Independent Football Commentary and Analysis
For most of the season, we heard how the Pistol was the sole culprit of a dwindling run game. While I do not believe that the Pistol is responsible, I do believe that the manner in which it was used, is. It is possible to be creative with the formation. […]
The Inside Zone has been a play utilized by the Oregon Ducks’ offense for quite some time. Chip Kelly predominantly ran the play from the Shotgun, while Coach Mario Cristobal leaned a little more in the direction of the Pistol. Today we’re going to take a look at how the play […]
The Duck defense showed up for the Redbox Bowl in Santa Clara, but the offense, as happened several times during the past season, missed the team bus. In a first half that brought to memory the infamous 1983 0-0 Toilet Bowl tie with Oregon State, the mighty, physical Oregon offense […]
Though the Oregon offense didn’t always fire on all cylinders this season, there were moments that showed us that Coach Marcus Arroyo can be a pretty creative offensive coordinator. The question remains, can he continue to evolve both as a play caller and in scheme? The final two games of […]
What are the “experts” saying about the recruiting class? Many of the most knowledgeable are part of the pay-sites of which most of you don’t have access to. (Which is why you are on this free site!) I was thinking about offering my early assessment of the recruiting class signed […]
One of a few aspects of the Oregon Ducks offense that seemed unusual to me, as the season progressed, was the lack of gap schemes. Not to say there weren’t any, but for a team that was thought to be a power run team, the scarcity of these plays was […]
Head coach Mario Cristobal savored two Thanksgiving treats: dinner with his team and family, and the next day, for dessert, a 55-15 win over rival Oregon State in a Civil War game that was never as close as the final score indicated. The outcome revealed that Oregon could dominate the […]
Coach Mario Cristobal had a chance to see what his offense should always look like, scoring 28 points in the first half of their win over Arizona State. In the second half, the offense and their coaching staff were strangely absent. The freewheeling game plan, so successful in the first […]
Head coach Mario Cristobal has to be frustrated with the Oregon football team he inherited. Going into his first season, with a couple of all-stars on defense and a Heisman candidate quarterback leading his offense, it seemed that contending for the Pac-12 Conference championship was a goal within reach. Unfortunately, […]
Writing this article came about by way of a strange coincidence. The morning of the Oregon v. Washington game, I received a text message from a coaching friend in Oklahoma. His question was simple: “You think GT Counter Read works from Pistol?” Neither of us had seen anyone do it before, […]
Coach Mario Cristobal had to be thankful that UCLA made a ton of mistakes in Chip Kelly’s return trip to Autzen Stadium. The Bruins are very young, with fewer senior starters than Oregon: one on offense and two on defense — which might account for the five turnovers and 11 […]
The question on everyone’s mind is “what happened to the Oregon Ducks?” after they were pasted by a mediocre Arizona team in Tucson. The Duck offense was somnolent and quarterback Justin Herbert sank into a fog, without getting any help from his offensive line, receivers or coaches. For the second […]
