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Saturday, October 28, 2023

Win or lose today, Dan Lanning remains the right choice as Oregon's head coach

 


This week sports reporter Nick Ursini of KEZI television in Eugene asked ESPN Game Day host Rece Davis if Dan Lanning needed a "signature win" today at Utah. Davis gave a thoughtful, common-sense answer:

About Lanning, Davis said, "I think he's got every characteristic you want for an elite coach. Do they need to win tomorrow? Well yeah, because they want to win championships."

Fan expectations have reached insane levels in this era of the college football playoff, NIL and the transfer portal. Used to be, the thinking was a coach needed three to four years to build a program and get "his players," the right guys for his system, the talent to compete.

In the midst of the one-year overhauls by LSU's Brian Kelly, USC's Lincoln Riley and Deion Sanders at Colorado, the pressure to win is almost immediate. At some schools, anything less than a playoff berth meets with grumbling and unrest.

Most Oregon fans like Lanning for his passion and effort, but some reserve judgment after the close losses in rivalry games, 0-3 now against Washington and Oregon State. As year two unfolds, there's an undercurrent of expectation that anything less than a conference title in Year Two represents failure.

That's unfair. After 20 games, Lanning is 16-4 as a head coach. His .800 winning percentage ranks 2nd all-time among Duck head coaches with 20 or more games, behind Chip Kelly at .868 (46-7). He's reached the AP Top Ten in each of his first 2 years (finishing 15th in Year One) and has had a top ten recruiting class in both seasons.

10-3 and a win in the Holiday Bowl over North Carolina is a solid debut for a first-time head coach, and he coached brilliantly in that bowl win, coming from behind in the fourth quarter.  For example, Nick Saban is widely regarded as the greatest coach in college football history. Saban was 6-5-1 in his first season at Michigan State, 8-4 in his first season at LSU, 7-6 in his first season at Alabama. Kalen Deboer, a hot commodity after his hot start over his first two seasons in Seattle, went 12-6 at Fresno State, his first job in the FBS.

Despite the quick-strike Social Media criticism, Lanning didn't inherit a turnkey squad from his predecessor in Eugene. Imagine the Oregon offense without Bo Nix and Bucky Irving, two players Lanning and his staff brought from the transfer portal. Similarly, the Oregon defense has been transformed via the portal. Khyree Jackson, Tysheem Johnson, Jordan Burch have given the unit backbone and a new toughness. Through recruiting and the portal, the coach has remade the roster in his first two seasons, instilling a culture based on authentic connection.

Consider that in two years, his teams have never had a flat game, a game where the effort and focus weren't there. They've lost games, but they've always been ready to play.

Lanning has recruited relentlessly and his staff decisions have been excellent. Carlos Locklyn, Tosh Lupoi, Will Stein, A'lique Terry, Demetrius Martin have all been exceptional hires. 

The Ducks are 6.5-point favorites in Salt Lake City today, and they are the more talented team. They have the more explosive offense. But both teams are good on defense, and Rice-Eccles Stadium is a tough place to play. In fact, the Utes have a 27-game home winning streak there. 

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham is the acknowledged dean of PAC-12 coaches, renown for teaching discipline and toughness. He's won consistently, 84-36 since 2014, the best record in the league, a .700 win percentage, and the last two conference championships.

I fully expect the Ducks will win today, but even if they don't, they've hired the guy I believe will become the most successful coach in program history. He'll learn what he doesn't know, even if some of his bold decisions don't pan out.

Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:08 AM 0 comments

Sunday, October 15, 2023

Gambling? Aggressive? The crucial adjustment in mindset Dan Lanning has to make


 In the brief Dan Lanning era the Ducks are 0-3 in rivalry games, losing by 3, 4 and 3 points. In those they've had 6 Red Zone possessions that resulted in 0 points and they've gone 3-12 on 4th downs. 

Rivalry games are different. They tend to be close and tense. Points are precious. Field position matters more.

In all three of those games they led in the 4th quarter, outgained the opponent and won or tied in the turnover battle. As a team they must learn to finish these out--be two plays better, make better decisions and reads.

Decisions have a different weight in rivalry games, particularly because momentum swings are more powerful.  By the 4th quarter the Ducks had quieted Husky Stadium.  The failed fourth down gave the opponent life.

When a coach makes big decisions in critical moments, he has to know more than the math. He has to know how his team will respond and what's going to work. And he has to have the wisdom to learn from his own mistakes.

Posted by Dale Bliss at 10:23 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Wouldn't it be nice? Wilson Love provides the winning edge for Oregon's top ten units

 


It's never happened before. They're the only team in the country that's doing it.

Five games into the season, and Oregon is number two in the country in scoring offense at 51.6 points per game. That part was commonplace in the years of Chip Kelly and Marcus Mariota.

The rare part is that the defense is keeping pace. Currently Oregon's stingy, salty defensive unit is 8th in the nation in scoring defense at 11.8 points per game, 3rd in yards per play defense at 4.02 points per game.

They are the only team in the nation with a top ten offense AND a top ten defense, something Duck fans lamented for years. "If only our defense could keep up with our offense..." Now it does. This defense has muscle.

Credit goes all around. The coaches made some terrific off season portal moves to strengthen both units. Coordinators Will Stein and Tosh Lupoi have done a great job. The Ducks have excellent depth, particularly in the defensive line and secondary. That's kept them fresh. Even the fans have helped. The energy at Autzen Stadium and from the growing contingent at road games inspires greater effort.

But an underappreciated key in Oregon's 5-0 start and playoff contention is that this is, overall, the fastest, strongest and best-conditioned Oregon roster ever. Without fanfare or flamboyance, Wilson Love has transformed the Oregon strength and conditioning program.  Across position groups you will witness explosiveness, flexibility and functional strength.

On both sides of the ball, this is a physical team. Watch the surge and agility on this play by the defense during the Stanford game, from Jordan Burch (1) and Taki Taimani (55).

Even Oregon's wide receivers display improved strength. All season Troy Franklin and Traeson Holden have driven through defenders for first downs, delivered the blow to a tackler, like in the photo above.

It takes strength and explosion to make a catch like this touchdown from tight end Terrance Ferguson against The Cardinal, pulling the ball down over a defender. At the same time, nine months in the weight room provides the leverage and push the Oregon offensive is getting at the line of scrimmage, standing up the Stanford defense.

Posted by Dale Bliss at 4:58 AM 0 comments

Sunday, October 1, 2023

Ducks shake off first quarter lethargy to stun Stanford, 42-6

 


On a Saturday when the PAC-12's two other 5-0, top-ranked teams struggled to put away opponents on the road, the Oregon Ducks stumbled early but surged through the last three quarters to best Stanford in Palo Alto, 42-6.

It was a game that started with eerie portents and a creeping familiarity. Oregon struggled out of the gate while the hosts put together two long field goal drives, choking the clock. After The Cardinal's Joshua Karty nailed a 53-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter they led 6-0. Stanford had 120 yards of offense in the first fifteen minutes of the game. The Ducks had run just three plays, gaining a total of six yards. Bo Nix missed an open Tez Johnson on a deep shot on third and 4.

With their opening possession of the second quarter the Ducks misfired again. Bucky Irving ran for four, Nix was flushed out of the pocket and missed Irving down the right sideline, on a throw he didn't have time to set his feet and bounced to his receiver, then threw underneath to his running back again on third down, stopped short of the sticks. Oregon chose to punt on 4th and three, their second three and out in two possessions.

A sack by Evan Williams got the defense off the field in 5 plays.

It was 9:08 of the second quarter before the Quack Attack made a first down, on a keeper to the left side by Nix. That led to a six-play, 69-yard touchdown drive. Nix hit the ever-reliable Troy Franklin for 13 yards, then Jordan James busted loose behind Josh Conerly and Marcus Harper II for a 13-yard run followed by a 30-yard touchdown run and a 7-6 lead.

Jordan Burch burst through the line on third and five to tackle Lake Oswego product Casey Filkins for a loss and Stanford went three and out.

Ahead now, Nix and the offense found their rhythm, driving 75 yards in six plays. Nix hit Franklin on passes of 15, 12 and 11 yards, Irving ran for 11, then on 2nd and 4 from the Stanford 17, he performed a shake, bake and stiff arm to power his way for a TD, again behind the duo of Conerly and Harper.

The Ducks led 14-6 at the half. After his early struggles Nix settled down to complete 12-15 passes for 96 yards, and the Oregon o-line powered Irving and James to 94 yards and the two touchdowns, 10.2 yards a carry. Burch spearheaded the defensive effort with 5 tackles, two of them for loss. Williams, Khyree Jackson and Mase Funa all had sacks. After their 120-yard start Stanford managed just four net yards in the second quarter. 

The pattern continued in the second half. Unleashed now, the Oregon offense would score six unanswered touchdowns, 4 second half TD passes by Nix, two to Troy Franklin, a back shoulder throw high over the defender to Troy Franklin, then a slant zipped to Traeshon Holden with 11:33 to go in the fourth quarter to reach 42-6.

Stanford would not score again, the defense getting back-to-back sacks from Bay Area product and true freshman linebacker Jerry Mixon and then veteran Brandon Dorlus. Dontae Manning and Nikko Reed made nice plays in the secondary. Ty Thompson took over at quarterback. The Ducks reached the Cardinal 31, then took a knee twice to end the game.

After the game Dan Lanning told the press, “We started off a little slow, but we kicked it into gear. I thought our guys responded. We just had to get through that lull to start."

They'll probably need a stronger start in two weeks when they face UW in Seattle. The Huskies reached 5-0 in the PAC-12's nightcap by edging Arizona 31-24 in the desert. In Boulder, Colorado USC jumped out to a big lead then hung on to beat the Buffs 48-41. Shedeur Sanders shredded a suspect Trojan defense for 371 yards and 4 TDs; Colorado piled up 564 yards of offense, but Caleb Williams threw six touchdown passes to win the shootout.

Those are matchups for another day. In Palo Alto the salty Oregon defense churned out 5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss to establish itself as the league's most dominant. The Ducks outgained Stanford 506-222 and they were perfect in the Red Zone. Three times the defense stopped them on fourth down.

Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:03 AM 0 comments

Saturday, September 30, 2023

Game Day notes: Ducks seek first 5-0 start since 2013, and the continuous improvement needed to win the conference

 


Oregon's biggest concerns going into the season were the offensive line and secondary, and both those units are rounding into championship form as PAC-12 play starts in earnest.

Rhode Island transfer Ajani Cornelius has established himself as the anchor and pacesetter on the o-line. The group has allowed just three sacks while rushing for a league-best 232 yards a game, sixth-best in the nation.

In 158 pass blocking snaps, Cornelius has allowed zero pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Mobile and powerful, he and his teammates have paved the way for Bucky Irving to rush for 305 yards on 37 carries, an eye-popping 8.24 yards per attempt. 

Scoring 54 points a game the Ducks rarely punt or kick field goals, but punter Ross James and placekicker Camden Lewis have been nearly flawless to start the season. James has averaged a booming 52.4 yards on his 7 punts, while Lewis, a senior from North Carolina is 6-for-6 on field goals, 20-for-20 on extra points, plus he's booted 29 of 33 kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.

The Oregon kickoff team has allowed only 5 kickoff returns in 4 games, for an average of 17.6 per return, 4th in the conference.

Meanwhile the Oregon defense is number one in the PAC-12 against the pass, allowing just 158.8 yards per game. They've been disruptive, getting to the quarterback for 13 sacks after recording only 18 all last season.

Alabama transfer Khyree Jackson has emerged as a lockdown corner. He's broken up 4 passes and intercepted two, 4th on the team in tackles with 14.

Ole Miss transfer Tysheem Johnson leads the team with 24 tackles, Jeffrey Bassa has 19 (plus a game-clinching Pick Six against Texas Tech) and walk-on Bryce Boettcher has 16 tackles, a fumble recovery and a sack.  

Former South Carolina Gamecock Jordan Burch is Oregon's sack master with three, Jamal Hill has chipped in two plus a forced fumble. Fresno transfer Evan Williams has been stellar, 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks in three games.   

The transfers, Burch, Cornelius, Johnson, Jackson and Williams are at the heart of this 4-0 start. Add receivers Gary Bryant, Traeshon Holden and Tez Johnson, plus consider that Bo Nix and Bucky Irving came via the portal last year, and you can make a case that the Oregon coaches use it as well as anyone. They not only acquire players with talent; they find players who fit and enhance the culture.

Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:30 AM 0 comments

Friday, September 29, 2023

Ducks seek to bring their own juice to Leland Stanford Stadium, a potent offense and a stifling pass rush. That has to be enough, right?


 It's a playing field with ghosts, of improbable agonies and miracle comebacks, of PAC-12 ref outrages, of big dreams that died young, of graceful runs that ended in a spastic tic. 

For years Stanford has been the bugaboo, the Waterloo, the rock in the shoe, the albatross. That ends now, literally, because this is the final year that Oregon and The Cardinal will meet as conference opponents, unless some future round of cash-grab realignment throws them together in the next sweep of the invisible hand.

Four times in the last 14 years the Ducks have come to the game against the Trees as a Top Team ten, only to lose one that got away. Since 2009, the series is 7-7. 

Oregon currently owns a win streak of 16 straight games against unranked opponents. They're seeking to become 5-0 for the first time since 2013, Marcus Mariota's sophomore year and Mark Helfrich's first as head coach. That team reached 8-0 and number two in the country before a November 7 game with... number six Stanford. 

They lost 26-20 in Palo Alto, then lost again November 23 at Arizona, finishing 11-2 after a 30-7 win in the Alamo Bowl over Texas.

On Wednesday Dan Lanning said, “This is a bring-your-own juice game. It’s going to be a different atmosphere. But if you step on the grass and it means something to you, you’re going to step on there and try to perform to a certain level because you have pride in the game.”

If the Ducks do perform to that level it would give them four wins over Stanford (and their iconoclastic band and ghastly tree mascot) in the last five games. That should be enough to retire the supposed curse, more certain than sacrificing a goat.

Blood sacrifice shouldn't be necessary, because The Team That Uncle Phil Built can readily lay claim to what should be some decisive advantages in Palo Alto, 3:30 P.M. Pacific on the PAC-12 Network. Oregon is 4-0, second in the entire country in scoring offense at 54.0 points per game. 

By contrast, the Stanford offense is plodding and inept. In their 1-3 start they've scored just 22.5 points a game, 97th in the FBS. In new head coach Troy Taylor's first year their quarterbacks have been sacked 13 times. The once-vaunted Cardinal are 126th in pass defense. 119th in sacks allowed per game. 120th in total defense. They allow 307 yards a game through the air.

Stanford Last 4

DATE OPP RESULT

9/23/23 vsARIZ L21-20

9/16/23 vsSAC L30-23

9/9/23 @USC L56-10

9/1/23 @HAW W37-24

Worse yet, they perform before lackluster and uninspired crowds. These aren't the formidable denizens of intellectual brutality Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw led out of the tunnel. Harbaugh's moved on to Michigan and Shaw retired. In their last four campaigns beginning in 2019 The Cardinal are 4-8, 4-2, 3-9 and 3-9, losing the Big Game to Cal three out of the last four years. As a result they barely draw 30,000 to home games. It will be an echo chamber unless Bay Area Ducks muster a contingent. 

Provided Oregon executes and throws off the distractions of last week's emotional victory over Colorado, next week's bye, or the impending dream matchup with 4-0, number 7 Washington and current Heisman Trophy favorite Michael Penix in Husky Stadium on October 14, victory should be simple.

Yet we know it rarely is. The hosts feature a competent running game with three capable backs in EJ Smith IV (son of Emmitt, the NFL's all-time leading rusher), Sedrick Irvin (son of Sedrick senior, former star running back at Michigan State) and Casey Filkins (son of Lake Oswego, Oregon, The Cardinal's best back with 184 yards on 24 carries, 7.7 yards a pop.)

All three can be explosive. Filkins broke a 59-yard run against USC, a 47-yarder against Hawaii. Last week in a 21-20 home loss to Arizona Irvin bolted for 66 yards on 10 carries, including a 45-yard scamper on third and 7 on Stanford's first series of the game. 

In 2022 against the Ducks in Autzen Stadium, Filkins gashed them for 80 yards on 19 carries. He also caught a 42-yard touchdown pass from Tanner McKee, though Oregon won 45-27 behind four TDs from Bo Nix, two passing and two on the ground, including an 80-yard touchdown run.

Smith is a senior from Dallas, Texas. Over an injury-riddled college career he's flashed a bit of the ability that made his father an NFL legend, but uncertain health and bad blocking have limited his opportunities. Against Arizona he had just one carry for no gain. The week before in the loss to Sacramento State, 9 rushes for 71 yards. Against USC, 5 for 50. For the young season he's toted the rock 19 times for 135 yards, 7.1 a carry with one touchdown.

Here he is in the opening game of 2022, awaking the echoes for one shining moment. He suffered an injured leg a couple of weeks later, lost for the season. Greatness is a cruel mistress, slipping out the back door to have a cigarette, stubbing out the ash and leaving open the gate:

During their 4-0 start the Ducks have shown some vulnerability to the running game and a running quarterback, something they have to tighten up before future clashes with Washington, Utah and USC, all ranked in the AP Top Ten, an historic first for the conference. Traditional rival Oregon State pounds the ground for 225 yards a game, paced by the league's leader in rushing, tailback Damien Martinez.

A matchup with Stanford wouldn't be complete without a monster tight end in the Red and White. This year's version is 6-6, 242 Benjamin Yurosek, a senior from Bakersfield, California. He wears number 84. In 2023, he's grabbed 15 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown, 15.1 yards a catch.

Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:14 AM 0 comments

Thursday, September 28, 2023

He's coming home to a place that he remembers, but Troy Franklin has made a home in opponents' end zones. Soon, the NFL

 


Troy Franklin grew up in East Palo Alto, about three miles from the Stanford campus. He attended high school at Menlo-Atherton High in Menlo Park.

Coming out of high school he was the number two wide receiver prospect in the country, the second-highest the Ducks had ever signed, part of Mario Cristobal's last class as Oregon coach in 2021. Now in his third season, he's one of the best wide receivers in the country, tied for 2nd in the nation in touchdowns with five.

Against The Cardinal, he could be headed for another big day. They have the worst pass defense in the PAC-12, allowing 307 yards per game. Colorado, the team the Ducks thrashed 42-6 last week, stands 11th. There's a pattern here.

Franklin told reporters this week, "My standard is to always play at a high level." He has what scouts like to call a high football IQ. Since his days at Menlo-Atherton he's been the rarest kind of gifted player: meticulous about preparation and a student of film.

Former high school coach and mentor Adhir Ravipati told Tyson Alger of The Athletic that the 6-3, 187-pound wideout's exceptional talent was apparent very early. “That first summer of 7-on-7, he hadn’t even enrolled yet and he was already dominating varsity kids,” Ravipati said. “People were like, ‘Who is that kid?’ And I was like, ‘He’s 14.’

“Then I remember seeing him practice as a freshman and it was like, ‘Yep, this kid is going to be a national recruit.’ Took 10 minutes to see how talented he was.”

Three years later the whole country is waking up to what a special player he is, skyrocketing up draft boards with big plays, week after week. In the young season Franklin already has three one hundred-yard games, hauling in 25 passes for 418 yards, including a 72-yard bomb against Texas Tech and a 36-yard TD versus the Buffaloes.

In the second quarter with the Ducks leading 21-0, Colorado called a timeout with 2:42 to play. It didn't help, however. Nix had Franklin split out wide to the right.  The Buffaloes rushed three and dropped eight. Ajani Cornelius walled off the right side, and Josh Conerly the left. Jackson Powers-Johnson and Marcus Harper II double team the nose tackle, who's stymied at the line of scrimmage.

Nix had a perfect pocket, time to set up and throw. The Colorado safety bites hard on the out route, and Franklin is wide open over the middle for an easy score.

It was a nearly perfect play in an explosive offense, one of the many highlight moments in Franklin's dazzling Oregon career. Everybody knows they have to cover him, but hardly anyone can. 


Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:50 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

In their last scheduled meeting, Dan Lanning's "Always Us" focused Ducks can bury the Stanford curse

 



The history of Stanford versus Oregon is littered with two dozen moments that almost made me throw a shoe through the TV.

On its surface, this week's Oregon at Stanford has all the makings of a classic letdown game. The Cardinal are in last place in the league, 0-2 in conference and 1-3 overall. Oregon is 4-0, coming off an emotional win on national TV over Colorado with a bye next week followed by a clash with traditional rival Washington October 14.

Most Duck fans know at least some of the sordid and frustrating history of Oregon versus Stanford. In 2012, DAT missed a block and Ertz was out. 1989, Oregon blew a 17-0 lead in the 4th quarter. 2001, two blocked punts in the 4th quarter cost Joey Harrington and company a shot at the BCS playoff. In 2018, this happened:


"Typical Stanford play, you know it's coming, you just can't stop it." In 2021, another nightmare in the daytime, with Stanford grad Rod Gilmore doing the color commentary: 


"Number five has been disqualified from the game."

What makes this last PAC-12 meeting with The Cardinal different is the businesslike focus of Dan Lanning's team. The season is a long grind. It's impossible to achieve or even strive for a fever pitch/they're playing for clicks intensity for every game. Some weeks, a team just has to focus on improving, understanding their assignments, and playing to their standard.

This is one of those weeks. Last week and all the brouhaha over the Buffaloes is over. Trust Lanning, Bo Nix, and Brandon Dorlus to lead a team into Palo Alto that understands they have one opportunity to play football this week and the true opponent is themselves and their own potential. They won't let Stanford get in the way of what they're really playing for.
Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:17 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Death to the casuals: this Oregon team was built, not bought


One of the most wrong-headed notions that's surfaced about this Oregon squad is that Dan Lanning inherited a ready-made roster from the previous coaching staff. That's the sort of foolish and lazy criticism casual fans and careless analysts come up with. It simply isn't true.

Lanning and the Oregon coaching staff built the Ducks through careful evaluation. In the first season he took over 21 players left via the transfer portal while 17 players came to Eugene, including Bo Nix, Bucky Irving, Noah Whittington, Casey Rogers, and Christian Gonzalez, who is now emerging as a star in the NFL.

In year two, the Ducks added 16 players through the transfer portal:

WR Tez Johnson (from Troy)
WR Traeshon Holden (from Alabama)
WR Gary Bryant (from USC)
TE Casey Kelly (from Ole Miss)
TE Kaden Ludwick (from Colorado)
OL Junior Angilau (from Texas)
OL Ajani Cornelius (from Rhode Island)
OL Nishad Strother (from East Carolina)
DL Jordan Burch (from South Carolina)
LB Jestin Jacobs (from Iowa)
LB Connor Soelle (from Arizona State)
CB Khyree Jackson (from Alabama)
S Evan Williams (from Fresno State)
DB Tysheem Johnson (from Ole Miss)
DB Nikko Reed (from Colorado)

Tez Johnson, Gary Bryant and Traeshon Holden have combined for  39 catches and 7 touchdowns at wide receiver. Casey Kelly scored his first touchdown as a Duck against Colorado. Ajani Cornelius has established himself as a starter at right tackle. Jordan Burch leads the team in sacks with three, while Tysheem Johnson paces the team in tackles with 24.

Soelle, Williams, and Reed have all been instrumental in the transformation of the Oregon defense, which ranks 11th in the country, allowing 264 yards per game, 17th in scoring defense at 13.3 points per game.

In addition, the staff has brought in two full recruiting classes by now. In 2022 the Ducks added running back Jordan James, starting left tackle Josh Conerly, linebacker Devon Jackson, linebacker Emarrion Winston, defensive tackle Ben Roberts, guard Dave Iuli, and cornerback Jahlil Florence. All are an important part of the rotation now in their second year.

The 2023 class is one of the best in school history, and several of those players have emerged as true freshman. Poncho Laloulu is playing regular snaps on the offensive line. Teitum Tuioti has played in three games while recording his first sack against Colorado. Matayo Uiagalelei batted down a pass this weekend, appearing in every game and recording seven tackles. In all, 23 freshmen have seen the field this year.

Some of the more significant holdovers from the Cristobal era include Troy Franklin, Jeffrey Bassa, Jamal Hill, Trikwese Bridges, Steven Jones, Marcus Harper II and Bryan Addison, but it's impossible to imagine this team reaching 4-0 without Nix, Irving, Khyree Jackson and the rest. This is a new culture, stronger than anything that preceded it.

 

Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:41 AM 0 comments

Monday, September 25, 2023

Oregon has a defense, and the pass rush and secondary are getting better every game.

 


Oregon had a brilliant defensive plan for Saturday's 42-6 thrashing of Colorado. Against the starters and rotational players during the first three quarters the 3-0 Buffaloes were shut out, limited to 72 yards, 1.47 per play, a startling -23 rushing yards after sacks were deducted.

Through those first three periods celebrated Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders had completed 15-22 passes for 95 yards, but the Ducks had sacked him six times (Jordan Burch and Casey Rogers would add another one in the fourth quarter.) Demetrice Martin's secondary put the clamps on his receivers, the Front Seven kept him in the pocket, pressured him on play after play. Receivers were tackled immediately with little yardage after catch, so much so that the Buffs trailed 42-0 with only 7 first downs.

In the last period against the Oregon reserves, the visitors put together a face-saving 93-yard drive against the second and third team to avoid the shutout, but still they were held to just 199 yards for the game.

Realize that this was a Colorado team that in Week One shocked college football with a 45-42 road victory over TCU, a team that played in the national championship game last year. In that one Sanders threw for 510 yards and four touchdowns, 38-47 passing.

Defensive back Khyree Jackson is quickly establishing himself as Oregon's lockdown corner. Saturday he had 4 tackles while knocking away three passes, using leverage and elite cover skills to blanket receivers and take away the deep ball.

Meanwhile, Oregon's strong inside rushers, Popo Aumavae, Rogers, Taki Tamiani and Teitum Tuioti, regularly pushed Colorado's interior linemen back into the quarterback's face while the edge rushers and blitzing linebackers pinched him from the outside. This resulted not only in seven sacks but numerous pressures and hits.

Connor Soelle led all defenders with six tackles. He did a great job in underneath coverage and limiting passing yards by the backs, which had been a staple of Colorado's early success in their 3-0 start. Safety Evan Williams contributed four tackles and 1.5 sacks, while South Carolina transfer Burch had two sacks.

Also noteworthy is that the Ducks are DEEP on defense. This was a stop in the second quarter with Oregon leading 21-0. Jake Shipley and Bryce Boettcher combine to make a play. Tosh Lupoi is rotating 26-30 guys when the game is still competitive. A full 22 players recorded at least one tackle.

Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:39 AM 0 comments

Sunday, September 24, 2023

Ducks stampede Colorado, 42-6

 


Oregon played a nearly perfect first half of football to paste Colorado in Autzen Stadium Saturday afternoon, scoring five touchdowns in six possessions while forcing the visitors to punt every time they had the ball. 

Before the game head coach Dan Lanning let the ABC cameras into the locker room.

They led 35-0 at halftime, stuffed the Buffs again on their first possession of the second half, then drove 76 yards in six plays to score again. 

Noah Whittington blasted up the middle for 16 yards to get the Ducks to their 42. Bo Nix hit Traeshon Holden for 8 yards, then again for 29. A route up the sideline to Troy Franklin drew pass interference, Ducks ball at the Colorado 6. 

On 4th and goal from the one (Dan Lanning was still going for touchdowns on 4th down) Jordan James powered in behind strong blocks from Josh Conerly and Marcus Harper II.

With 9:00 minutes to play in the third quarter Oregon led 42-0. Evan Williams blitzed from the left side on third and six, dumping Shedeur Sanders for a 9-yard loss, the home team's sixth sack of the game, forcing another Colorado punt.

The game lost energy after that. With Nix still in the Ducks picked up a face masking penalty to cross midfield, then Bucky Irving broke a 19-yard run to reach the Colorado 21. A pass to Holden got the Ducks to the 9. 

On 4th and 5, Lanning stubbornly passed up a field goal but the visitors got pressure and Nix missed Holden in the end zone for a turnover on downs.

By the end of the third quarter, the Ducks led by that same 42-0 score. The defense had held 3-0, 19th-ranked Colorado, the sensation of the opening month of college football to a scant 72 yards and 7 first downs, -23 yards rushing. Sanders had little time to throw and was limited to short passes, 15-22 for 95 yards. 

Nix ended his day 28-33 for 276 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He'd also run for an 11-yard touchdown just before the end of the first half.

In the battle of Heisman candidates, Nix was the clear winner. 

With the Oregon reserves in, Colorado put together a 14-play, 93-yard drive in the fourth quarter that nearly doubled their yardage for the game. Sanders connected with Xavier Weaver for 21 yards to the Oregon 6, then found tight end Michael Harrison in the left corner of the end zone for six. The Ducks blocked the extra point with just 2:51 to play in the game, leaving time only for the runout.

At the gun it was 42-6. The Ducks outgained Colorado 522-199. Nix completed 85% of his passes while Irving, Whittington and James led a rushing attack that chewed up the Buffalo front line for 240 yards on 38 attempts, 6.3 per rush. The defense sacked Sanders 7 times.

In the postgame press conference Deion Sanders bluntly admitted, "It was an old-fashioned butt-kicking."


Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:01 AM 0 comments

Saturday, September 23, 2023

"Youtube videos don't win football games:" Talk is over. Time to tee it up for Colorado at Oregon


Nationally they bill this game as a confrontation between the two quarterbacks. The one that wins gets a huge boost to his Heisman chances while establishing his team as one of the favorites in the conference title chase.

The graphic represents a ridiculously small sample of their experience and value as leaders of their respective offenses. Bo Nix has 50 college starts. Last season he accounted for 43 touchdowns while setting an Oregon record with 71.9% completions. 

He's a confident senior leader who has won games at LSU, won an Iron Bowl over Alabama, beaten and met Cam Rising in conference play, outdueled Drake Maye on one leg. The notion that he'd be rattled or tight in this contest is nonsense.

Colorado gets a boost today with the activation of a previously injured player. Running back Alton McCaskill, a 6-1, 200-pound transfer from the University of Houston is able to go after missing all of 2022 and the first three games this year for the Buffs. 

In 2021 he powered his way to  961 yards, 5.1 a carry with 16 rushing touchdowns. Fully recovered from an ACL injury, he could give a boost to Coach Prime's inside running game, extra punch at the goal line, something that's shown up as a weakness on film.

The Buffaloes rely heavily on Sanders and the short pass. In his pregame film review Hythloday of Addicted to Quack reported that shoddy play by the Buffs' offensive line causes a sack, scramble, or throwaway on over 33% of dropbacks. "Only 12% of pass attempts from the pocket travel 20+ air yards, while over 62% of such attempts go 5 yards or fewer past the line of scrimmage or are screens," he wrote.

It promises to be an electric atmosphere in Autzen Stadium.

In addition, it's a huge weekend for Oregon recruiting. Ohio State commit Jeremiah McClellan is scheduled to visit, a 5-star wide receiver, as well as 2026 defensive end Tony Cumberland and five-star 2026 safety Brandon Lockhart.

Among the outstanding committed prospects expected to attend are linebackers Brayden Platt, Kamar Mothudi, Dylan Williams and Kingston Lopa, cornerback Dakoda Fields, offensive linemen Fox Crader and Devin Brooks, kicker Gage Hurych, quarterback Luke Moga.

Max Torres of Ducks Digest has the complete list. 

Meanwhile, the national media is hyping Colorado pretty hard.

 

Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:28 AM 0 comments

Friday, September 22, 2023

Progrum's Progress: Coach Prime brings the attention, but the Ducks have the players and a plan

 


When Oregon hosts Colorado on Saturday, the TV audience could reach 10 million; the Buffaloes and Coach Prime drew 9.3 million for their Saturday late game against Colorado State, which didn't end until well after midnight on the East Coast.

It's a showcase and an opportunity. The Sanders Show, featured on 60 Minutes last weekend, has created fascination and a frenzy around the country, particularly among the media. Merchandise sales at Colorado are up 819%.


A season ago at Oregon, it was Rob Mullens who made a leap of faith and began a bold experiment, choosing a young, defensive-minded assistant coach to run the Oregon program. Dan Lanning and his staff have built their team for moments like this, an explosive offense with a lot of weapons and a cool, veteran quarterback; an improved pass rush, a secondary featuring two players from the SEC and a cast of fast, hungry athletes who've formed a brotherhood.

The Sanders Show brought the attention, but now the Ducks can steal it.

To do so, they've got to avoid helping the visitors with turnovers. Colorado's defense ranks 125th in the country in yards allowed per game, but they've been opportunistic, tied for first in the nation in forcing turnovers with 10 in their first three games, 4 fumble recoveries, 6 interceptions.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is second in the nation in passing yardage with 1,251 yards; he's thrown for 10 TDs with just one interception. His principal targets are Xavier Weaver, 6-1, 180. a speed merchant who has grabbed 25 passes for 386 yards and Jimmy Horn, 5-10, 170, who's contributed 26 catches for 247 yards and two touchdowns. 

Buffs star two-way player Travis Hunter is reported out for this game with a lacerated liver, sustained during a late hit by Colorado State safety Henry Blackburn. Blackburn's gotten death threats from Colorado fans, which Coach Prime has urged them to stop. "He made a mistake; it was a football play," Sanders said in his Monday press conference.

An important thing to remember in comparing the two teams is that the Ducks have two blowout wins in which their starters played just over half a game. Against Portland State and Hawaii, Lanning played 23 freshmen. Reserves finished each contest.

Tyler Shough and Texas Tech had some success against the Oregon defense, but the Ducks intercepted him three times and sacked him four. They'll win decisively if they can get pressure on Shedeur and force a couple of mistakes.

Lanning is counting on the Autzen atmosphere to be a key factor in the game. He told Portland radio host John Canzano, "The fans are about to be real at Autzen. I don't even have to hype them up -- I know they'll come ready."

The hype is already there. Bo Nix and the Ducks just have to rise above it.


Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:33 AM 0 comments

Thursday, September 21, 2023

Noah Whittington builds an ark of commitment, 1000 yards long and 12 touchdowns wide

 


He's fast, instinctual and powerful, 5-8, 208, clocked at 22.1 miles per hour in full pads, busting through the line of scrimmage. Noah Whittington is going places, usually the end zone, eventually the NFL.

A junior from Peach County High School in Fort Valley, Georgia, Noah was a two-star recruit at wide receiver according to 247Sports, a zero-star recruit coming out of the transfer portal by the standards of the same service, probably one of the most egregious misevaluations in the history of football.

Nevertheless, Carlos Locklyn saw something special in him, first recruiting him to Western Kentucky where he played for the Hilltoppers in 2020 and 2021, coaxing him to transfer to the Ducks when Locklyn took over as running backs coach in 2022.

Together with Minnesota transfer Bucky Irving, Whittington forms the best one-two punch Oregon has featured since LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner back in the days of three consecutive PAC-12 titles.

What Locklyn loves about his tandem--a trio, really, because you can't discount productive sophomore Jordan James--is their brotherhood and shared work ethic. Asked about Whittington after an April practice, Locklyn said, "He takes on the same mindset I have; he comes to work and works hard. He wants to be great."

Already this season the versatile number 6 has 12 carries for 101 yards, a gaudy average of 8.4 yards per carry that includes breakaway runs of 34 and 41 yards. He's also chipped in 9 receptions for 77 yards, busting loose for 31 yards against Texas Tech with a quick shovel pass to the left side.

Explosiveness, spot-on ball security and terrific vision make him a threat to take any play to the house. Whittington bolted for Oregon's longest run last year, slicing through the Arizona defense for 55 yards and a touchdown. As a sophomore at Western Kentucky he busted up the middle for an 86-yard TD in the Boca Raton Bowl, part of a 150-yard day. 

At spring practice head coach Dan Lanning said, "Noah's a worker. Very explosive, runs really hard, plays with a different type of effort."

Against a Colorado defense with issues stopping the run, Whittington, Irving and James could be a decisive difference.

Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:18 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Confident, cool in the pocket, Shedeur Sanders is the best quarterback Oregon's faced since Michael Penix


 Duck fans are expectant, confident, even cocky, but Colorado represents a significant step up in talent from the teams Oregon faced to open the season. 

We talked yesterday about the psychological factors, how the Ducks have to prepare and ready themselves for the hype onslaught that Coach Prime creates, but it would be a mistake to underplay the talent on the Buffalo roster or ignore that fact that Deion Sanders is an exceptional motivator and has hired a strong staff.

Sanders nabbed Sean Lewis from Kent State and he's done a fabulous job designing a scheme that's perfect for quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The Buffs are second in the nation in passing yards per game at 418.0 with their junior triggerman completing 78.7% of his throws.

They can score from anywhere and score quickly. Sanders rarely runs, but he's adept at scrambling to buy time and give his receivers extra time to get open. Against Colorado State they drove 98 yards to tie the game with 1:06 to play in the fourth quarter.

In addition, the junior from Dallas, Texas is athletic and smart. He studies film. He has no doubt noted that the Ducks have struggled to keep quarterbacks in the pocket, how Tyler Shough broke off some big runs against them, 145 yards rushing before four sacks were deducted. He'll adjust his game to take advantage.

The junior transfer from Jackson State is 6-2, 216 with an NIL valuation of 5.1 million dollars, according to On3 Sports. He drives a Rolls Royce and dates actress Storm Reid. For his career, he's thrown 80 touchdowns with just 15 interceptions. As a high school quarterback at Trinity Christian High in Cedar Hills, Texas, he powered his team to back-to-back Division II state championships, compiling a 27-1 record over two years.

On Monday reporters asked Dan Lanning what makes Sanders such a good quarterback.

"I think he always keeps his eyes downfield and looking for opportunities to find open receivers, and that's something his wideouts have done a great job of," Lanning said.

"He's had several scramble opportunities, but I would describe him as a guy that scrambles to throw and not necessarily scramble to run. But when he has to run with his feet, he can. He's extended plays, and when you extend plays it's hard to cover for a long time. So we have to do a good job of not allowing him to extend plays but also make sure we plaster guys in the back end when he does."

An upset over the Ducks would send the already insane frenzy over Colorado football into the stratosphere. Shedeur Sanders has the confidence and ability to create that, provided the Ducks are careless enough to underestimate him.


Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:30 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Oregon wins handily Saturday afternoon, as long as they don't let the Sanders Sideshow distract the jury

 


Saturday's matchup in Autzen, number ten Oregon hosting number 19 Colorado, is a bit like the O.J. Simpson murder trial. It promises to be a riveting drama, televised nationally at 12:30 P.M. Pacific on ABC.

No one is going to die from brutal stab wounds, but Oregon is the prosecution. Like Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden, the Ducks enter the courtroom with all the advantages. 

The facts favor their side: Oregon is a 21.5-point favorite on the Action Network and other sports gambling information sites. Both teams are 3-0, but the Ducks run the football better and stop the run more efficiently. The Colorado defense ranks 125th in the nation out of 132 teams on the ground, surrendering 5.01 yards per carry and 195.3 yards per game.

For a team with a stampeding Buffalo as a mascot, Colorado's ground game is anemic. They rush the football for just 61 yards a game and average 1.99 yards a carry. Meanwhile the Ducks have a stable of fast, shifty backs in Bucky Irving, Noah Whittington and Jordan James, plus promising freshmen Jayden Limar and Dante Dowdell. As a team they've rolled up 229.3 yards a game, 6.83 a carry.

Oregon boasts a much better offensive line. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is second in the nation in passing yardage, but he's been sacked 15 times. Bo Nix, once.

The Ducks have a better defense and a bigger, stronger team. Both squads feature players that are explosive and fast, and both teams have an accurate, resourceful quarterback. The Ducks have a pair of players in defense tackle Casey Rogers and center Jackson Powers-Johnson who squat 700 pounds. Colorado simply isn't as physical. The ESPN matchup predictor gives the hosts a 93.9% chance to win.

Yet upsets and surprise verdicts happen all the time. The main way Oregon can lose Saturday is to allow Deion Sanders and his quarterback/son Shedeur to distract them with psychological ploys, misdirection, stirring up old resentments and red herrings, making the case about something other than the facts and the evidence.

The Ducks have to maintain focus and composure.  They can't let themselves be baited into a chippy game with foolish penalties.  Last week Colorado State did too much to aid Colorado's comeback, giving them 2nd and 3rd chances with late hits, roughing the passer, face masking, in all a nation's-worst 17 penalties for 182 yards, including two for 25 yards on back-to-back plays in the first overtime.

The Rams had a 28-17 lead when they scored with 11:22 to play in the 4th quarter. Shedeur and the Buffs made a courageous comeback, but the underdogs from Colorado Springs aided that comeback with penalties, mistakes and timid decisions.

People think of referees as judges but in reality they're just the baliff and court reporter. In football, the more focused team becomes the judge and jury. They decide the case.


Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:08 AM 0 comments

Sunday, September 17, 2023

Ducks unleash the Kraken on hapless Hawaii, sets up collision with Coach Prime and 3-0 Colorado


 Oregon erupted in a flurry of points and a frenzy of pressure, pasting the 1-3 Rainbow Warriors 55-10 in Autzen Stadium Saturday night.  

Oregon's defense turned a stellar job of tackling, wrapping up in the open field and limiting Hawaii receivers to almost no yards after the catch.

The win sets up a Top Twenty showdown with 3-0 Colorado, who came back to defeat in-state rival Colorado State 43-35 in double overtime Saturday night.

By halftime the Webfoots led 35-3. Through three quarters, it was 49-3 with the visitors limited to 108 yards of offense and 8 first downs. Oregon played 22 freshmen during the game, and in the last period, the Rainbow Warriors put together a 9-play, 60-yard drive aided by three penalties to score their only touchdown.

Heisman Trophy candidate Bo Nix finished his day after the first drive of the third quarter. He completed 21-27 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns, an average of 9.1 yards per attempt.

After struggling a bit against a tough Texas Tech defensive front, the UO offensive line dominated in this game. The ground game cranked out 227 yards on 30 carries, including a nifty 34-yard touchdown run by Noah Whittington, who had another breakaway run of 41 yards. Nix wasn't sacked and was rarely pressured. Great blocking from Jackson Powers-Johnson gave Tez Johnson a wall to the end zone when he scored on a 12-yard screen pass on the opening drive of the third quarter.

The defense did a beautiful job of rallying to the ball and shutting down Hawaii's quick-passing game. They held the visitors to 2-14 on third downs and forced 7 Hawaii punts and one turnover on downs, racking up a pair of sacks and 7 tackles for loss.

Ty Thompson looked solid and much improved in relief of Nix, entering the game in the second possession of the second half. He was 4-6 passing for 85 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown on a crisply thrown slant pass to Traeshon Holden.

Safety Tysheem Johnson led all tacklers with 8 stops, Bryce Boettcher had six and redshirt freshman Devon Jackson had five, including 1.5 tackles for loss. Jackson drove a runner out of bounds with a strong tackle along the left sideline, forcing a punt. Popo Aumavae busted through the middle for his second sack of the season, and Jordan Burch recorded his first as a Duck. Hawaii quarterback Brayden Schager was pressured and hurried throughout the game, just 27/43 passing on the day for 131 yards, 3.0 yards per attempt.

The Ducks opened the game with a quick three and out by the defense on three errant Brayden Schager passes. Tez Johnson returned the punt 15 yards to the Oregon 41. Bucky Irving banged up the middle for 10 yards, then Bo Nix found brother Tez behind the coverage for a 49-yard touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead.

On the second defensive series a third-down pass bounced off the receiver's hands. Cornerback Khyree Jackson alertly plucked it out the air at the Hawaii 30. That led to a 43-yard field goal by Camden Lewis.

The third Oregon drive started at their own ten. The Ducks dug it out with a couple of first downs, got 12 yards on a tight end reverse, reached the Hawaii 22 with a 40-yard flea flicker from Nix to Troy Franklin, then Jordan James scooted around a block by Ajani Cornelius for a 22-yard touchdown and a 17-0 lead with 5:52 to play in the first quarter.

Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:30 AM 0 comments

Saturday, September 16, 2023

Patrick Herbert emerging as a big-play weapon in the Oregon offense


Nepotism is all right as long as you keep it in the family.

Plagued by injuries in his first two seasons, junior tight end Patrick Herbert is finally getting a chance to prove the potential the Ducks saw in him when they recruited him out of Sheldon High School. 

Originally he attracted attention partly because of his famous brother, former Oregon star and current NFL quarterback Justin Herbert, but the youngest Herbert brother is rapidly emerging as a fast, hardworking tight end with a knack for creating chunk plays.

In both of the Ducks first two games, he's gotten open for a catch of over 20 yards, a 23-yarder up the left sideline against Portland State, a 21-yarder up the right sideline in the fourth quarter of the comeback win over Texas Tech. 

It was against Tech also that he threw his first pass, lobbing a three-yard completion to fellow tight end Terrance Ferguson for a two-point conversion early in the game.

Herbert rolled left out of the Swinging Gate formation in heavy traffic, showing a cool head as he tossed the ball to T-Ferg in the left corner of the end zone. The play took the Fox camera crew by surprise; they barely captured it. 

It also proved pivotal in the game: those two points became a lever, a thorn, a distraction for the Red Raiders as the game went on. Tech tried a matching 2-point conversion and failed, then the Ducks tacked on a field goal before the half to lead 18-13. Late in the fourth quarter Oregon took a 31-30 lead. The extra pressure of that two-point conversion created desperation on Tech's last drive, which resulted in a Pick Six by Jeffrey Bassa.

Last fall against California, Herbert got behind the Bear secondary for a 40-yard touchdown, the longest play of his short career.

After a great fall camp and two strong games to open 2023, he's now listed as a co-starter along with Ferguson, a good pass catcher in his own right. 


Having two quality tight ends makes the Oregon offense even more potent. It opens up more combinations for power formations, new ways to test the defense. Next week's opponent Colorado lacks size and strength in the back Seven, so double tight end sets become a great way to attack them.

 

Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:31 AM 0 comments

Friday, September 15, 2023

What improvement looks like when the Ducks host Hawaii

 


After the emotional win over Texas Tech last weekend, Dan Lanning told his team in the locker room, "Listen, we've got an opportunity to be a hell of a team. I can't wait to get better."

This Saturday the opportunity to get better is a 5:00 P.M. Pacific game against Hawaii in Autzen Stadium, broadcast live on the PAC-12 Network. Oregon is a 38.5-point favorite at Bet MGM; the ESPN Matchup Predictor lists the Ducks with a 98.2% win probability.  

A win sets up a confrontation with 2-0 Colorado September 22nd at 12:30 on ABC. The Buffs host 0-1 Colorado State this week, a game that they should win handily, particularly after CSU Ram head coach Jay Norvell made an ill-advised crack that Coach Prime is using to fire up his team.

In the game against Hawaii, of course the immediate goal is to win and score a lot of points, but the larger goal is to accelerate and continue the journey of improvement. Becoming a hell of a team means making themselves ready for the challenges beyond Hawaii, because those challenges are greater and will demand more of them.

The Rainbow Warriors run a Run and Shoot offense under head coach Timmy Chang, who was a record-setting quarterback at the school from 2000-2004. Chang believes in the Run and Shoot because he threw for over 17,000 yards and 117 touchdowns running the system in his playing days.

It's an offense based on concepts developed by author/coach Tiger Warren and former Portland State and Houston Gambler coach Mouse Davis. At first glance it looks a lot like the Air Raid or many other spread offenses. It usually employs four wide and receivers and one running back, quick and fast-paced. Receivers are taught to adjust their routes on the fly, finding holes in the defense, reading the coverage along with their quarterback. UH quarterback Brayden Schager distributes the ball like a basketball point guard, and those five-man patterns function like a basketball fast break.

Facing this attack is great training for Colorado, Washington, Washington State and USC, teams that throw 70% of the time and put a lot of pressure on a secondary. Hawaii throws for 324 yards a game while rushing for less than 50. Schager has passed for ten touchdowns, but he's been sacked 14 times and suffered 5 interceptions.

Look for the Ducks to improve in these areas:

Getting home with a three- or four-man pass rush and finishing at the quarterback. 

Last week they let a few opportunities slip away, while at the same time Texas Tech got away with some blatant holding right in front of the PAC-12 officiating crew:

The only thing that stops Matayo Uiagalelei from getting to the QB with an athletic cut inside the tackle is a blocking attempt that wouldn't be legal in the WWF.

A more effective running game, with all five offensive linemen working in unison, everybody blocked at the point of attack.

Oregon's running game struggled at Texas Tech, and on a lot of those plays it was a case of four guys blocking and one guy missing--a running play only works if everyone does their job or Bucky Irving or Noah Whittington succeed in making the first guy miss. Neither happened on this play, in spite of Ajani Cornelius driving his man to the ground.

Cleaning up coverage and technique errors in the secondary

Hawaii's leading receiver Pofele Ashlock, 6-2, 175, has 19 catches for 315 yards and 3 touchdowns.  6-1, 175 Steven McBride comes next with 17 grabs for 210 yards and 5 TDs.

At the end of the first quarter last week Texas Tech went on a 15-play, 75-yard scoring drive to close within 15-13, and two of their first downs came by pass interference penalty. Khyree Jackson got whistled for one such foul on 3rd and 18. Had he been able to recover and play through the receiver's hands cleanly, the Ducks would have gotten off the field with no damage.

Later in the game Tech ran a trick play, a flea-flicker/reverse where the ball was tossed back to Shough setting up in the pocket. He threw up a scud down the left sideline. Duck defensive back Jahlil Florence got a bit turned around and ran into the receiver, which bailed out another failed play with a penalty.

This week in practice the Duck defenders will be working on how to recover in those situations, driving through the receiver's hands rather than panicking and making contact, which almost always draws a foul.

With Hawaii throwing over 50 times a game and setting up their offense with four wide receivers, the Duck secondary will get a lot of work.  

Improve play selection and execution in the Red Zone

After two games, Oregon leads all of college football, scoring on 73% of their drives. However, against TTU the Ducks struggled inside the Red Zone, scoring two touchdowns, three field goals and failing to score after reaching the Red Raider 17, second and one. Two TDs in 6 trips inside the 20 is unacceptable. Will Stein has to find what works for them in close, whether it's relying on Bo Nix on run/pass options, counter plays, or back shoulder throws to Troy Franklin. It's a part of the puzzle Stein simply hasn't solved yet, and in the games ahead, they've got to deliver a much better percentage of touchdowns on these opportunities.

Posted by Dale Bliss at 5:30 AM 0 comments
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