up the gut
Straight through center
Up the gut means straight through the middle, especially in American football where it describes a running play directly into the line between offensive tackles: He ran it up the gut for six yards.
The phrase extends to any direct, central approach rather than going around the edges: We're not taking the scenic route—we're going straight up the gut.
- running backLocomoting to prior location
- quarterbackPassing position in football
- pushForce something away
- chargeCost or accusation
- penetrateEnter or pass through
brute force · short yardage · offensive line · line of scrimmage · directness · end zone · thrust · fullback · plow · smashmouth · ground game · north south · advance · surge · playbook · tackle · scrimmage · touchdown
up the gutend run
Evasive tactic avoiding direct confrontation
sweep · end around · wide · bootleg · rollout
up the gutmisdirection
Intentional focus manipulation
trick play · reverse · end-around · bootleg · screen pass