Ask college football fans across the country which head coach/coordinator duo they’re most looking forward to following in 2018, and I’m sure the tandem of Mario Cristobal and Marcus Arroyo wouldn’t come up too often. It may not be the most publicized story line nationwide, but those who follow Oregon football know that Cristobal and Arroyo are in the process …
BRUTAL SPEED: A Marriage Made in Heaven? Mario Cristobal and Nebraska’s Scott Frost have expressed remarkably similar strategies to pursue a national championship. This season, the two coaches plan to deliver two what-should-be-fascinating examples of combining Oregon speed and tempo tactics with brute-force football learned at Alabama and Nebraska. The goal: punish your opponents with dominating physicality, while simultaneously dazzling them …
When running a spread offense that utilizes a power run game, the H-Back position is key. The position opens up a variety of possibilities in the run game that are not usually afforded the offense with an in-line tight end. The position was used some during the Chip Kelly/Mark Helfrich era, but was a staple of the offense that Willie …
In the previous two posts, we covered Jim Leavitt’s coverage structure with 2-high safeties. Now we are going to cover his main coverage concepts with 1-high safety. Leavitt primarily runs 1-high safety looks in run-first down-and-distance situations and when he is going to blitz. Leavitt ran two forms of Cover 3 when sending four rushers, both of which operated by …
I am not so sure about the conventional wisdom surrounding our beloved Ducks as to when they will fly back into the national consciousness again. The process of working on my season prediction (next week’s editorial) made me pause about not just the year that Oregon re-emerges, but why. For me, this Oregon Football roller-coaster of expectations just ruffled my …
Running backs at Oregon are held to an elite standard. The Ducks have a history of churning out 1,000-yard rushers like Alabama churns out titles. Recent Oregon greats include Jonathan Stewart, Legarrette Blount, LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner and Royce Freeman — some of the most prolific running backs in the country this century. And Freeman, the most recent superstar running …
No, my friends, the title is not “clickbait.” What I wrote is true. You all are acquainted with me well enough by now to know that I am frequently guilty of sizzling titles, but I also back them up with facts and reasoned arguments. I do not present a title to lure a reader in and then pull the bait-and-switch …
In the previous post, we explained how Jim Leavitt‘s 2-high safety coverage concepts operate for when there are two receivers to a side. Now we will be covering his 2-high safety coverage concepts for when there are 3 receivers to a side, most commonly known as Trips coverages. The Trips Coverages With 2-high safeties, Jim Leavitt will run: (a) Stubbie, …
Predicting the number of wins for Ducks football this year is a tough call. One thing I can’t buy is that there’s an issue of whether Oregon’s coaches can game-day coach or not. First of all, if you’ve got a Mario Cristobal-coached offensive line, a Jim Leavitt-coached defense, and a Heisman-candidate quarterback–you’ve got some options that can make you look …
The Oregon Ducks’ blistering recruiting pace has put college football teams across the country on notice. Currently, the Ducks’ 2019 class ranks fifth in the country and first in the PAC-12. And they are in great position to land some of the top remaining prospects. Much praise has been given coach Mario Cristobal and his staff for the job they’ve done so …
Now that we have covered the general structure and defensive fronts used by Oregon defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt, we will begin delving into his coverage schemes in the next several posts. In this analysis, we will be exclusively featuring his triangle coverages: 3 defender over 2 receiver coverage concepts. (The inside “receiver” here can be either a slot receiver or …
It’s a fickle business trying to predict college football games. Last season, I predicted the Ducks would got 10-2 then win the Alamo Bowl. Many bashed me and called me a hopelessly optimistic Duck fan, which I found humorous, considering those close to me know I’m much more of a Negative Nellie when it comes to my Ducks. Many saw …
