To Become an Elite Offense the Ducks Must Learn Patience

The Ducks are 4-0 but far from perfect, and the warm-up games are over. Penn State is coming up Saturday. The Nittany Lions are going to be the first real test for the Ducks this season, and the Ducks the first competitive team Penn State will face. For the Ducks’ Offense to find success against a top B1G team, they are going to have to learn patience. Even Mr. FishDuck took a moment from his gaming fun at cheekypunter.com to share his thoughts about the Oregon offense.

Against a talent-deficient Oregon State team, Oregon had some hiccups on offense. It was clear from the outset that Offensive Coordinator Will Stein knew he could take the top off the Oregon State defense, and had Dante Moore take shots downfield early and often. One resulted in a touchdown on the first drive to Dakorian Moore. Oregon certainly has the receivers and quarterback to stretch the field vertically this year, though it does come with its risks in that deep shots are low percentage throws and incomplete passes can become wasted downs.

This is where the Beavers’ defense managed to get their stops. The offense fell behind and got out of rhythm, and needed more vertical passes to get them out of the hole they dug for themselves. This shrinks the playbook and makes it easier to defend, and takes the diverse and beautiful Stein offense and puts it in a corner. The Ducks in the first and second quarter needed to stick with the run longer instead of looking for the one-play drive-winner.

There were also plenty of third and long situations against the Beavers that Oregon converted with relative ease, made possible by their massive talent advantage. The talent discrepancy will not exist to the same degree with Penn State.

The running back by committee approach for the Ducks this season has been a massive strength. Noah Whittington has been out with an injury since Game 2 and the unit hasn’t missed a beat. However, with such an extensive rotation it can be difficult to get a running back at his best. This hasn’t been the case against lesser opponents, but sticking with a runner for a couple consecutive drives might help them and their offensive line get in sync, where the revolving door of different runners and running styles might actually hurt the unit.

That is not to say the Ducks should stop running back by committee, because that would be detrimental to the offense as well. Keeping fresh runners available late into the game has proven to be a way to deliver a knockout punch against opposing defenses to date, and the Ducks don’t need a bell cow to be successful in the run game. However, the run game is lacking the consistency seen for the past couple years and six to seven running backs might be three too many.

Dante Moore shows off his running ability against Oregon State.
(Photo By: Scott Kelley)

It may be tempting for the coaches to switch out runners in search of the “hot hand,” but it also may require their own patience in letting their runners get enough carries to allow them to settle down and run to their potential.

Dante’s Legs

Dante Moore showed off his legs for the first real time on Saturday, running seven times for 53 yards and averaging 7.6 yards per carry. There have been few quarterback designed runs and those are not what this team needs, because Moore does not need to be a constant threat to run. However, B1G opponents are going to have to account for Moore’s running ability in the future, as he frequently picks up first downs on his scrambles.

Moore’s patience was on full display as he waited for the play to develop, and when he saw the Beaver defense not giving him the windows he wanted, he ran the ball — often ran out of bounds to avoid the hit. It’s clear Moore does not have the new starter jumpy legs problem where a young quarterback will often not wait for the play to develop before taking off. Moore also has the added advantage of a solid offensive line in front of him that gives him the time he needs.

Moore needs to continue to be patient and let the plays develop. He has the arm to make big plays but he doesn’t need to force them, especially when the defense is happy to give him seven or eight yards with his legs.

Every week this team continues to develop and patience is not a skill for the inexperienced, but it may prove to be the difference maker in coming out of Penn State’s Beaver Stadium with a win.

David Marsh 
Portland, Oregon
Top Photo By Scott Kelley

Natalie Liebhaber, the FishDuck.com Volunteer Editor for this article, works in financial technology in SLC, Utah.

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David Marsh

David Marsh is a high school social studies teacher in Portland, Oregon. As a teacher he is known for telling puns to his students who sometimes laugh out of sympathy, and being both eccentric about history and the Ducks.

David graduated from the University of Oregon in 2012 with Majors in: Medieval Studies, Religious Studies, and Geography. David began following Ducks Football after being in a car accident in 2012; finding football something new and exciting to learn about during this difficult time in his life. Now, he cannot see life without Oregon football.