The air raid is built on the repetition of a relatively few number of basic plays, each with multiple short, high-percentage receiving options. It helps to think of these in the same way that, say, a power rushing team is built around dives, counters, and off-tackle runs: a way of ensuring you get a steady rate of modest gains and keep ahead of the chains.
Indeed, Wazzu’s offense over the years tends to be very efficient, and contrary to its Big-XII roots, isn’t really a high-flying, fast-paced, deep-shot heavy offense. One interesting stat is that in every year since Coach Leach took over in 2012, the Cougars’ adjusted pace in SP+ has declined about ten spots, until in 2018 they hit the bottom at #130 - the slowest team in the nation.