leach ran the formation for two straight plays, accompanied with some motion, to rack up about 9 yards.
In a strange way, perhaps the formation provided the spark needed, as the Cougs went on to win 41-19. Replying to a tweet about the bizarre formation, Leach provided some context saying that he's been "working with a Microsoft engineer and Coug grad who has some innovative ideas. Stay Tuned." Leach added that they named the formation you see above, "Big Gulp Left." Alrighty then.
Lots of folks will read that and wonder if it's true. I, and many others, have no doubt.
While my obsession with childhood movies is well outside my control at this point in my life, the first memory that popped into my head after reading that tweet from Leach came directly from this scene in Little Giants.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9UlOaUn2HI