A lot of people will blame either aggressive game management or play-calling for the Oregon Ducks’ loss to the Washington Huskies. But aggressiveness has successfully been a calling card of this team and play-calling is often the low hanging fruit used to explain why a play didn’t work out. However, the way a play is executed in key moments can …
The Oregon Duck Offense: Same Side GH Counter
So far this season, the Oregon Ducks are averaging 232 yards per game on the ground, which is good for seventh in the nation. Their success is due in part to the variety of Coach Will Stein’s rushing attack — keeping opposing defenses of balance. Against the Colorado Buffaloes, the Ducks offense unleashed a play that they hadn’t run all …
Omigosh! The 14Josh Formation is Now a Stein-Staple?
It was fun learning about a formation from the past being implemented at Oregon in 2022. The Ducks called it the “14Josh” as Oregon sent a sixth offensive lineman, true freshman (at the time) Josh Conerly Jr., out for multiple run plays in the big win over BYU early in the season. Adding an extra offensive lineman or two isn’t …
Stein Surprises: Oregon Unveils a NEW/OLD Zone-Read?
Is Oregon going to continue using the Zone-Read as part of the Oregon Offense? That was a question I wrestled with this last summer as I studied up on what new Offensive Coordinator, Will Stein, liked to run. The fans were told that most of the Kenny Dillingham offense would remain, and we would see Stein’s own wrinkles into game-plans …
The Fourth Option in Will Stein’s Split Zone RPO
Throughout the off-season, we’ve studied several plays from Coach Will Stein’s offense and made assumptions about options on a few of them. Now, we have confirmation of one of those assumptions. A few months ago, we took a look at Coach Stein’s Split Zone Triple Option and talked about the possibility of the wheel route being a fourth option on …
No Sacks! No Defense! No Problem for Oregon
It happens every year; the massive over-reaction early in a game, and yet things turn out fine later. When Portland State drove easily to a touchdown in the first quarter to quickly answer Oregon’s score–the classic over-the-top reactions in the Our Beloved Ducks forum surfaced immediately. “Tuioti and Lupoi both need to be replaced if we want our D to …
Will Stein’s Oregon Offense: Empty Diamond QB Draw RPO
One way that offenses can be efficient at a high rate is to consistently move the chains in short-yardage situations, and that is no different in Coach Will Stein’s system. One of his favorite plays to keep the chains moving, while commanding the UTSA Roadrunners offense, was the Empty Diamond QB Draw RPO — another play Duck faithful can expect …
From Georgia: Watch Dan Lanning’s ‘Simulated Pressures’
Coach Dan Lanning brought some Georgia blitzes with him to Oregon, and Duck fans are going to see more of them in action this next season. Because the 4-2-5 MINT defense that Lanning likes to run was in a transitional stage between aligning the right talent with the assignments in 2022, the need for applying pressure without leaving the secondary …
Will Stein’s Oregon Offense: Play-Action Shallow-Cross
This season, as it did throughout 2022, the Oregon Ducks offense will look to have an extremely efficient rushing attack and a complimentary passing game. One way in which Coach Will Stein’s unit will accomplish this goal is through the use of play-action, and in this article, we’re going to take a closer look at the Play-Action Shallow-Cross. We’ve touched …
Bassa’s Perfect Blitzing Technique in Holiday Bowl
Watching the development of players is one of the smaller rewards of college football that is satisfying and part of our overall enjoyment of the sport. We see players break-out each year, and while that occurred a few years back for Jeffrey Bassa, when he moved from safety to linebacker–it was fun to see his exciting sack from perfect blitzing …
Will Stein’s Oregon Offense: The Tight End Slip
Coach Will Stein comes from a school of offense that is very creative, and at times even tricky — as illustrated by the throwback screen we studied a few weeks ago, and the tricks don’t stop there. His offense has roots that go back to Coach Gus Malzahn’s system, which includes one of his favorite trick plays. The play itself …
The Will Stein Oregon Offense: Four Verts
Coach Will Stein has made it clear that deep shots a huge part of his offense. He’s even stated that they would like to take at least two deep shots per quarter. This philosophy of an attacking air game works to keep defenses honest, and in turn create more room for the ground game. Not to mention that deep shots …