Keepin' it Real: EA Sports NCAA Football '14 Has a New Gameplay Engine

The newest iteration of EA Sports' legendary NCAA game franchise will be as varied, challenging, and ultimately fun as any of its predecessors. One area that they have improved upon a lot is the gound game, an area which always proved a bit of a difficulty for me, in particularly when running a read option. In a sense, it was about as effective as flipping a coin. It falls heads, you gain four yards. It falls false, you lose two or three. It just didn't have the "read and react" feel to it that it should.

That, apparently, has changed. If you haven't played the demo version for your XBox or Playstation, then do it. Juco and Whiskey Wednesday have, and they were pleased to report that the running game, in particular the read option, is much better this go around. (Of course, they were running it with Johnny Manziel Texas A&M's QB #2, but the point remains that it's sleeker and more true-to-form) It's more realistic in that it requires quick thinking and an understanding of the defense's movements and formations to execute well. The downfield blocking from receivers and pulling guards is also noticeably better, elements of the game which are crucial to any rushing attack, especially a read option out of the shotgun.

This should be exciting to Ole Miss fans, as Hugh Freeze's read option attack with Bo Wallace, Jeff Scott, and others should be a more reliable part of the Rebel playbook in NCAA '14. Scott is certain to be a jitterbug of a back, while Wallace can't be that bad, right? Regardless, I'm looking forward to giving it a shot and seeing just how real EA Sports' take on the newest college football offenses is.