For the Fact-Checkers: Kenjon Barner and Evan Baylis are NOT in the BIG GAME

[Charles Fischer]

Goodness I got grief and insults by email when an article here a week ago explained the no Ducks would be on either roster and play in the Super Bowl.  Kenjon Barner and Evan Baylis are not on the official Tampa Bay roster, but they are on the Practice Squad.  But they will not be on the sidelines later today...

NBC Sports Northwest article about it right here....

[Fordux]

2021 has the potential to be an amazing season! I’m EXCITED! As a born in Eugene, U of O grad and Passionate fan, I believe to get there...Offensive strategy has to improve. 

Moorhead showed flashes of brilliance last season. Not too tough to say when comparing to Arroyo’s very predictable and conservative play calling...save the Rose bowl and Pac 12 Championship when THE smartest answer was to let Herbert run. If JM is truly calling all the plays (BTW, is he?), I was mostly impressed with him given the Covid cards dealt his way. Yet, when you put Likio i, and most always do exactly what everyone thinks you are going to do, it’s likely a bit alarming for HL and fans. I was also from Missouri on the dual QB strategy in the Fiesta Bowl. 

I am concerned that in 2021 the offense will not be JMs more strategic and clever unit that flashed now and then in its attack and that the truly amazing talent on the field will not be utilized to its full potential. Sean Dollars? 

We all know that Alabama, LSU, Ohio State nor Clemson win Nattys with predictable, ground and pound approaches. We must open up the playbook, utilize our talented and smart chess players, change the frequency of and reliability on certain plays, and become less predictable. If it means JM has full play calling authority, I humbly advocate for that. If not, leaders needs to look critically at that Elephant in the room and ask why it’s Crimson and not Green. Defense does win championships BUT not without strategic, innovative and unpredictable flow to the O! 

Go Dux! 

[BigDucksFan]

If your O can't score points it doesn't matter how good your D is. 

5 hours ago, Fordux said:

If JM is truly calling all the plays (BTW, is he?)

I have never heard a definitive answer on that during the last 3 seasons. 

[David Marsh]

2021 will be the real test. 

Though I have had the feeling that Oregon has really lacked the personal for the past 5 years. Yes, I'm going back 5 years because in 2015 Oregon had a good group of recievers (many of whom were injured during the national championship game the previous season) and solid runningback in Freeman and a quarterback who could and throw the ball everywhere. 

If you watch the games from 2015 and earlier you see the quarterback throwing touchdowns to multiple recievers. The talent dried up in 2016 and Oregon has really hobbles along trying to get good recievers. 

Now, there have been some bright spots but I can't in good conscience say that we have had a recieving corp as good as the one in 2015 yet. 

Though I do believe that is about to change in the next year or two as all this young talent gets a shot at playing in an Oregon uniform. 

[30Duck]

9 hours ago, Fordux said:

We all know that Alabama, LSU, Ohio State nor Clemson win Nattys with predictable, ground and pound approaches

That really isn't how those teams win anymore, and thus the frustration with Cristobal who does seem to want to win that way now. 

[Charles Fischer]

Great stuff Fordux, and welcome to the site!

[Ducks4ever]

It's not that complicated. No matter how good your OC is, an offense needs a good/reliable running back, a competent QB, and a serviceable OL to be good. We didn't have a lot of those pieces last season and it remains to be seen if we can get those pieces together this year. Get the raw material together and then we can talk strategy.

Running back: Verdell? He disappears as the season goes on - unreliable. You know things are bad when Dye is the backup. He's not dependable at all and too easy to take down. (Dye is a fine athlete and might actually thrive in a DAT/Nelson type role.) The upper classmen are still hanging around this season so that's a bummer - the problem won't get solved this season.

QB - Last year wasn't good but I'm actually not worried about it this year. Everyone has another year under their belt and Thompson is pretty talented. We should at least get serviceable play this year.

OL - entire OL combined for maybe 1 start at the beginning of the season yet they're all upper classmen. In fairness some of those guys were JuCo guys but still, that just screams "limited ceiling" at me. They also didn't do the QB's any favors. I have hopes this unit will be better than last year especially with all the talent coming in. 

This stuff adds up to a rose bowl win this season at best. I doubt we get any further with the lack of a scary ground game. Notice that all the teams you listed that recently won the Natty all had a dominant RB who could pound the yards out against dominant fronts. We don't have that kind of a back.... or at least said back didn't play (much) last year since we have 6 or 7 scholarship RBs.  2022 watch out though  

[AnotherOD]

I've been critical as well, but if you look at yards per play according to Sports ReferenceCFStats:

2. Alabama: 7.8

7. Ohio State: 7.3

13. Clemson: 6.7

34. ND: 6.2

12. Oregon: 6.8

That's with a hurt starting RB and a QB sliding into the tank (5.4 yards per play last 3 games according to Team rankings.com).

So, some signs of life? It seemed to be: quick drive for a score, 3 and out, or a turnover, all year. "Bend but don't break" rarely got itself off the field. TOP was #119 out of #127. Few love TOP; but, the bottom 20 teams in TOP had two teams with (barely) winning records (Oregon and Central Florida), one 6-4 and one 4-3.

I'd be all in for a shift to a new, more interesting and aggressive offensive approach (and hand the keys over to JM), but from what we have seen, that just appears somewhat unlikely.

If MC loosens it up just a bit, the team just needs to be BETTER at the 50% of the offense MC is likely gonna do. That and get off the field more on defense, not turn the ball over, and get better QB play. I imagine that will be the emphasis, rather than any kind of overhaul. If you are gonna' wanna play like Wisconsin (#1 TOP), Utah (#16 TOP), or Stanford (#23 TOP), you better figure out how to actually do, what you are trying to do.

[Ducks4ever]

16 hours ago, AnotherOD said:

So, some signs of life? It seemed to be: quick drive for a score, 3 and out, or a turnover, all year. 

This!!! My belief is that this offensive production was mostly driven by scheme and a really talented crop of WR's (who are about to get even better). Those guys created separation and had the ability to track down the balls. The rest of the pieces to the offense didn't seem to be there and it's still a work in progress (especially at RB) next season. Unfortunately this will probably disappoint some fans. 

TOP isn't the greatest stat. The teams you listed ranked high in TOP all had total offense and YPG stats just inside the 50% mark (looking at all FBS teams on ESPN). This likely reflects the lack of explosive plays that scored or set up our scores this year for us. 

[AnotherOD]

 

I'm far from wanting to get overly wrapped up on TOP; but, the top 25 teams in TOP were 145-70 and the bottom 25 teams in TOP were 71-134.

So, it's suggestive of something. I guess my point was something along the lines, if you are gonna play "field position, conservative, smash mouth" football, you probably aren't succeeding regularly if your opponents are out TOP you 34-26 and running 15+ more plays per game than you are.

Edited February 9, 2021 by AnotherOD

[Notalot]

The Chipper's Blurr among other things was predicated on distributing the ball to playmakers in space with downhill blocking at the point of attack. 

It's easier to say than do, but his team's executed consistently. His teams added the element of surprise and occasionally trickery.

JoMo may provide some of the same with his own formula.

 

[Haywarduck]

It all comes down to the qb and what the qb can do. If a qb only sees one dimension, what is right in front of him, you are limited. If the qb can't deal with the excitement of game time, even without a crowd, you are limited. We were limited by our qb play.

A leader of a team, in any capacity has to see the whole game, what is developing and be able to play a game of chess when the opponent is playing checkers. We were barely playing checkers out there on offense. This was especially true once the defensive coordinators started studying tendencies.

When a good defense played us, Cal, OSU, they had players, we got out gamed. USC had players, but they weren't a team and won't be under Helton. You don't tackle the punter, if your an elite player, when you have good coaching. I felt sorry for the guy, for a second, but he chose sc.

What we need is a very good qb. Maybe one will develop, but more than likely he will move on to campus and take over. We also need at least one go to, NFL caliber, receiver. I am not sure we have seen one on the field in a while. If we get one, and the qb develops, then maybe, our offense can come alive.

Until then we are just wishing Cristobal can do a magic trick. He is no magician, nor is he an offensive genius. We don't need either, just elite talent, and plenty of time to jell. Until then the O will be in prevent mode, more like unable mode. That is what the Oregon O needs, unless somebody has an epiphany, but those just don't happen too often, or often enough.

Edited February 9, 2021 by Haywarduck

[Ducks4ever]

Yeah it was definitely a problem last season. I don't want to be a downer but even if Ty is a generational talent, he's still not going to take over until halfway through the season. Look at Tua, Trevor Lawrence, and DJ U. I'm sure all of them could have played earlier but in this case they would be ironing things out on the field vs executing the offenses. 

 

Again with a full spring/fall practice schedule along with a year of experience in this offense for everyone, I don't think the QB play will be as bad as it was this past season. 

[Mudslide]

It is my belief that the offensive woes this past season do not strictly reside with the qb play nor the scheme.  The o-line play was generally atrocious last year.  There were far too many 'ole' moments for both tackles in particular.  Getting bull rushed so frequently likely assisted in the erosion of Shough's confidence.  Compare and contrast time to throw between the Ducks and Clemson or Alabama.  I don't have the stats, but the difference is visible when reviewing games of the 3 teams.  Lack of experience by the line certainly played an important role in the season's O.

Let's hope the next year we have a full compliment of Spring and Fall camps...and a scrimmage or two.  I look for vast improvement. 

Now....if we could just get a half-decent special teams scheme/performance......