If LSU’s championship run in 2019 taught college football fans anything, it’s that the game has changed. While age-old foundations such as winning the line of scrimmage and playing good defense remain important, so too is having elite, game-changing talent at the skill positions (running back, wide receiver and tight end). The best teams have offensive playmakers across the board …
The list of Oregon offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead’s accomplishments is a lengthy one. Behind his unique offensive system, he has engineered some of the most impressive turnarounds in the country over the past decade, most notably pulling the Penn State offense out of the stone age and into the 21st century. Analysts, coaches and players alike rave about Moorhead’s off-the-charts …
Everybody loves an exciting, explosive spread-option offense. The Ducks had one of their own under Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich, and many legendary offenses have thrived using this still-effective scheme. However, with defenders becoming bigger, faster and stronger, and with the importance of having a healthy starting quarterback, head coaches of spread schemes now have to determine whether it’s worth …
No one’s going to confuse Oregon offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo for Oklahoma wunderkind Lincoln Riley. The latter is arguably the brightest offensive mind football right now, and his offense is once again lighting up the scoreboard this season. The same can’t be said about Arroyo, whose offense has struggled at times to live up to the lofty expectations of highlight-starved …
A third of the way into the season, there’s plenty to be excited about as an Oregon fan. The Ducks’ defense is playing historically well, Oregon finally kicked its Stanford curse, and it even has one of the best punters in the country. Sitting at 3-1, with a clear path to a Pac-12 title and even an outside shot at …
To say that Oregon fans were underwhelmed with offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo’s play calling in the Ducks’ week 1 loss to Auburn would be an understatement. No one shouldered more of the blame for Oregon’s abysmal second half showing — in which the Ducks failed to put up a single point after their first possession — than Arroyo. But for …
For those longing for a return to the program’s peak offensive production of the past, the finality of spring football did not offer much for an Oregon Duck team that ranked 41st in total offense, 49th in passing offense and 54th in rushing offense in 2018. This is not entirely surprising however, as head coach Mario Cristobal emphasized that the …
Expectations weigh heavily on the Oregon offense this year, no sense shying away from it. The meteoric rise of Oregon football in the early 2000s was fueled by innovation, executed at a blur-like tempo and presented in uniforms unlike anything ever seen. This overload of stimuli throughout the “Golden Era” of Oregon football (2009-2014) has cast a shadow over the …
When Oregon learned of its potential bowl opponents, there were several interesting candidates. Iowa, Northwestern and Wisconsin each would have been fine choices. But there’s no question that the Redbox Bowl committee struck gold when they matched the high-flying Ducks with their familiar cross-country foe, Michigan State, for their third meeting in five years. The rubber match won’t be for a spot in …
Mario Cristobal is not Chip Kelly. Kelly is an offensive mastermind, whose fast-paced, spread-option system took the country by storm. His innovations, matched with some of the most dynamic athletes in the game, led the Ducks to their most successful period in team history. But for all of his acclaim, Kelly couldn’t get over the hump. Although his offensive brilliance …
Oregon’s offense has undergone a facelift, and the results haven’t been flattering. The once ultra-exciting and innovative unit that produced historically great results now looks ordinary and predictable. Finding something positive in the midst of such offensive regression is challenging, but there has been one resounding bright spot: Dillon Mitchell. The former illustrious recruit from Memphis has become a bona fide …
The 2018 Oregon Ducks have been like a box of chocolates: when they take the field, you never know what you’re going to get. One week, it looks like they could go toe to toe with the best teams in the country. Another, it looks like they’d get smoked by conference bottom-dweller Oregon State. Fans are growing restless with the team’s hot …