Eric Boles

Nice RPO design from Stein at 3:45!

All of those things help in the same way that a good screen game will help all of those other things. It’s a symbiotic relationship.

It’s been incredibly clear through three games that the Duck’s are much improved blockers on the perimeter of the offense this season. It has allowed their screens to hit in a way that wasn’t always the case last season. I know there was some confusion from fans surrounding the screen game last year, and one of the popular jabs was that all Stein does is call bubble screens. The reality is that the grand majority of WR screens you see are option attached to run plays. I imagine with the improved perimeter blocking, most people will be just fine with bubbles when they’re thrown.

Hey Mike, Everything is great on my end. Hope all is well with you! Looking forward to talking some ball this season!

When you really think about it, it a 4-3 with a safety at MLB. So none of it is new really, just a different personnel grouping. And Knowles has been doing it a while. And they’ve really only run zone out of it so far.

I would say it was installed because it gave them issues in the Rose Bowl and they have the safety talent to do it. Coaches tend to take things that they like, or things they struggled against, and add them to their system if it fits.

The staff has more so added to the scheme. It’s really no different than the offense going four wide on one play and then subbing in a two tight end look on the next.

No, I would say that’s not the case. It’s just another alignment/personnel package in the tool box. It’ll be used for specific offensive looks. Jadon Canady is the starter at the star/nickel in the base 4-2-5.

A lot of you have probably seen that Oregon has implemented a new — to them — defensive position this year. I’ve heard it called a Rover, and I’m sure Oregon has their own name for it, but it is a third safety playing as a deep middle linebacker. It’s a Jim Knowles staple. Probably something Oregon picked up on last season, and something they may see in a couple of weeks.

I think if Dillingham was still the OC, Nix would have run more this season, even if less than last season. Though the offense is much the same as it was last season, Stein leans into RPOs where it’s a handoff or a throw a lot more. If you look back on his time at UTSA, he had a quarterback that was capable of running but preferred the RPOs where he didn’t have to or it was a last option. Thats not to say that he never runs the QB, just not at a high rate. There are also RPOs of the type that Stein prefers that would counter the type of pressure Washington brought this season and I bet they lab some of them this offseason.

Good question. In college, offensive lineman can be downfield if the ball is thrown behind the line of scrimmage. That’s why RPOs that are screens never get called for ineligible downfield. It’s only the RPOs that are thrown past the LOS that run the risk. I’ve seen some wonder if that hinders the run portion of the play — like are the linemen holding back to avoid penalty. The answer is no, the OL isn’t concerned with that at all. They block just like it’s a pure run play and it’s the QB’s responsibility to get the ball out in time.

There’s a lot going on for a defense in the play, and it really takes advantage of the west coast principles that the passing attack is built on. Merry Christmas to you too!

I don’t think so. The play with the fumble, Tez was motioning completely across the formation. If it was this play, that’d mean the ball was snapped way too early since Tez would have to still complete the motion and start his return before the snap.

They ran the same play from the article on the 3rd down right before half, and Holden was open there too. I also believe Franklin was open on the 4th down play right before the half. Outside of a few plays, the passing game hadn’t really been stopped either, and the LBs were triggering fast on run plays, but I can see where you’re coming from.

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