NCAA FOOTBALL 2007

When you take the field in NCAA Football 07, the latest in EA's smash hit football franchise, there are a lot of things to take into consideration. Take a leap forward over the competition with these tips and tricks, exclusive to Xbox.com from Prima Guides. You can also check out sample pages from the NCAA Football 07 Prima Guides here.

Control the Clock
Outstanding gameplay will get you the lead in a game, but clock control lets you keep it. Whether you're trying to save seconds or burn them, here are some key clock-related tips to remember:

• Always hurry to the line if you're trying to save time, and use no-huddle audibles or spike the ball if you need to save precious seconds.
• Pass and run routes to the sidelines enable the ball handler to run out of bounds and freeze the clock quickly.
• If you're trying to eat up clock, don't run out of bounds. The safest way to ensure ball control while staying in bounds is to dive with the ball before a defender touches you. If you aren't touched when diving, you will not fumble.

Someone's coverage wasn't paying attention

Know Your Personnel
When you choose your team, note who your offensive impact players are and plan your offensive attack around those players. Also understand the limitations of your players: If your quarterback has a weak arm, focus on short-yardage high-percentage passes. On third or fourth down situations, you definitely want to put the ball in your impact players' hands, especially if they're In the Zone.

Running the Ball
If the opposing team's defense blitzes frequently, consider calling a counter. It's a misdirection play designed to make the defense over-pursue to one side of the field while the ball carrier cuts back to the other side of the field.

Sweeps and tosses are also very effective when you have a speedy halfback. In general, you should flip these plays so that they run to the wide side of the field so your back has more room to maneuver.

Pre-Read the Defense
Before you snap the ball, look at the defense and how they react to your play call—are there obvious man-to-man passing situations? Are they favoring one side of the field? Are any receivers being double-teamed?

If you can analyze the defense this way, you can then make an educated guess on whether you need to call an audible to adjust. If you called a pass play, look at the cornerbacks to guess where your most-open receivers might be.

Note: Listen to the ESPN announcers during the game. If they question your plays (such as going on fourth down, or passing instead of running), that's a definite signal to improve your situational play calling.

His Heisman hopes are shattered.

Trust Your Teammates
Until you master your secondary coverage skills (arguably the hardest part of the game to master), let the computer control your cornerbacks. Switch to a cornerback only after the ball is in the air and only if you have a safety to back you up nearby. If you're not experienced with taking manual control of a defensive back, a premature switch can take you out of tackling position and result in a big play for your opponent.

A Question of Control
The best player for you to control really boils down to personal preference, but a good place for beginning players to start is with a linebacker. He's fast enough to blitz with from the outside and/or to react to runs to the sidelines, but he's also strong enough to deliver a substantial hit. Just be careful not to blitz with a linebacker when you're running a play that calls for him to play zone pass coverage—your blitz will leave a gaping hole in the secondary.

Master the Switch
Learning to switch players quickly is a vital skill on defense—it's the best way to capitalize on potential catches/interceptions and big hits.

Avoid Repetition
Never call the same defensive play twice against the computer, and don't stick exclusively to one formation set—the computer will pick up on it and adjust accordingly.

Don't Forget Your Audibles
The manshift defensive audible disguises zone coverage, and the bump-and-run defensive audible can disrupt pass routes—remember to use those and other audibles to tweak your defensive play calls.

The Blitz Rules of Thumb
Your blitzing frequency is a matter of preference depending on how well you know your opponent and the game situation. For beginners, a good rule of thumb is that you should always get more sacks or tackles for losses than given up first downs. For example, if after 10 blitzes you've gotten two sacks or tackles for losses but given up five first downs, that's definitely a signal that you're blitzing way too often. Getting burned consistently on the deep pass is another red flag that should make you re-evaluate your blitzing tendencies.

For advanced players defending against the computer on third and long situations, pulling a rusher or blitzer into extra zone/spy coverage can sometimes confuse a quarterback and create a coverage sack/interception—which may be a safer defensive tactic rather than an all-out blitz.

Article by Prima Games