We used counter regularly in 2015 with good success. Canzeri's long TD run against Illinois, either Daniels or Wadley, can't remember which early against Indiana, Daniels to seal the Minnesota game, those were all counter plays.
If we're running the short side zone play into a stacked box, someone isn't staying at home and protecting the back side. Break a couple wide side counter plays and they will.
Since you got me interested and I'll do damn near anything to avoid homework, I decided to do some film study.
Here is Canzeri's long run against Illinois in 2015. It's 11 Personnel (I assume Tevaun Smith or Jacob Hillyer is offscreen at the top of the field), a quick 1-Back Power look. You can see this is supposed to hit on the left side of the line, as the RG (#65 Jordan Walsh) pulls up the left B-Gap to take a LB, LG (#79 Sean Welsh) and LT (I believe #64 Cole Croston) double team the 3-technique back to the WILL LB, and both TE (#80 Henry Krieger-Coble) and RT (#78 James Daniels) hinge-block in order to wall their guys off to the outside. Unfortunately for Illinois, they're in what looks like a Cover 3 look, meaning the SS (near the top of the screen) is rolling down to the strong side in run support. This leaves the FS to cover the deep-middle 3rd of the field by himself, meaning he has to back pedal at the snap until he gets a run read. This, coupled with the WILL overpursuing and C (#63 Austin Blythe) kicks the 1-tech's ass on a back block, leaving a nice hole on the backside A-gap and a HUGE cutback lane. Jordan sees it, turns on the jets and is off to the races. Credit to #6 (Jerminic Smith) with a solid downfield block on the CB as well.
Here's Wadley's long run against Indiana the same year. As I suspected, a draw. Beathard shows the high ball read on his dropback, selling the pass and causing the LB's to back off into their coverage responsibilities. The OL does a good job of selling pass as well by walling off their guys rather than taking them up field. The rest is just Wadley being electric, as he gets the handoff at top speed, and turns the corner hard to abuse the LB taking a poor angle and a FS who is in terrible position, and boom, gone. Daniels run in this game is the same play from the Purdue game that's already been posted. Power out of a 22 set that he bounces outside for 6.
Lastly is Daniel's knockout blow to the Goofers. Another heavy set, 22 personnel. Interestingly, Minnesota was selling out to stop the run HARD, as they're in a 5-3-3 look, with two 3-techs and a nose head up on the center. Both TEs wall off the end man on the line to preserve inside integrity. The LT (#52 Boone Myers) gets a good cut block in on the backside 3-tech, neutralizing him. Welsh at LG buries the nose, and Blythe climbs to wall off the WILL, which he does well. Walsh at RG takes care of the 3-tech, washing him out of the play, as does Croston, on a LEO that didn't get his backfield read and overpursued to the outside. This leaves the FB (#42 Macon Plewa) to take the MIKE, and he just stonewalls him. This creates a nice lane inside, and leaves Daniels 1-on-1 with the pursuing FS who now has the frontside A-gap where the run hits. Daniels puts a great move on him and there is no one else between him and the endzone, an easy TD.
All this work wasn't to say that we
don't need counter plays, but to show that our base run game is absolutely lethal when the holes are there, but more importantly, the RB's have the vision and ability to hit cutback lanes, which I think will come with the current crop.
