Eric Boles

Those refs are pretty agile. I’ve seen the duck under so many passes. They’re quick.

The throw was low, but probably not a bad idea considering how tight the DB’s coverage was. Nix just tried force it to his playmaker. Every QB has done it, and he probably wishes he had it back. It’s the type of thing most people wouldn’t notice in a big win. They’ll see it on film though.

Troy Franklin is a beast and 9 times out of 10 he comes up with the catch, but occasionally you run into that 10th time. His route is what I would consider an access throw. I believe the corner should be playing more off than that to take it. We don’t know what Nix saw in the moment, but he’s a smart guy and he has smart coaches — they’ll see the film and notice Holden getting open on this concept. Holden was also open on the same concept — from a different formation — on the 3rd down right before halftime. Nix went with the bench concept on the other side of the formation, and got yards, but Holden arguably could have gotten a TD there too.

Really good listen here too.

I don’t have huge concerns about the run blocking of this team. I know they were a little inconsistent against Texas Tech, but I didn’t see anything in the Hawaii game that gave me pause. On the night Irving averaged 4.9 yards per carry, James averaged 8.7 and Whittington was 16. I know it’s only three games but they’re averaging both more rushing yards per game and rushing yards per attempt than last season. But I know the scope of a whole season is different than three games. I think they’re becoming more consistent, and conference play should tell a bit more, but I don’t have any concern right now.

I think they’re both very good play callers. They run essentially the same offense, which is why I think Stein was hired, Stein just uses RPOs more often. I still need to watch the game again, but I’d say there were probably points where they tried to lean on the run game since it’s a strength. The offensive line didn’t have their best game, but it’s also only the second game with a brand new OL. They need those reps together, and against different looks. I think this game really helped them in that way, and they seemed to have things buttoned up a bit towards the end. The number of penalties also did them no favors in getting things going earlier in the the game. I think they’re going to be just fine.

The H-Back in this play is actually a route. He slices across the formation as though he’s blocking for split zone but then continues into the flat.

Hahaha I’m sure they call it something much more digestible in their terminology.

Oregon’s OL will definitely be a difference-maker in these type of plays.

Yeah, I don’t see why they couldn’t tag a number of different runs with the same passing options.

I think in a short yardage situation, the screen could have picked up a couple yards. But the defense may play a short yardage situation differently than they do in this example.

I think an aspect that could put Duck fans at ease, regarding this play, is that the run option is the last option. By the time the QB gets that third option, the box should be fairly empty.

Really, you’re trying to catch them off guard with the alignment. There’s nobody really assigned to the tackle, so there’s no real tendency to take advantage of. The offense uses that huddle and getting to the line quickly to hide the alignment of their players. The defense would have to recognize what’s happening pretty quickly.

Charles and I were just talking yesterday about the possibility of using Conerly for this. In that case, you probably wouldn’t have to use the huddle to disguise things either.

Thank You! Speed definitely seems to be a point of emphasis the last couple off-seasons.

I’m glad you enjoyed it!

I’m glad you enjoyed the article! They’re definitely going to be able to stretch the field!

There were a couple good options! That crossing receiver beat his guy from the start. But I just read the other day what Don Coryell would tell his QBs; don’t pass up an open receiver. So as soon as a guy is open in the progression, that’s where the progression stops.

Thankfully, that physicality is also a hallmark of Coach Lanning’s program, so I think there’s a good chance!

Thanks! They’re always fun writes.

The 14 in the name of the formation is a little misleading, because when we see it we’re thinking 14-personnel and 4 TEs.

You’re right, there’s a ton that they could run from this formation.

There is a ton they can do from this formation. Anything that a team like say Stanford could do out of their 22-personnel, Oregon could do out of this one in addition to the option game. And a quick note on the 14J; it only uses three TEs also. Conerly comes in to play an in-line TE spot, but it’s really a 6 OL formation.

More than likely, if the LB doesn’t blitz, he’s covering someone else of the defense is playing zone. The read would be the same, but the slot would adjust his route a little to get upfield a bit more.