Eric Boles

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.

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.