We Gotta PASS this Test: The Game-Plan for Stanford?

[Charles Fischer]

My friends, everyone knows that the Cardinal are weak at run-defense, while the Ducks are weak in the Passing Offense.  It makes sense to me, (if I was David Shaw) to pack the box against Oregon...get eight defenders in there to bottle up the Oregon rushing attack.  Force the Ducks to beat you through the air with a QB who is barely completing half his passes, of which almost none that stretch the field and who have receivers who are not getting separation?

 

Conversely, Oregon needs to come out passing to get the box count to normal, and then bulldoze them with CJ Verdell, (not Brown!) as they used to do so frequently to us.

 

Thoughts on this my friends?

We have tight-ends who can challenge Jacob Breeland's numbers for getting open and making the catch!

[30Duck]

Not surprising, but I think Verdell, and how he's used is the key to the game for the Ducks. His production was a huge part of the win over the Buckeyes, and for a reason impossible for me to grasp, his carries have been reduced in the games since?

[Smith72]

30Duck true about Verdell, but I really love the lightning provided by Travis Dye!  He has quick feet and good vision.

 

Go Ducks!

[Duckdude]

AB seems decently accurate up to 15-20 yards…..so, maybe the dink-and-dunk can be worked into the game plan with the multiple receiving options: WR’s, TE’s, Redd, rb’s.

 

Gotta say, although AB’s long passing game seems to be overshooting receivers, the receivers don't seem to be getting separation, either.  At least the long overthrown bombs are not interceptable!

 

interesting to see: Herbert often seemed to throw “too high” for our receivers to catch.  Strangely, those same “too high” throws, are being caught by his NFL receivers(e.g. Keenan Allen), who catch those balls where only the receivers(and not the covering db) can catch the ball.   Maybe our receivers might also be a little to blame for the lack of a “long game” so far?

[Duckpop22]

Or here is an idea. Stanford loads the box, as The Big Fish suggested, but then we beat them anyway through the pure will of our souls and power of our Big Uglies up front! Soon, they bring up a ninth defender! They only have one corner and one safety deep. Who cares? Not 'Bama-Lane County!  As the game goes on, three-yard-runs become five-yard-runs-become seven yard runs. Soon, the free safety is hurling himself into the maelstrom up front Do we care? Hell, no. Now our runs average nearly a first down with every carry! Touchdown Oregon!

 

But better than the touchdown is the hangdog expressions on the Stanford sidelines. They were the smartest kids in their high schools. Did they sign up for this kind of physical whipping? Not at all. The major Silicone Valley companies don't want to hire people with gnarled fingers and ragged fingernails. At the end of the third quarter they hand in their scholarships en masse, yielding to a force greater than themselves.

 

Let's hit somebody!