The hallmark of any great defense is strength up the middle. Conversely, (As Charles eluded to in a recent post on our forum) it remains a long-term weakness at Oregon. This topic is especially pertinent considering Oregon’s portal activity, and Mr. FishDuck took time from his study of Washington Commanders NFL Lines and NFL Odds to chime in his thoughts …
We throw around a ton of stats and make our predictions, yet some fundamental ones are often bypassed. I am curious as to what your goals for the Oregon Football team in 2021 in terms of points scored and points allowed. You are also invited to give your numbers as to what you think they should be, and you think …
This is a ponder-point that I’d love your feedback on, because it has so many dimensions to it and has such wide-reaching ramifications for the team. If you are starting an inexperienced corner … even a highly rated one, you are in trouble. And in the pass-happy Pac-12, that is especially true. No matter how good the rest of the …
From the angst-filled opener in Dallas, to the dramatic finish in Pasadena, Duck fans marveled over Andy Avalos‘ 2019 Oregon defense. No amount of glowing anticipation could match the outstanding improvement Avalos’ troops demonstrated in just one year. With only two key additions, Oregon’s defense garnered 97 tackles for loss, 41 sacks, 20 interceptions, 42 quarterback hurries and yielded only …
Chip Kelly arrived in Eugene as a virtual unknown from the University of New Hampshire. From 2007 to 2012, Kelly changed the landscape of college football with his blur offense, transforming Oregon into a national title contender in the process. Following a lull under Mark Helfrich and Willie Taggart, Mario Cristobal started restoring dreams of a “Natty” in 2018, inciting FishDuck’s …
Before Andy Avalos introduced his brilliant defensive schemes last fall, Oregon’s glaring weakness was its inability to defend players in space. Ducks defenders often looked like ghosts pursuing pac-men all over the football field. Former defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt shored up some of the weaknesses, but it was Avalos who put a stop to the flow of embarrassing big plays …
There was much dismay among Ducks fans when Andy Avalos’s Boise State defense overwhelmed Marcus Arroyo’s offense in the 2017 Las Vegas Bowl. FishDuck fans across the nation fretted over Arroyo’s up-and-down, “roller coaster” tendencies. Little did we know it would be Avalos’s defensive brilliance that would redeem Arroyo’s roller-coaster offense just two years later. Even when Coach Eric Boles …
New Oregon Duck defensive coordinator Andy Avalos prefers that his defense stay multiple and mix up its coverages, but quarters coverage may be his most dependable scheme on the back end. Avalos plays quarters in a more aggressive fashion, allowing his corners to play closer to the line of scrimmage in order to jam receivers and knock them off their routes …
In our last article on the new Oregon Duck defense, we discussed the basics of Coach Andy Avalos’ system. Now let’s get into the two positions that make it go, the Stud and the Spur. Avalos refers to the latter simply as the Nickel, so that’s the terminology I will use going forward. However, first on the list is the …
Is it a 3-4 front? Or is it a 4-3? There is a lot of discussion among the Duck fan base about the new defensive scheme being installed by recently hired coordinator Andy Avalos. In the interest of greater clarity, today I simply want to dive into the look and personnel of the defense. Once we understand the base alignment and …
The Oregon Ducks signed a very good group of defensive backs in the 2018 recruiting cycle, and certainly one of the most heralded was national recruit Verone McKinley III from Hebron High School in Carrolton, Texas. Hebron (Hawks) High School is a medium-sized institution with an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students, playing at the 6A (large school) level in Texas. …
A key component to winning or losing on the football field is turnovers! TOs can play a huge part in any football game, for good or ill. Types of Turnovers Fumbles: dropping or losing hold of the ball when in play. Interceptions: A defensive player catching a pass intended for an offensive player. Muffs in the kicking game: on kickoffs or …