EA Sports College Football 27 Guide: Ball Carrier Moves, Controls & How To Truck Defenders
Running straight into a massive linebacker is a fantastic way to put your star running back in a medical tent.
Handing the ball off and holding down the sprint trigger is a terrible strategy that will get your offense absolutely flattened. EA Sports College Football 27 gives you a massive arsenal of ball carrier mechanics to keep the defense guessing, and you need to memorize them if you want to extend your drives. If you actually read my EA Sports College Football 27 difficulty settings guide, you already know the AI will punish sloppy running on the higher tiers. Before you throw your controller across the room after coughing up a brutal fumble, you need to learn how to properly navigate the open field. Pairing these mechanics with an athlete from my EA Sports College Football 27 fastest players list turns a simple screen pass into a total nightmare for the opposing defense.
The Complete Ball Carrier Control List
There are nine distinct moves you can pull off when holding the football. I put together the exact controller inputs below so you know which button to press when a safety is flying directly at your face.
Agility Moves For The Open Field
Agility moves are all about making the defense look incredibly foolish. You want to use these primarily when you have a fast, shifty athlete isolated with a single tackler in open space.
The Spin And Juke
To spin, just press B or Circle while moving the left stick, or physically rotate the right analog stick. Spinning works best when you have a ton of momentum and a defender is charging you head-on. A perfectly timed rotation lets you slip right past them through a tight gap. Juking is done by flicking the right stick left or right. It works exactly like a feint, tricking the defender into shifting their weight the wrong way while you blow past them in the opposite direction.
The Hesitation Juke
The hesitation juke requires you to flick the right stick down. Your runner hits the brakes entirely before exploding forward again. Use this when a defender is flying in from the side on a bad pursuit angle. Just be careful, because it completely kills your forward momentum. If the rest of the defensive line is chasing you down from behind, stopping to show off will just get you crushed by three different guys at once.
Power Moves For The Trenches
Sometimes trying to be elusive is a total waste of time. When you have a massive running back who hits the hole hard, you just want to run right through people.
Trucking And Stiff Arms
Flicking the right stick forward initiates a truck. This is easily the most satisfying move in the entire game. If you have an athlete with a high trucking rating, you can drop your shoulder, run completely over a tackler, and keep your legs churning. If your ball carrier is weak, please do not try this. You will just run into a brick wall and drop like a sack of potatoes. Holding A or X triggers a stiff arm. This minimizes contact and lets you push a tackler face-first into the dirt while maintaining your top speed down the sideline.
Desperation And Survival Tactics
You do not always have to fight for an extra inch. Sometimes living to see the next down is the smartest play you can make, but other times you have to risk it all for a touchdown.
Hurdling And Diving
Press Y or Triangle to hurdle an incoming defender. This looks incredible when it works, keeping your stride alive while the defender whiffs at the turf. It completely fails if there is a second tackler waiting right behind the first guy to snap you in half while you are airborne. If you are absolutely desperate, hold X or Square to dive forward. Before you launch yourself into the air, make sure the path is actually clear. Diving directly into a defender is practically begging for a goal line fumble.
Sliding And Reaching
If you are scrambling with your quarterback or realize you are trapped, tap X or Square to slide and give yourself up. This immediately kills the play and protects your fragile athletes from taking a catastrophic hit that could sideline them for the season. Finally, if you are already wrapped up and falling to the turf, flick the right stick up to reach for it. Your player will stretch the football out right before their knee hits the ground. It is an absolute lifesaver when you desperately need to cross the first down marker and only need two more inches.
