Philip Montgomery on why installing the 'RPO' game is slowing Auburn's offensive progression

AUBURN — The Auburn offense will be heavily predicated on the “RPO” game. “RPO” of course meaning, “run-pass option.” Because of that fact, the development of the Tigers’ quarterbacks and wide receivers is coming along a little more slowly this spring than head coach Hugh Freeze and offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery anticipated.

“I think we’re making strides. We have a long way to go,” Montgomery said. “When you start implementing something that is complexly new and different than the norm that’s been around here, it takes time. We wanted to make sure we’re getting our foundations right to add and build to that when the time comes. I didn’t want to rush through the process of it. We don’t want to be the jack of all trades and the master of none. We’ve done a good job of pacing through some things, now scaling back and trying to be precise of how we added and what we added as we move forward.”

It makes sense. The Hugh Freeze-Philip Montgomery RPO offense will look very different from the Bryan Harsin-Mike Bobo-Eric Kiesau pro-style versions of offense Auburn deployed the last two seasons. For familiarity sake, the Tigers’ upcoming offense will look more like Tennessee at times, Ole Miss under Freeze at times, even elements of Gus Malzahn at Auburn at times.

And when asked, Philip Montgomery thought Freeze’s recent comments about the RPO game slowing down progress among Auburn’s offensive skill players were right on.

“That’s fair,” Montgomery said. “That’s one of the things we scaled back and trying to make sure as you start teaching this RPO-type game, you have to make sure we understand coverages, understand where things are happening, our eyes are in the right spot and how to adapt routes versus certain looks, and being able to take advantage of what you’re getting. For us, being able to pull the reigns back on that end of it and focusing in on making sure quarterback wise, we get in the right spot and focus on what’s going to make me do something or not do something, and then we’ll continue to generate and keep working off of that.”

Again, everything is new. For Montgomery, there’s many things his players have to be thinking about and processing through. It’s no easy task, just read how Montgomery explains it.

“There are different elements and variations of thing to concentrate on and work through,” Montgomery said. “Number one, putting our eyes on the right spot and on the right guy, and understanding what the defense is trying to do or take away from you, where they’re trying to add. The path you’re seeing for the back, our footwork if we’re starting to pull the football and start to throw it. All those things come into play with this. That’s all gotta happen that fast. Being able to correlate those things, getting back to base after we get into position and getting my feet back on platform, and getting into position to be accurate with the football, and release it in a timely manner. It’s not one of those things where you’re going to sit back and pat the football. You’re going to have to come up and be decisive with the football and know where you’re going with it.”

For quarterbacks, it’s a process of passing information back and forth in the most efficient way possible.

“It’s a huge part of what you do. It’s a give-and-take-type system, and a lot of that goes on our quarterback,” Montgomery said. “I don’t see that as pressure. Most guys who play this position want the ownership of that. Now, it’s making sure you give them enough reigns, but not so much that you’re in a tussle back and forth and we’re making good decisions with the football.”

And for the receivers, there’s plenty to learn as well.

“It’s a lot of teaching for those guys right now,” Montgomery said. “The way we set our spacing, the way we utilize that, it’s different for them to work those things throughout. Those guys are getting better and better. We still have growth to do in that room, but it’s not a lack of effort or want to.

“If you’re thinking a lot, you’re not playing fast, and we have to be able to play fast.”

The Tigers will practice every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the most part leading into the April 8 spring game inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. Here’s the schedule of practices: February 27, March 1, 3, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29, April 3, 5, 7 and 8. Auburn took the week of March 5-11 off for spring break.