Birmingham getting in the zone

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Birmingham Coach Ed Croson spent part of his summer searching for an offense that best suited transfer quarterback Exavier Johnson (right).

He found it at UNLV -- the zone option, where the quarterback stands in shotgun formation but runs more than he throws.

‘Depending on the defense,’ Croson said, ‘Exavier can either run it himself, let Milton [Knox] keep it, or throw. It’s the offense Vince Young ran so well at Texas.’

Johnson exploited Dorsey when it keyed heavily on Knox, and broke two long runs in the second quarter.
One of those took the ball from the Dons’ 21 to its seven, setting up the second of Knox’s two touchdowns and giving Birmingham its 14-10 halftime lead.

- Mike Terry

--Image by Stephen Osman/Los Angeles Times