How Oregon Can Optimize Dillon Gabriel

[FishDuck Article]

Dillon Gabriel transferring to Oregon for the 2024 season is a big deal, as it gives Oregon a top-tier quarterback right away. Gabriel is going to have a loaded roster, even with some key contributors in Jackson Powers-Johnson, Bucky Irving and Troy Franklin leaving for the NFL. With the addition of Gabriel, the Ducks will be a contender for the B1G ...

 

How Oregon Can Optimize Dillon Gabriel | FishDuck

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Dillon Gabriel transferring to Oregon for the 2024 season is a big deal, as it gives Oregon a top-tier quarterback right away. Gabriel is going to have...

[Smith72]

Thanks David for this article today and all the great articles you contribute to OBD Forum.

 

I agree with you when you wrote, "Nix ran less this year most likely because the coaching staff looked at the quarterbacks behind him and knew the season was over if they had to start either Ty Thompson or Austin Novosad."

 

QB Dillon Gabriel is an exciting addition to the Ducks.  His dynamic upside also brings risk.  Which in turn raises the importance of having a good backup.  

 

Getting the #2 QB meaningful game reps with the starters is important.  Maybe something like Coach Locklyn does with the running backs. (Some, maybe not as much.)

 

Bring in a Dante Moore for a scripted series utilizing his skill set.  Then adding more as he learns Coach Stein 's offense.

 

So much to ponder!  Thanks again David for giving so much to OBD Forum.

 

 

[Just Ducky]

 I agree that the QB is the most important player on any roster, just quoting the obvious here.

 

 In my mind to compete and win the conference next season is an improvement in the trenches and our defense over all.  
 

 I’m not too worried about the o-line which I think will be stable enough to get the job done.

 

 Front seven needs to be better than this season. We are loosing a few key players and replacing them may be a tough ask. I have confidence that our coaches might get this done but after watching the mutts make our run defense look so bad in the championship game my confidence is very low at the moment.

[Autzen Magic]

I have absolutely no inside knowledge, but I believe that the Ducks made a deal with Bo that if he came back one more season they would limit his runs and protect his NFL draft status.

 

With Gabriel, I don't believe there is the same concern and I bet he's getting NIL $ with an agreement he will run the ball when necessary.

But what do I know?  Just my $0.02.

[Charles Fischer]

That is fantastic information David, as I did not know that Oklahoma depended so much on Gabriel in their running game.  So he must have some good running skills that will be helpful for the occasional scramble or Zone Read by our QB.

 

But I personally do NOT want a QB being a major ball carrier, because as a long time Duck fan--I seen too many seasons trashed by an injured QB.  Blocking is blocking regardless of who is running the ball, and if the blocking is not there on a play, then either the blocking technique went wrong, or it was a bad play design.  Or it was a defensive call, (a corner blitz for example) that blows up an occasional play.

 

We have more than enough plays in the playbook to be high scoring without a QB running very often, IMHO.  Dillion is a gifted passer, and it makes sense to fully utilize that talent, IMHO, again.

 

[Jon Joseph]

Thanks, DM.

 

At Oklahoma, Gabriel thrived in an RPO structured offense, Bo was a very good runner when he needed to be but Gabriel is far more slippier and elusive. He does not have the same arm strength but Dillion is not that much of a step down from Caleb Williams in his ability to extend and make plays.

 

Protecting Bo in 2023 was the way to go. But IMO, limiting Gabriel to a dink-and-dunk passing game with a few Bird Bombs thrown in, in 2024 will be a B1G mistake. For what a mobile QB can do in the B1G, tune into the Rose Bowl and watch Bama's Milroe vs. the Michigan D. The Wolverines saw no QBs in the B1G this season like Milroe. I expect Milroe will be the difference in this game and I also believe that Bama +1 to +1.5, will win SU by 10 or more points. 

 

Remember Dennis Dixon at Michigan? That Michigan team got off to a terrible start losing to APP St in a famous CFB upset and then getting pasted by the Ducks but that Michigan team went on to defeat Heisman winner Tim Tebow and Florida in its bowl game. Dixon ran circles around Michigan. The Michigan D handled Tebow's straight at the defense runs. Also, look at the difference in Ohio State's O this season with the immobile McCord at QB instead of running threats Fields and CJ Stroud. 

 

I think limiting Gabriel's ability to run will be a mistake. And I agree with David's excellent point about the UW D teeing off against the Oregon O, especially in the conference champ game, with Bo not being a run threat. I was very disappointed to see the Ducks come out in the champ game with no variation in the game plan. The UW DBs locked down the short passing game, took early control of the game, and Oregon could not finish the comeback win. 

 

Moore can play 4 games in 2024 without losing his red shirt. If Moore does not RS in 2024 and plays very well in 2025, he will likely be off to the NFL. But get the young man ready. He has all of the physical tools. He struggled last season except on deep passes, 20 yards or more downfield where he completed close to 90% of his throws when on his back or under the gun playing behind a leaky UCLA OL. He will be surrounded by better coaching and talent in Eugene. 

 

2024 is a time to strike in the B1G. Michigan, even if it is the defending champ is losing the core that made UM so successful the last 2 seasons in particular. Ohio State will be breaking in a new QB and will lose a lot of skill position talent. Penn State is not on the regular season schedule. Ditto USC. And UW trips to Autzen without Penix and with a lot of skill players gone.

 

IMO, do not rein in DG. Coach up Moore and have him ready to go. The Ducks winning the B1G in the first season in the conference would be one heck of a statement. The kind of statement that might allow Oregon to close the Buckeyes recruiting lead. 

 

Thanks again, David.

 

 

[kirklandduck]

On 12/19/2023 at 10:25 AM, Jon Joseph said:

I think limiting Gabriel's ability to run will be a mistake. And I agree with David's excellent point about the UW D teeing off against the Oregon O, especially in the conference champ game, with Bo not being a run threat. I was very disappointed to see the Ducks come out in the champ game with no variation in the game plan. The UW DBs locked down the short passing game, took early control of the game, and Oregon could not finish the comeback win. 

100% agree with this.  Gabriel is a dual threat QB, let him BE a dual threat QB.  I understood why DL and WS limited Bo's running so much this past season but I think they pulled it back way too much, to the point that it caused problems with the offense at certain points.  When the offense was clearly struggling against Texas Tech early on, Bo began running the ball himself on a handful of plays and the offense got going again since the TT defense then had to take him into account.  If he did that against UW, I would have bet money that the offense would have been more consistent.

[EastBayDuckDad]

The RPO game can keep defenses guessing without exposing the QB to the kind of hits that take them out of commission. Gabriel ran that game successfully at OU and I'm guessing that Stein will expand that aspect of the Duck offense some.

 

MM was the RPO/Zone Read master at Oregon and stayed upright mainly by not being asked to run through the inside gaps. 

[Charles Fischer]

On 12/19/2023 at 11:37 AM, EastBayDuckDad said:

and stayed upright mainly by not being asked to run through the inside gaps.

Key words...."inside gaps."  If you run a QB between the tackles where he can get hit at the knees from the side by linebackers, and smashed from in front by safeties...then you only have yourselves to blame when he gets hurt.

 

Scrambles from drop-back passing, open lanes from Zone Reads, and occasional  QB sweeps makes sense, IMHO.

[Haywarduck]

You don't have to take the qb out of the running equation to keep him safe. Also plenty of qb's have been hurt in the pocket, without running.

 

When a defense doesn't have a spy, and doesn't respect Dillon's ability to run, then run him, and have him slide. If they spy Dillon then the pass is easier, pretty simple, I would think.

 

The O-line needs to protect Dillon as does Stein's play calling.

 

Dillon needs to be the point guard of the offense.  A point guard who can't shoot isn't as effective as the gunslinger, who drives and can hit the outside jumpsuit. I look for Dillon to be the assist leader, but also a guy who puts up some points for himself.

[Coach Eric Boles]

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. 

Edited December 20, 2023 by Coach Eric Boles