Trick and treat.

It was now the fourth quarter and we were down by 16-12 with the ball on our 46 and less than a minute to play.

Our head coach called our last time-out and set up the most exciting sequences of plays I had ever seen on a football field. It was a two-play call with no huddle in between, as follows:

First Play, Flanker Screen [ILLUSTRATION FOR DIAGRAM 1 OMITTED], ball on the left hash, Pro I Flanker Right: The QB took the snap, reversed out to the left and threw a quick pass to the flanker two or three yards behind the line.

The flanker then stepped inside a great block by his right tackle and picked up 14 yards - putting us 40 yards from victory, with the clock running, the crowd in a frenzy, and the opponents' 100-piece band shaking the thunder down from the sky.

Second Play, Flanker Screen Double Pass [ILLUSTRATION FOR DIAGRAM 2 OMITTED], ball in the middle of the field, Pro I Flanker Right: The QB again reversed out and fired to the flanker, and our wide-out again appeared to break inside the block by his tackle. But this time he came to a sudden stop and arched a long pass to the right corner of the end zone.

I remember seeing our tight end take his usual outside release and break for the right corner of the end zone. The film showed the cornerback reading "same play" and racing up to stuff our wideout, while the safety stepped up and hesitated.

It was a fatal mistake. Our big tight end went flying to the comer with the safety three steps behind. Our sideline exploded and the big band stopped playing as our end adjusted to the ball and stepped into the end zone.

Our special play had won a big game and produced a memory that no one there would ever forget... But... were we really smart or just lucky?

The answer was, yes, we were lucky, but our definition of luck is where preparation and opportunity meet.

Yes, we were smart - smart enough to prepare for just this kind of situation, and smart enough to call it at the right time.

Yes, we deserved to win.

The trick or special play is both the most maligned and the most glorified part of football. There is something about tricking or fooling an opponent that drives hard-nosed coaches wild. They feel that anyone who has to win that way is not a good coach or not playing good football.

Maybe they are right, but my view always has been that winning football is good football. If a trick play can help you win a football game, it is good football. As Bobby Bowden is fond of saying about trick plays: "It's just a dad-gum game; you gotta have some fun now and then."

GUIDELINES

Let us take a look at some of the things you should keep in mind when contemplating the use of trick or special plays.

1. You must work on special plays every week and make them part of your offense. They may be used only once or twice a game, but they can win the game for you.

2. You should use the trick or special play only if:

* You are losing and need it to win.

* You need something to pick up your team when your opponents are stopping your regular offense and you have to change the momentum of the game.

* You are setting up something for a future big game.

* You want to give your future opponent something besides your regular offense to think about.

3. You should never use trick plays:

* When ahead just to show off, or rub it in. You may need that play to win a game next week. Why waste it in a game that is already won? There may be scouts out there who will pick it up and be ready for it when they play you.

* If you have not practiced the plays enough to run them properly and make them work.

* If the game is out of reach and the play will have no effect on the outcome of the game.

The two most important points to consider in choosing the special or trick play you are going to use are:

1. Evaluate the play in light of your personnel.

You may not have the speed or skill level to make the play work. When that happens, you may have to go to plays that do not place such a premium on speed to get the job done.

2. How to set up the play.

Remember how our flanker screen set up the double pass for the TD? That was the perfect example of a trick play setting up the defense for another trick play.

The best special play is the one that comes off your best bread-and-butter play - something as simple as a stalk blocker deliberately falling to the ground after "missing" a block, then springing up and breaking behind the deep back.

If you have a great sweep, the sweep pass or reverse pass would be a great play off of it. Use your imagination. It's fun and it can pay big dividends.

Caution: Always make sure to let the officials know about trick plays. Don't be afraid to diagram a play and answer any questions the officials might have. They may raise a few points you never thought of and that might have resulted in a penalty.

Only once have I had an official flag my special play after I had informed him about it. Though he picked up the flag, it gave my opponents time to adjust to the formation and rain the element of surprise.

Surprise is your greatest ally, and the timing is of critical importance.

Suggestions on when to run a special play:

1. Right after a kickoff or punt return when the teams are changing personnel and 40+ players are running on and off the field.

All of the confusion can cause mental lapses that you may be able to use to advantage. Many coaches will exploit this with a quick line up and a long snap across the field.

It is also a great time to run a series of prearranged plays without a huddle, that can set up the home run. For example, a series of sweeps with no huddle can be used to set up the sweep pass for the score.

2. Right after a turn-over.

Your opponents have just lost the ball. They are angry and frustrated. Their defensive personnel must now make an unexpected appearance - a perfect time in which to catch them off-guard. This is the time for the ISA Flea Flicker [ILLUSTRATION FOR DIAGRAM 3 OMITTED] or the Lonesome Polecat [ILLUSTRATION FOR DIAGRAM 4 OMITTED]. Both can capitalize upon the emotional state of the defense. Frustration and anger leads to costly mistakes.

3. Third and short or fourth and short.

The defense is expecting your best short-yardage play, and many teams will send in their short-yardage defense with extra linemen.

This may leave them vulnerable to certain mismatches and such things as strange formations, unexpected shifts, play pass, screen pass, and bootlegs. These cause confusion, penalties, or defensive breakdowns that can lead to first downs or scores.

It takes guts to make this kind of call, but it can do some good things for your offense. First, it can make you unpredictable and harder to stop by keeping the short-yardage defense on the bench and forcing the defense to make adjustments.

4. The opening kickoff of the game or half.

This is a great time for mistakes. In my three years as a head coach, I had two opening kickoffs go for TDs. The reason is simple: The kicking team is all fired up and all they can think about is hitting the ball-carrier. This makes them easy prey for the cross-field lateral, reverse, or other trick play.

It is also a great time for the onside kick, as the front-linemen on the receiving team are nervous and more likely to mishandle a spinning, bouncing football.

5. Fourth-down punting situations.

While it takes guts to fake the punt, the play offers a great opportunity. Many coaches like to change some of the personnel on their punt-return teams. These replacements are usually more vulnerable to unexpected formations and different looks, making them easier to exploit.

The rules can give the kicking team an advantage. In high school football, the number rule is waived - meaning you can have all eligible numbers on the field. As long as you can punt the ball from the formation, you can really cause some monumental coverage problems for the defense [ILLUSTRATION FOR DIAGRAM 5 OMITTED].

With all the punting team having eligible numbers, you can set up some very interesting possibilities and a nightmare for the defense.

6. Just after you have made a big gain.

This affords another excellent opportunity to run a special play. The defense is upset by the big gain and may be a little desperate to make amends. A no-huddle series, shifting to an odd formation or a quick huddle can catch the defense thinking about the last play, and may produce a score.

A final point about trick plays: Many coaches are fond of living by the KISS principle: "Keep it simple, stupid." But what happens when that "simple" defense is suddenly confronted by trick or special plays that they had never seen before? The defense may have convulsions.

The introduction of strange formations, quick lineups, and no-huddle plays require adjustments and often changes in the game plan. We know our kids always felt they had a chance to win whenever it came down to a big play at the end of the game.