Sequentials … the Sequel: Marcus Arroyo Grows Up

Mike West Analysis

If ever there was a time for Marcus Arroyo to shed his image of being predictable, the second half of last Saturday’s game was it. Justin Herbert’s Helter-Skelter first half performance last week cast a chill through living rooms of Duck fans across the nation. Memories of flame-outs in Pullman and Salt Lake City last year reared their ugly heads as Herbert mimicked those awful images of yesteryear.

Who out there thought Arroyo was the man who would architect a comeback victory?

Respect the Power of Sequential Plays

Arroyo has an extensive library of sequential plays. Coach Eric Boles, FishDuck.com Writer Joshua Whitted and yours truly have written about the types of sequential plays Arroyo has used this year. The most effective in Arroyo’s arsenal is the Run-Pass Option (RPO). Why? Because it combines a core play with a sequential play.

Let’s look at the first play of the clinching drive near the end of the game.

Arroyo calls an Inside Zone Read (RPO) play above. Watch the linebackers attack the line of scrimmage, leaving the middle of the field wide open. The safety is too far from the action to defend the pass. The result is an explosive, 20-yard gain. If the linebackers stay back, Herbert will hand off the ball (the core play). Since the linebackers attacked, Herbert pulled the ball and completed the pass (the sequential play). The defense will determine if the play will be a core play or a sequential play. That is why the RPO is so effective.

More importantly, the play action aspect of this RPO Play (above) looked similar to the RPO that resulted in Oregon’s first touchdown. When Arroyo calls this Inside Zone Read run two plays later, it results in another explosive play — this time a run for 20 yards because the linebackers reacted slowly out of concern the play would be another pass.

That particular series was an eight-play, 75-yard drive consisting of six runs and two passes. The first play opened up room for the running back to find holes on six consecutive runs due to the success of that particular play. That is why sequential plays are so important.

Something’s Happening Here

Herbert is deadly when Arroyo calls RPO plays. I believe RPO plays are so effective because Herbert reads quickly, and he is more fundamentally sound throwing the ball on RPO plays.

Arroyo wisely set his players up to succeed last Saturday in Seattle. He identified what was working for the offense after implementing some very good adjustments coming out of halftime. Arroyo also timed the use of his sequential plays better, resulting in more explosive plays. One of his best adjustments, however, was simplifying the offense on that critical go-ahead touchdown drive. Did anyone predict Arroyo would call that fourth touchdown pass?

The predictably unpredictable Marcus Arroyo. Man, lemon-lime Kool-Aid tastes so good.

Mike West
Las Vegas, Nevada                                                                                                                                                   Top Photo by Tom Corno

 

Phil Anderson, the FishDuck.com Volunteer editor for this article, is a trial lawyer in Bend Oregon.

 

 

New 2024 FishDuck Publishing Schedule….

During the off-season the FishDuck.com publishing schedule will consist of articles on Mondays and Tuesdays. Do keep checking as new articles could be published during the week when a writer has something to say.

In mid-August of 2024, we will go back to the seven-days-a-week of articles during the football season as we did in the football season of 2023.

The Our Beloved Ducks Forum (OBD) is where we we discuss the article above and many more topics, as it is so much easier in a message board format over there.  At the free OBD forum we will be posting Oregon Sports article links, the daily Press Releases from the Athletic Department and the news coming out every day.

Our 33 rules at the free OBD Forum can be summarized to this: 1) be polite and respectful, 2) do not tell anyone what to think, feel or write, and 3) no reference of any kind to politics. Easy-peasy!

OBD Forum members….we got your back.  No Trolls Allowed!