One of the biggest bones of contention the fans have had with the Mario Cristobal era of nearly four years was pounding of the “A” gaps with the “Plodding-Pistol” formation. Late last year we began to see more of the Shotgun formation, and less of the Pistol to where now we simply do not see the Pistol formation at all. …
At this point in the season, the dominance of the Oregon Ducks’ rushing attack is well established. The Ducks are averaging a solid 227 yards per game on the ground. Their output places them as the tenth best rushing offense in the nation. That’s a 5.6 yards per play average. Their ability to ground and pound opponents has also helped …
The interest in the success of the running game at Oregon has generated a number of comments about Duck Quarterback Anthony Brown our leading the blocking at times. Is this part of the offensive game-plan, or part of a particular play design? Before many of you become concerned about all the screenshots and a video–this article will take you less …
The Oregon Ducks currently sit as the number one scoring offense in the Pac-12 conference. They have done so behind a well balanced attack orchestrated by Coach Joe Moorhead. Though the passing game continues to improve with each passing week, it is the run schemes that have caught my eye. The Ducks are doing exactly what Coach Mario Cristobal set …
Oregon’s trip to Los Angeles was the perfect opportunity for all of the Mario Cristobal skeptics to say “I told you so.” Chip Kelly and his Bruins run one of the more creative offenses in the country, with wild run-blocking schemes, plenty of tempo and a wide variety of formations. Cristobal — on the other hand — has become infamous …
The Oregon Ducks offense has been consistently good at running the ball through the first half of the 2021 football season. They are one of just two teams to rush for at least 180 yards in each of their games while averaging 210.3 yards per outing. They have done so with a great stable of running backs, and an offensive …
The Mario Cristobal blocking priority is PHYSICALITY, drive blocking, or the “Mano-a-mano,” the I’m tougher than you emphasis as an offensive priority. “We’re blocking straight ahead we’re going to drive you backward!” Nothing says this more than the Plodding Pistol Plunge, as we fans have seen too much “tougher” and not enough “smarter.” Coach Cristobal wants to be physical, thus Oregon …
Coach Joe Moorhead is known all throughout the coaching ranks as a master schemer and architect of one of the smartest RPO based offenses in the nation. He has designed an offense with the Oregon Ducks that allows them to keep the physical style of run game they’re known for, while adding another layer. The RPO system that Coach Moorhead …
The Oregon Ducks have introduced quite a few new plays to their offense in the first quarter of the 2021 season. One of those plays has been used to great affect including two touchdowns against the Ohio State Buckeyes, is what I’m calling the Wide Power Read; a twist on the classic Power Read. The Power Read, or Inverted Veer, …
After a tough week one win against the Fresno State Bulldogs, the Oregon Ducks look to build off of the offense’s strong points. Though the Bulldogs are an extremely well-prepared football team, the Ducks often made things more difficult on themselves than needed, as they kept things as vanilla as a spring game. That was actually by design as the …
While Coach Chip Kelly was in charge, the Oregon Ducks often went to the Outside Zone to get around defenses. In this play, the offensive line would work laterally to get an angle on the defense and spring the running back to the outside. With Coach Mario Cristobal at the helm, the Ducks have often gone to the Wide Zone. …
The Ducks have made a big change in a subtle way that could mark the gradual decline of the Pistol formation at Oregon! This change was evident in the Pac-12 Championship, but not in the Fiesta Bowl, yet materialized again in the Oregon Spring Game. I refer to how the Inside Zone out of the Shotgun is now being run, …