Dillingham Showed Flaws in Understanding How to Attack the WAZZU Scheme

[DazeNconfused]

The WAZZU defense likes to stack a lot of defenders in the box, they have more speed than size and they run well sideline to sideline.

 

By doing this they want to take away the run, the screen passes, any lateral run, and get into the backfield. I saw plays they had 8 and 9 defenders in the box, I saw plays all 11 men were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. 

 

WAZZU does this scheme to get a numbers advantage and blow-up plays!

 

A basic rule of calling plays as an OC is you take what the defense gives you. Wazzu is giving you the deep ball.

 

The first play of the second half Dilly threw the deep ball and we hit it. We hit everything we threw 20 yards down field - bcuz that's the weak part of the WAZZU scheme. WAZZU leaves the Corners in a ton of man-to-man as a consequence of the scheme they run. The deep go routes, and deep crosses were there all day, Bo could have had 600 yards passing if we called plays right.

 

Let's turn to the Red Zone issues in the first half and Dillys play calls. First time inside the five we ran a sneak got stuffed and then lateral plays to the edge. Those plays let WAZZU use its strength, the team speed to run the plays down. We ran a fly sweep inside the 10 that they ran down. We threw the same lateral pass to Dollars two plays in a row that ended up as a pick six.

 

I don't recall us throwing a ball into the endzone in the first half - all redzone plays seemed to go to the sideline.

 

It was our second or third possession that Dilly came out trips WR to one side and we ran three straight plays for around 45 yards. The trips WR took three defenders out of the box to the sideline, now WAZZU didn't have the numbers. We had the size and ran straight at them and through them. 

 

My conclusion here is Dilly ran way too many plays into the strengths of the WAZZU defensive set and scheme. 

 

To pass we should have early in the game gone deep on their corners and attack the one-on-one matchup. WAZZU would have continued to get beat or they would have to drop the safeties back into a cover two - then we could run our screens and short crosses on them. If WAZZU pulled the safeties up, then we would go back over the top of them.

 

In the redzone we should have thrown a FADE to Thornton, Chapman, Kasper all over 6'5"- everything we ran was lateral and they stuffed it in the first half. Why didn't Dilly think attack a corner with a FADE to a big WR????? 

 

Dilly didn't keep WAZZU on a yo-yo by attacking the weak spots, WAZZU kept us on a yo-yo bcuz we ran to many plays into their strengths.

 

To run we should have spread them out and then ran at them. No running at them from bunch formations, or power where they can stack the box. 

 

In the game thread Debbi-duck and some others were saying these things and so was I. Dilly needs to get better with his in-game calls. His scheme is strong, he just needs to be better at what plays in his scheme he attacks the defense with. 

 

It seems to me Dilly is more of a call the plays he wants to run that he likes.

 

I want a play caller who says, "ok you going to show me that look then here is what I'm going to call to wreck it"

 

The Ducks should have been up with a big lead at the half and not sitting on 9 points.

 

 

 

Edited September 25, 2022 by DazeNconfused

[Charles Fischer]

Superb analysis, and now…will the in-house offensive analysts tell him the same thing?

 

If he learns from this…

[The Kamikaze Kid]

On 9/25/2022 at 10:47 AM, Charles Fischer said:

Superb analysis, and now…will the in-house offensive analysts tell him the same thing?

 

If he learns from this…

Luckily, learning and improving is what this team's about from the top down unlike Mr Physicality.

[shawnski]

I concur

 

Even the failed 2 point conversion was caught SHORT of the goal line.

 

Pass into the end zone 

[Just Ducky]

 We were way to run happy in the first half when we got into the red zone. If not for last minute hero’s it would of cost us the game. 

 

 Hard to beat a team of that quality trading field goals for touchdowns. We were extremely lucky.

[spartan2785]

Yeah, I was absolutely baffled that we ran the plays we did inside the 10, it was absolutely bonkers that we never called an audible based on how WSU was set up.  It took until TD to McCormick to throw the ball into the end zone, that's insane considering the ineffectiveness we had had until that point.  It felt similar to Cristobal running the ball up the gut a thousand times regardless of the outcome.  I get having an identity, and that early there was probably scripts to run off, but it was like he hadn't even scouted what the Washington St. defense is good at.  We should have tried some fades, some crossing patterns, or if we were to run, try some misdirection.

[CountryProf]

Thanks for this great analysis. You raise my football IQ several points with every article you write. I'm guessing Dillingham will see the flaws in his game plan just like you did after watching tape and reflecting on the game, and part of me wonders if he was being perhaps overly cautious about Bo Nix extending his legacy of forcing pass plays  If he doesn't adjust appropriately in future games........ are you up for being Oregon's new offensive coordinator next year?

Edited September 25, 2022 by CountryProf

[Haywarduck]

I too have always wondered why things look so much clearer from the bleachers and even from the big screen at home. I am sure it will get clearer as the week progresses. Dilly and Dan will see it in color from theirs seats in the Hatfield-Dowlin complex.

 

Either that or they can read all about it right here as the analysis gets done this week on Fishduck. I look forward to the articles and the improvement this coming Saturday.