FishDuck Article Administrator No. 1 Share Posted October 19, 2022 They're no longer a liability, but are they good enough? Oregon's Special Teams Aren't Special... Yet FISHDUCK.COM So far Oregon's special teams haven't been anything special. However, that isn't entirely a bad thing, as the worst thing special... Two Sites: FishDuck and the Our Beloved Ducks forum, The only "Forum with Decorum!" And All-Volunteer? What a wonderful community of Duck fans! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDuck Moderator No. 2 Share Posted October 19, 2022 Thanks David for this article. Yes, at this point, the coaches are putting the special teams in situations that are controllable and safe. Not making multiple major mistakes that could potentially put our defense into impossible situations. I agree with you with field goal situations, making sure it's successful. I read it seems Andrew Boyle has now been brought in to compete with the punters as well during Tuesday's practice. Maybe a three person competition now? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DazeNconfused No. 3 Share Posted October 19, 2022 My biggest gripe is the kickoff return defense. It seems every game we let one return out to the 40-yard line. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 4 Share Posted October 19, 2022 On 10/19/2022 at 7:32 AM, DazeNconfused said: My biggest gripe is the kickoff return defense. It seems every game we let one return out to the 40-yard line. That is a problem... at least most of our kickoffs are touchbacks or we'd we in real trouble. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanLduck No. 5 Share Posted October 19, 2022 Compared to the past few years our special teams are doing there job, and doing it well. Very high percentage of touchbacks. Zero missed field goals. Zero fumbles on catches. No one coming close to blocking our punts. No problems with long snapper or holding for field goals. Yes, there have been not many great returns. And yes, we seem to give up one long return each game. But so far we haven't been burned. I give our special teams a B+ grade. I'll give an A after our first return for a td or our first 50 yd field goal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuckIt No. 6 Share Posted October 21, 2022 I've been harping on, especially the kickoff return team, being ineffective all season. It starts with Hutson who gets the bulk of fielding the kickoffs. I don't know what he is looking at, but he seems to be running in the wrong direction. He did it again last game and ran right into the swarm of would-be tacklers. It's never a good look to get tackled for a loss or no gain, running sideline to sideline. Don't the Ducks have a better option? I think the Ducks need to refer back to the LMJ and Barner days for inspiration and direction. Use both Whittington and Irving in tandem. Both of them have excellent vision and can switch directions with ease. Bennett Williams might be another good option. He's not the fastest but sees the field clearly and is elusive. His pick-6 in last year's Zona game is proof of that. I don't want to see Franklin get hurt, but he was a serious threat to take it to the house in high school. The guy was electric on kickoff and punt returns. He also weighs more than SUC's Jordan Addison who frequently returns the ball. Another issue is their scheme. Do the Ducks even have one or does everyone run around willy-nilly? I seriously couldn't tell. Maybe because our return man doesn't survive long enough to locate his blockers and use them. Sometimes, the returner needs to evade the gunner, before he can see a path through. The Ducks have so much speed and talent that it is going to waste on the kickoff returns. We seen lesser teams like EWU do more with less talent on the kickoffs. There's no excuse why the Ducks couldn't use their talents to their advantage and gain a better starting field position. The Ducks are halfway through the season and only managed to return the ball for a grand total of 104 yds. Some teams can and have racked up those yards in a single game. As opposed to 2011 Ducks, with kickoff returners consisting of LMJ, Barner, DAT, Huff, and Troy Hill, that Dream Team returned the ball for 1420 yds that year. DAT alone, recorded 983 yds in kickoff returns. It's no wonder we expect more, because we were spoiled in those days. On the flip side, the Ducks gave up a total of 358 yds to their opponents on kickoffs this season. The Ducks are definitely losing that battle and shortchanging themselves every game. DL talks about the importance of having explosive plays on offense but why couldn't he include kickoff and punt returns? Unless the Ducks create a turnover or earn a turnover on down, kickoff or punt returns are usually how the Ducks start off each possession. These are squandered opportunities, to potentially give your offense a short field to work with and increase their chances of scoring. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 7 Share Posted October 21, 2022 On 10/21/2022 at 10:33 AM, DuckIt said: Another issue is their scheme. Do the Ducks even have one or does everyone run around willy-nilly? I seriously couldn't tell. Maybe because our return man doesn't survive long enough to locate his blockers and use them. Sometimes, the returner needs to evade the gunner, before he can see a path through. I think this is part of trying to correct the problems of special teams neglect under Cristobal. Sure Oregon had some good returns under Cristobal but they were inconsistent and only really occurred when the other team's coverage broke down. I feel this year the standard for the return game is really going to be don't hurt the team. Next year I do expect a whole lot more from the return game. At this point I feel there is a consistency element that keeps putting Hutson onto the field over others. McGee has been mentioned for some time as someone taking reps at practice for special teams but we really haven't seen him on the field. I suspect he isn't consistent in some element of the return game. Lorig has a reputation of being a pretty good special teams coach and I feel he needs time to get this part of the game in better shape for the Ducks. It was really neglected under Cristobal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuckIt No. 8 Share Posted October 22, 2022 Well, since th On 10/21/2022 at 8:48 AM, David Marsh said: At this point I feel there is a consistency element that keeps putting Hutson onto the field over others. McGee has been mentioned for some time as someone taking reps at practice for special teams but we really haven't seen him on the field. I suspect he isn't consistent in some element of the return game. Since there hasn't been much to speak of from Hutson's kickoff returns, I suspect the coaches are more focused on ball security and not muffing the kickoff or the punt, until they can get the return game figured out. My guess is that Hutson is best at catching these balls. If they wanted a sure-handed return man, I've been really impressed with Franklin snatching the balls out of the air, but the coaches' decision could have more to do with protecting the ball once it has been caught. Franklin could also be too valuable to risk injury to. When you look at this past week's Bama VS Tennessee game, Bama had two giant miscues on their return game which probably cost them the game. Speed probably won out over experience when choosing the return man. So from that perspective, I would prefer the risk-averse approach that the Ducks are taking, even if it means having a dull to non-existent return game. Also, with the way the offense has been moving the ball, there's no need to risk much. Having said that, the Ducks are probably better off if Hutson would waive for fair catch every time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 9 Share Posted October 22, 2022 On 10/21/2022 at 5:25 PM, DuckIt said: Franklin could also be too valuable to risk injury to. I think injuries are certainly a major factor here as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Duck No. 10 Share Posted October 22, 2022 (edited) Great article, David. As most of us know, special teams often are the difference between winning and losing football games. The good news to me is that while our special teams are recovering from the Cristobal era, they are are not making big mistakes, and have not made any critical mistakes. However, the one highly critical special teams position that is almost always overlooked, is the long snapper. But it’s such a critical position that today, a large percentage of D1 schools now scholarship this position. Most coaches wised up over the last 20 years or so and now realize that a single mistimed, or misplaced snap, can create one of the most chaotic sequences in football, one that could easily cost a team the game. These guys are beyond unsung here’s, and the only time anyone usually learns their name, is the one out of a hundred snaps that go arwy. Now, let’s add water, and the football suddenly weighs two to three times heavier. This position of timing and skill takes on a whole new world… and those ‘little’ 7’ or 14’ snaps, while making sure that the laces arriving in the receivers hands exactly the way he needs them, can get very interesting and exciting very fast. So, I just want give a shout out, appreciation, and some love to the long snappers out there. For nearly all long snappers, one of their goals is that we actually do not know their names. They have an almost nearly thankless, yet utterly critical role, in which failure is not an option. Edited October 22, 2022 by Desert Duck 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 11 Share Posted October 22, 2022 Well... We saw something special today against UCLA. That onside kick was amazing. Brilliant call (especially since it worked) And brilliantly executed. That was something special. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuckIt No. 12 Share Posted October 22, 2022 We also saw Bucky and other guys besides Hutson, fielding kickoffs. I think Hutson was only inserted for one of them in the second half. Do you think the coaches read our posts? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Duck No. 13 Share Posted October 22, 2022 (edited) On 10/22/2022 at 4:04 PM, David Marsh said: Well... We saw something special today against UCLA. That onside kick was amazing. Brilliant call (especially since it worked) And brilliantly executed. That was something special. David - I'm thinking that special teams read your article, got motivated and said... "We've got to step things up!" Edited October 22, 2022 by Desert Duck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Duck No. 14 Share Posted October 22, 2022 On 10/22/2022 at 4:16 PM, DuckIt said: We also saw Bucky and other guys besides Hutson, fielding kickoffs. I think Hutson was only inserted for one of them in the second half. Do you think the coaches read our posts? "Do you think the coaches read our posts?" I hear the Oregon coaches check out FishDuck everyday to read our stellar suggestions Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
