Winning the Trenches: The Key to the Oregon Ducks and Philadelphia Eagles’ 3-4 Defenses

Joe Kearns Analysis

There is a reason why defensive line guru Jerry Azzinaro was the one Oregon position coach who joined Chip Kelly on the Philadelphia Eagles’ coaching staff. The 3-4 defensive scheme and two-gap technique are just as important to Kelly as the fast-tempo, zone-blocking, and packaged plays. Azzinaro was Kelly’s right-hand man in installing the 3-4 as the base defense at …

Byron Marshall Loves Oregon’s New Slot-Sweep Read

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Analysis

How fun is it to see a new variation of a foundation play of the Oregon offense! The Sweep Read is one of those plays of the Oregon offense that has been unchanged since FishDuck.com introduced the play to football fans more than three years ago. Now we are beginning to see new wrinkles that Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich is adding to …

Ducks get Physical with the Power Play vs. Spartans

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Analysis

Oregon getting physical? We all know that the national narrative referred to the Ducks as soft and this game went a long way to refuting it, but how? What was the game plan that Coach Helfrich used to defeat the Spartans? There is an enormous amount to cover, but today lets look at one of the staples of the Oregon …

Royce Freeman Embraces Oregon’s Straddled Triple Option

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Analysis

There were plenty of surprises in this game to please even the most ardent fan, but for me — the most satisfying was watching new freshman running back Royce Freeman run Oregon’s Straddled Triple Option as if he were a senior and following his offensive line for years. His part of the play is the Inside Zone Read option, and most …

Oregon’s Disguised 3-4 Defense – The Hidden Bear

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck Analysis

In press conferences, Defensive Coordinator Don Pellum referred to “doing something different” in the Alamo Bowl, while high school coaches that have attended spring and fall Duck football practices whisper about “Oregon’s New Defense.” Hype and puff — or is there some fire under the smoke? This is the last summer analysis before the season starts and you know I …

Lessons for Oregon: How Michigan State Slowed Down Stanford’s Offense

Curtis Peterson Analysis

Michigan State played Stanford in last year’s Rose Bowl, to the dismay of the Duck faithful. However, in doing so, they showed their defensive formula for slowing down the Cardinal’s Heavy 2 runningback offense. I will start by saying that Michigan State did give up 162 yards rushing to Stanford, coming on 36 carries. However, a lot of those plays came …

Lane Johnson: Chip Kelly’s Secret Weapon in Space?

Joe Kearns Analysis

Chip Kelly doesn’t just want his skill players to have speed. He places a high premium on athletic offensive linemen who can execute their blocks both at the line of scrimmage and in space. It is easy to see how Lane Johnson‘s rare athletic ability convinced Kelly to select the Oklahoma offensive tackle with the fourth overall pick last year. …

Nasty Michigan State Pass Rush Strategies to Look For Vs Oregon

Curtis Peterson Analysis

September 6th. It’s not that far away. That’s when Michigan State travels to Eugene to battle the Ducks, and while they are “merely” a Big Ten team, they did beat Stanford, who in turn beat Oregon last year. Schematically on defense, the Spartans have the ability to go toe-to-toe with Oregon – just like the Cardinal did to the Ducks. This article is …

Post Up: Oregon’s Winning Red Zone Pass Play

Brian Flinn Analysis

With Eagles’ camp opening last Friday, it’s a great time to talk Oregon Spread Offense here in Philadelphia. The success of the Eagles in 2013 excited both the fan base and the local sports media. The extensive coverage of the Eagles, especially their offensive scheme, has brought a new understanding and appreciation in this region for the Oregon offense. I …

Teaching Running Backs How to Run the Inside Zone

Levi Steier Analysis

As pointed out in an earlier post here at FishDuck, the Oregon Ducks have become one of the premier rushing teams in all of college football and we’ll now examine another reason why. I have written other articles discussing some of the factor’s that play a critical role in their success running the football; including a breakdown of the zone blocking scheme …

Spill It and Kill It! How the Oregon Defense Shuts Down the Run

Joe Daniel Analysis

The Oregon ‘hybrid’ 3-4 Defense is a well-designed, precision machine — as any well run defense is. Oregon defenders don’t just chase the football around like a rec league soccer game. Every player on the field has a job to do, and all of those jobs fit together like a choreographed dance that will shut down the opponent’s rushing attack — …