How Oregon’s “Squeeze-n-Pop” Strategy Stifled the Zone Read

Zach Pierson Analysis

Welcome to a special edition of X’s vs. O’s! Whether you are a die-hard Oregon Duck fan or a casual observer, I don’t think anyone expected Oregon to keep pace with Arizona in their November 18th showdown. To come away with such an emphatic victory is even more impressive. The defensive game-plan deserves much of the credit, and is worth studying. Today, …

Ducks Not Ready to Play; Boise was…

Coach Ken Woody Analysis

In hindsight, it was inevitable. New head coach Mario Cristobal and the Oregon Ducks would be distracted by the two weeks of turmoil surrounding the departure of former coach Willie Taggart. But it was hard to understand the entirety of such a lackluster effort in losing to Boise State 38-28 in the Las Vegas Bowl. Before the game, ESPN ran a graphic showing what the …

Power on the Edge: Buck Sweep in the Willie Taggart Offense

Coach Eric Boles Analysis

With it being a bye week for the Oregon Ducks, I have decided to go back a couple weeks and take a look at a play Oregon used against the Utah Utes. The play is Buck Sweep, often referenced by Mr. FishDuck on the site as the Sweep Read. This is a play Gus Malzahn has famously run at Auburn; former Duck …

X’s vs. O’s: Two Age-old Concepts Combine To Create Something “New”

Zach Pierson Analysis

Welcome to this week’s edition of X’s vs. O’s. Today we return to the “picture book” format! The concept we are discussing today is another new idea that has spread like wildfire throughout the collegiate ranks in recent years. However, like most “new” things in the world, it is simply a combination of two very old ideas. In this case, …

First Growth Spurt: Burmeister Shows Progress

Coach Eric Boles Analysis

Against the Utah Utes, we didn’t have to wait very long to see where Braxton Burmeister’s game has improved. On the first drive of the game we saw a good amount of growth in the passing game from the young quarterback. In this analysis, we  take a look at four plays in the game’s opening drive that show how Braxton is …

X’s vs. O’s: It’s Blitz! Blitzing vs. Full Slide Pass Protection

Zach Pierson Analysis

Welcome to the sixth installment of X’s vs. O’s. In this series, we will analyze ways in which Oregon utilizes different schemes and techniques to both attack and defend the opposition. Today, we are looking at a play-action pass scheme against a zone blitz. We’ll briefly review the passing concept, the QB’s play fake, and the pass protection scheme before …

Growing Up Is Painful: Burmeister a Work in Progress

Coach Eric Boles Analysis

It hasn’t been pretty. It rarely is. Braxton Burmeister is a true freshman quarterback thrust into a starting role before he’s ready for the speed and complexity of the college game, and he has looked the part. This whole situation really started to take shape in the spring. Oregon had good depth at quarterback going into the 2017 season, and …

X’s vs. O’s: Using Formation and Motion to Create Explosive Plays

Zach Pierson Analysis

Welcome to the fifth installment of X’s vs. O’s. In this series, we will analyze how Oregon utilizes different schemes and techniques to attack and defend the opposition. Today we will be looking at a classic example of a coverage bust from last week’s encounter between the Ducks and the Washington State Cougars (WSU). This play is a fantastic example …

Feeling the Juice: Offensive Line Awakens in Autzen

Coach Eric Boles Analysis

Dominant. If the performance of Oregon’s offensive line against California had to be summed up in one word, it would be dominant. We saw flashes from the offensive line early this season and then witnessed the hiccup against Arizona State. On Saturday night at Autzen Stadium, everything came together for the guys in the trenches. Mario Cristobal has done a fantastic job …

X’s vs. O’s: Oregon’s Y Pop RPO vs. Arizona State’s Solo Coverage

Zach Pierson Analysis

Welcome to this week’s edition of X’s vs. O’s! Today, we will be discussing one of the ways the Ducks exploit defenders’ simultaneous run/pass responsibilities. The example today is an RPO concept Oregon used in their game against Arizona State. “RPO” stands for Run-Pass Option. On an RPO, the play is set up as a run, but the Quarterback (QB) …

Feet Into Yards: Taggart Makes a Smart Move With Herbert

Coach Eric Boles Analysis

Something became somewhat obvious in Oregon’s first two games. Then it became crystal clear against Wyoming: Coach Taggart is going to utilize Justin Herbert’s running ability, no matter how some think the quarterback should and should not be used. Honestly, it’s a smart move. When I say that Taggart is going to use Herbert in the run game, I don’t mean this …

X’s vs. O’s: Oregon’s 4 Verticals vs. Nebraska’s Cover 5

Zach Pierson Analysis

Welcome to the third installment of X’s vs. O’s. In this series, we will analyze how Oregon utilizes different schemes and techniques to attack and defend the opposition. Today, we will discuss how the Cover 5 defense matches up against the 4 Verticals (so called because it involves four vertical receivers) passing concept. These common enemies clashed in a third-and-long …