## Fake 23 Blast With Reverse
Attack · Remember the Titans, 2000
A brilliant backfield misdirection that uses a hard inside run-fake to crack open the sideline for an untouched 75-yard touchdown.
### The Story
In the climactic moments of the 1971 Virginia High School State Championship, the T.C. Williams Titans needed a final spark against George C. Marshall High School. Coach Herman Boone called for the "Fake 23 Blast with a Backside George Reverse," demanding his athletes execute the scheme like their lives depended on it.
On the screen in Remember the Titans, the trick play serves as the ultimate manifestation of the team's grueling journey toward racial unity and brotherhood. The backup quarterback ("Rev"), playing through injury, takes the snap and orchestrates the complex misdirection. Simultaneously, the team's star quarterback and former rival ("Sunshine") sacrifices his own body to act as the crucial lead blocker down the sideline.
The result is a jaw-dropping, untouched 75-yard touchdown run. By preying on the defense's expectation of a bruising interior run, the Titans brilliantly turn a traditional power formation into a devastating, championship-winning sweep.
### How It Works
- The Quarterback (Rev): Takes the snap from an I-formation or split-back set, pivots, and fakes a hard handoff into the interior "3" hole, then conceals the ball. - The Fullback: Plunges violently into the gap between the guard and tackle, acting as a decoy to draw the opposing linebackers downhill. - The Reversing Receiver: Sprints from the weak side directly behind the flow of the backfield, taking a slick, concealed handoff from the quarterback. - The Lead Blocker (Sunshine): Lined up on the strong side, the star quarterback loops outside to crush the final defender and pave the way down the newly vacated sideline.
### Strengths
- Total Misdirection: Forces an over-aggressive defense to fully commit to stopping a heavy interior run, completely vacating the backside boundary. - Momentum Exploitation: Uses the linebackers' own downhill pursuit speed against them, ensuring they cannot recover and change direction in time to chase down the reversing receiver.
### Weaknesses
- Edge Discipline: If the weak-side defensive end or outside linebacker "stays home" and maintains outside containment instead of chasing the fake blast, the play collapses. - Massive Yardage Risk: Because the reverse handoff develops deep in the offensive backfield, a disciplined edge defender can tackle the runner for a devastating loss of yardage.