Discussing his team’s new offense, Jeff Pugh made sure one thing was clear.
At East Limestone High, power football has not left.
It has just taken a new look.
Throughout his coaching career, the term spread offense never has been synonymous with Pugh’s name. From his time at West Limestone and Crossville, and now at East Limestone, Pugh always has been a double-wing formation, downhill running between the tackles kind of guy.
That’s understandable. The old-school philosophy fits his personality.
Pugh is a big dude who would rather pump iron than run a 5K. He played linebacker in high school at Athens, and then at Jacksonville State, and physically, the East Limestone coach still looks like he could play.
And when Pugh talks about football, he speaks loudly with fire and passion.
In a nutshell, Pugh is a man’s man — an alpha — whose idea of football fun is to run over someone instead of around them.
But he is also a veteran coach who understands successful seasons sometimes require adjusting philosophies to fit personnel, and at East Limestone, that has happened.
During the offseason, East Limestone hired former Clements coach Michael Brown as an assistant football coach, and he has helped incorporate a variation of the spread offense into the Indians’ offensive scheme.
“We’re doing some things this season that’s a little bit out of character for me,” said Pugh, who is heading into his eighth season at East Limestone. “I’ve always been a run first, ball control kind of coach, and we’re still going to run the football. That’s not changing.
“But we will be a little more balanced, and with the personnel we have, I believe that’s going to give us a chance to be more successful.”
The addition of Jordon Gandy, a big, athletic receiver, helped sway Pugh’s decision.
Even though Gandy (6-foot-4 and 200 pounds) has not played football since his freshman season in 2010, his return is creating a buzz about the upcoming season. Pugh also said Witt Black has emerged as a potential big-play receiver.
With East Limestone’s new offense, the early reviews have been positive.
In preseason scrimmages, quarterback Brick Pugh has been efficient, completing about 80 percent of his pass attempts.
“Brick was 27 of 33 with no interceptions in our first scrimmage,” Jeff Pugh said. “In my career, we’ve never thrown the ball that many times in a game. But if we can be efficient and not turn the ball over, and also keep possessions, then I’ve got no problem throwing the football a little more. But if we start getting soft and start turning the ball over, then we’ll go back to ball control, power running scheme.”
The players like the new system.
“There’s a lot of potential here,” Gandy said. “With all the new stuff we’re doing, there’s a lot of excitement. We’re spreading the ball around, and that gives us receivers more chances to make plays.”
Brick Pugh agreed.
“Oh yeah, I love the new stuff we’re doing,” he said. “It’s fast paced and wide open, and with receivers we’ve got, there’s a lot of opportunities for big plays. When you’ve got someone like (Gandy), a guy who’s a big target and go up and get just about any ball, those guys can make any quarterback look good.”
Jeff Pugh sees those opportunities, too. The possibilities for big plays in the passing game were ample enough to get the East Limestone coach to step outside of his comfort zone — well, sort of.
As Pugh said many times this offseason, a power running game will continue to be a staple in East Limestone’s offensive scheme.
“We’re still going to run the football between the tackles,” Pugh said. “You can still run the football effectively out of the spread, and being throwing the ball 20-25 times and being balanced should help our running game.
“So far, we’ve seen good things from our new offense. For me as a coach, it’s definitely a big change, but if Brick continues to get the ball where it needs to be, and we can score more points and not turn the ball over, then I’ve got no problem stepping out of my comfort zone because that’s made us a better football team.”
East Limestone at a glance
Coach: Jeff Pugh, heading into eighth season
Class: 5A, Region 8
2012 results: 4-6, missed Class 5A playoffs
Season opener: Friday at Madison County
Returning starters: Five on offense; four on defense Key games: Sept. 6 at Cullman; Sept. 13 at Russellville; Oct. 4 vs. Athens
2013 East Limestone football schedule
Friday at Madison County
Sept. 6 at Cullman*
Sept. 13 Russellville*
Sept. 20 at Lawrence County*
Sept. 27 at James Clemens
Oct. 4 Athens*
Oct. 11 at Muscle Shoals*
Oct. 18 Hartselle*
Oct. 25 West Point*
Nov. 1 Auburn
* denotes Class 5A, Region 8 contest
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