Analysis: UO Sack Monsters Mondeaux, Balducci, and Buckner

Keeping with the Halloween theme that always accompanies late October, this analysis reviews the marvelous, monstrous sacks by Oregon Duck defensive linemen that took place during the Washington game. Oregon’s improvement pressuring the QB in its last contest was certainly a welcome sight. Here’s to hoping this keeps up Thursday night, and that the remaining season reveals the true sack monsters of Oregon.

Late in the first quarter against the Huskies, Henry Mondeaux (No. 92) executed an exemplary “chop” move during a pass rush (see photo above). Mondeaux is in the green circle, closing the gap with the right tackle (RT). He has begun to swing his right arm at the left arm of the RT as seen in the orange oval. Also, his left arm is moving across his chest to execute the next progression of the chop move.

Mondeaux made contact with the RT by swatting the RT’s left arm inward (orange oval above), and has brought his left hand over to further control the RT’s left arm. Controlling the blocker’s arm on the rush side is important in a chop rush because the objective is to get one’s hips past the blocker’s. If the blocker maintains control using his arm on the side the rusher wants to work, the move will not be successful.

In the photo above, Mondeaux has succeeded at reaching the inside shoulder of the RT. As is important in a chop, Mondeaux appears to be letting the RT’s left arm thrust deplete its energy by rotating his torso counterclockwise in deflection. It also looks like Mondeaux has added an extra wrinkle by pulling on the RT’s right hand to enhance his own torso twist!

Mondeaux then blasts past the RT for an open shot at the QB (see green circle above). This was a wonderfully executed chop rush, and taking the move inside may have added to the chop’s effectiveness.

Enjoy the entirety of the play in the video above. What a sweet move (Mondeaux has the makings of a terrifying defensive end)!

But the Ducks kept the pressure on the Washington front. Late in the second quarter with the Huskies facing third-and-long, a pass play was likely. Time to dial up another good pass rush, which the Ducks do with only three men (orange rectangle in the photo above).

The progression of this pass rush play is best seen from the end zone (photo above). Both Tui Talia (No. 55) and DeForest Buckner (No. 44) are getting double-teamed on this play. But Alex Balducci’s (No. 56) productive rush still flushes the Husky QB.

As Balducci makes contact with the center, he has his body tilted left. He is keeping his hands in close (red circles), suggestive of a bull rush where the rusher gets his hands up under the blocker’s armpits and drives with his legs through the blocker.

As the play progresses, Balducci’s hand placement is still typical of a bull rush (see photo above). Curiously, Balducci’s body lean has changed from going left to going right (see red centerline). Meanwhile, Talia and Buckner have their hands full with the guards and tackles.

Suddenly, Balducci makes a move indicating either the initial pass rush technique was a ruse, or he’s changed his mind. As you can see in the photo above (red oval), Balducci has his left hand pushing/pulling the center’s right shoulder, while his right arm also pulls the center forward and then swings over the center’s body.

Essentially, Balducci drove the center back, and then using the center’s own momentum, pulled the rug out from under him, allowing Balducci to execute a brilliant “swim” move. One can only wonder whether the initial bull rush was an attempt to get the center’s weight going forward to set up the swim, or if Balducci just found the bull rush wasn’t working.

Video (above) shows Balducci’s actions more clearly. He engaged with arms in close on the center’s torso, but his hands are up high, too high for a good bull rush. Maybe this was a setup for a swim move all along?

As Balducci breaks free from the center and makes contact with the QB, Buckner and Talia have positioned themselves to provide containment (green circles in photo above). With the QB flushed, Buckner is close and moving, while Talia has shed one blocker and the other is trying to change direction.

In the photo above, Buckner has thwarted the QB’s path downfield and Talia is a blur of a surprise from the backside.

To see this play in all its glory, the end-zone view provides the best angle (video above). And we aren’t done; there is still the second half!

Above we have another great sack in the making. Rodney Hardrick, an inside linebacker, is up close to the line. This is a typical place for a blitzing linebacker to start, and I wonder if it helped lead to the outcome of this play.

The blitz look was a fake, and may have led to the left guard working outside on the defensive end. The Oregon D-line makes a furious four-man pass rush favoring the side away from Hardrick’s false blitz (see photo, green oval).

The QB has two open receivers (left wideout at top and running back below), but he seems to be focused on the inside wideout from the left who is running into coverage. The ‘pocket’ looks more like a line. In a static image like this, appearances can be deceiving.

The QB waited too long for his first progression to get open. The rush has arrived (green oval in photo above). The question is … how did the D-line get there so fast? A replay by the broadcaster provides the answers.

Buckner made the first significant contact. He skillfully placed his left hand beneath the right guard’s elbow (lower red circle above). Balducci is also setting up the center with a move of his own (upper red circle).

In the photo above, we see Buckner lifting his left hand to control the guard’s arm. This is an essential step in executing a rip rush.

Buckner has the guard firmly by the upper arm and is twisting him away, toward the center (see middle red circle above). Buckner is deep into his rip move at this point. Now he just needs to get his hips past the guard.

Simultaneously, Balducci has started to get the best of the center. He appears to be making a chop rush, swatting the arm of the center inward (upper red circle above) and trying to free up his left arm to finish the chop.

In the lower red circle, Torrodney Prevot (No. 86) is pushing up near the RT’s armpit (pseudo-bull rush, Torrodney?) after freeing the RT’s grip on his left arm.

The image above shows Buckner has succeeded in getting his hips past the guard. Balducci has turned the center and is being held. Prevot provides contain after pushing the RT all the way back to the QB.

Looking at the video above, frankly this play looks more like a simple overpowering of the O-line than execution of good technique. However, good technique laid the foundation for what became good old physical domination. Let’s take a better look at the action below.

Thanks to the television network, we have a close-up shot for us to see the Duck’s maul the Husky offensive line on this play. I am excited to see more of these plays, and given the depth of skill on the Oregon defensive front, odds are good we’ll see a lot more of these type of plays this season.

“Oh how we love to learn about our beloved Ducks!”

Jay MacPherson
Oregon Football Analyst for CFF Network/FishDuck.com
Eugene, Oregon

Top Photo by John Sperry