After over 20 years of coaching college football, I’ve seen talented teams stumble in season openers—not from lack of skill, but from never experiencing game-speed decision making under pressure. Unlike high school programs, college teams often face their first opponent with everything on the line, having never tested their preparation against live competition.
As I’ve mentioned before, football serves as a powerful tool to inoculate student athletes against the fears and setbacks they’ll encounter on and off the field. Pre-season scrimmages are where this conditioning begins.
Why Scrimmages Matter
Scrimmages bridge the gap between practice and competition, simulating game pace and pressure while preserving crucial teaching moments. They force players to think on their feet, communicate line and coverage calls, check in and out of blitzes, and make split-second reads—skills impossible to replicate in drills alone.
Scrimmages also reveal team chemistry under fire and provide coaches invaluable evaluation opportunities. We can assess what’s working, identify problems, and evaluate second and third-string players who may not see regular season action, helping finalize lineups and personnel packages.
PESOS in Action
Our coaching philosophy follows the PESOS model: Prepare, Explain, Show, Observe, Supervise. While we prepare continuously and explain/show concepts in practice, scrimmages are where observe and supervise components shine.
Scrimmages let us observe how well players understand not just the mechanics, but the “why” behind each concept. When situations change rapidly, players who grasp the rationale can adapt instinctively. The supervise element provides real-time feedback, creating immediate learning opportunities players can apply on the next snap rather than waiting for film review.
We structure pre-season around two scrimmages: a controlled scrimmage ending training camp week two, and a game-condition scrimmage in week three before our September 5th opener. The controlled scrimmage emphasizes execution with frequent teaching stops. The game-condition scrimmage simulates the real experience—officials, crowd noise, minimal coaching intervention.
Scrimmages don’t count in the win-loss column, but their impact on player development, team chemistry, and championship preparation is tremendous. They transform talented individuals into a cohesive unit ready to compete from day one.
Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!
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