Zone Option vs “The Big 3” Defense – Lou Conte

Westfield State Head Coach Lou Conte draws on two decades of option football experience to explain the zone option as a wrinkle within traditional triple option systems. He highlights its role as a quarterback-focused run play that stresses perimeter defenders, contrasting it with veer and midline concepts. Conte details how zone option creates a “race to the edge,” forcing defenses to adjust to full-flow looks, while remaining simple in execution. No checks, minimal thinking, just putting the ball in the quarterback’s hands. He connects its fundamentals to wide zone concepts in pro-style offenses, showing how this variation adds diversity to the option package.