Every fast offense loves to say it has an identity. Joe Matheson’s point is sharper: your scheme has to match your philosophy, or “playing fast” becomes a slogan instead of a system.
At River Falls, the goal is simple: play at a tempo that stresses defenses, keep the offense consistent for the offensive line, and still have answers for the modern looks that have evolved to stop classic 11 personnel tempo (zone + bubble, steady RPO structures). Defenses are better now at alignment, ball keying, and funneling the run fit. The trend at higher levels has been to go “multiple” with personnel and schemes, constantly changing the fit. For a tempo team that wants to live in 11, that creates a problem: How do you stay fast, stay universal, and still put the fit in conflict?
Matheson’s answer is the “six-back offense” concept, a term he credits to Mike Lombardi: force the defense to account for a sixth eligible player. Not just zone read and “read the end,” but multiple ways to insert an extra hat into the fit so you can layer off it.
Why “Six-Back” Helps Tempo (and Your Quarterback)
Matheson frames the six-back as a way to keep the system quarterback-friendly and adaptable. River Falls has started multiple quarterbacks in the system, including one who reached a rare level of recognition for Division III. The bigger takeaway is the “why”: six-back structures let you build around the quarterback’s superpower (arm talent, athleticism, decision-making, speed) by consistently putting him in advantageous positions.
It also addresses a common tempo critique in cold-weather football. River Falls has operated in extreme conditions (blizzard-like games, sub-zero wind chills) and still executed. Their point: if your system is consistent and your “extra hat” answers are built in, tempo can travel, even when the environment is trying to slow you down.
The Core Principle: Keep the O-Line Consistent, Then Add the Fix
Matheson emphasizes that this only works if the run game is “principled.” The offensive line needs to see the world the same way week to week. Then you can tag answers that add a gap or solve a specific fit problem without changing who you are.
The first “level” of the six-back offense he highlights is using the running back (from 11 personnel) as the fixer:
- Who is the extra fitter you are struggling with?
- Which gap is the defense winning?
- What is the problem you need to fix right now?
Once you know that, you tag off your base concept to solve it.
Three Practical Ways to Create the Sixth Hat
Matheson shows several ways River Falls creates that extra hat while staying in tempo structure:
1) “J-Course” the RB to Clean Up the Fit
In gap schemes like pin-and-pull or power, the RB can be inserted on purpose to handle a backside gap or extra fitter. Think of it like getting a 21-personnel feel without substituting.
Use cases Matheson points to:
- Short yardage (third-and-1, third-and-2) where defenses can bring pressure, and you need a clean answer
- Good fronts where you want to secure the backside gap and get out of the gate
- Three-down structures, where the overhang player can create fit issues
The result is often explosive because defenses are conditioned to how 11 personnel normally fits. When the RB becomes the “clean-up” player, the fit changes fast.
2) Add a “Track Player” to Change the Mesh and the Keys
Another simple way to stress the defense: keep your normal blocking, but add a back that meshes with the quarterback and becomes a “track” element. That changes the defense’s run key and mesh picture without requiring the offensive line to learn a new language.
3) Keep Your RPO Discipline: Leverage, Numbers, Grass, Space
Matheson keeps coming back to this: six-back is not permission to abandon your RPO rules. If you have numbers or space, take it. The sixth hat should help you in the run fit, but the quarterback still has to punish alignment.
He gives examples of:
- Taking the “gift” throws to the boundary when the defense gives space.
- Using the RB as an RPO player (pitch, screen, quick access throws) so you can “make them wrong” post-snap
- Building overlap so tags feel easy for the QB and the O-line
A Simple Layer That Creates Big Conflict
One of the cleaner “six-back” layers Matheson shows is pairing gap action with unexpected releases, like:
- Running power while releasing the tight end to the flat as an RPO element
Defenses often align and fit based on the grounded tight end. When you keep the core run action but change who becomes the quick answer, you steal easy yards and stay efficient without slowing down.
The Real Point: Stay You, But Evolve the Fit
Six-back tempo is not about trick plays. It’s a structural answer to a modern reality: defenses have caught up to old tempo rules. If you want to live in 11 and play fast, you need a way to:
- Keep the offensive line rules consistent.
- Add an extra hat into the run fit
- Stay disciplined with RPO leverage and numbers
- build layers that don’t require constant substitution or wholesale multiplicity
For tempo teams who do not have 12 personnel as a major tool, Matheson’s message is clear: you can stay fast and still be multiple in the fit. The sixth hat is how you keep your identity, protect your quarterback, and stay efficient when defenses try to dictate where the ball goes.
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