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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

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