Before you burn the tape: what Oregon can build on for Friday and the future

Innovation, speed and energy made Oregon a great team, and the Ducks can be a great team in the future. All they need to do is make plays and play with discipline and purpose.

DAT CATCH: to shift the focus back to success and playing with heart and determination, the Men of Oregon need to take inspiration from plays like this one (A.J. Jacobson, Duck Sports Authority photo).

In an embarrassing loss on Saturday, the Ducks made 20 plays that remind fans how good they can be. Mike Wines of Oregon Duck Soup and Youtube channel madmike1951 compiled a tape Duck fans should watch once, then turn all their attention to a Thanksgiving with family and beating the Beavers in the Civil War.

Opening kickoff

Troy Hill 40-yard return to the Arizona 45. Some people question the decision to take the ball first, but Hill gives the Ducks an excellent start with an alert return, ranging up the field to take the ball cleanly and accelerating up the left sideline. He gets a great block from special teams standout Erick Dargan.

The Ducks feature two dozen players who would be dangerous in the return game, scooping up a fumble or returning a pick, and Hill is one of them. B.J. Kelley possesses PAC-12 sprinter speed. Dior Mathis does also. Thomas Tyner is the Oregon state record holder in the 100 meters. Bralon Addison is one of the most dangerous, shifty open-field runners in the conference. Up and comers like Devon Allen and Darren Carrington both have the sudden quickness to get a stadium on their feet.

Hill’s great return is a reminder that the Ducks still have the speed to be special. Friday, they need to put those playmakers on display. Another 65-38 Civil War would be just be just the tonic for a fan base and a team that is hurting right now: the Ducks need to put the fun back in the game, and the way to do that is to make big plays and light up the Jumbotron.

1st and Goal Arizona 10:19 1st quarter Oregon 8 yard line

Ka’Deem Carey rush for -2 yards.

Already down 7-0, the Ducks got off to another miserable start in this game with an early turnover and a three and out.

This is a play that worked for the Oregon defense, one that shows how good they can be if they dig deeper.

The Ducks get good penetration from the strong side tackle and defensive end, and stack up a run up the middle. When Carey breaks to the outside, Bo Lokombo, Rodney Hardrick and Brian Jackson rally to the ball and wrap him up. Good tackling fundamentals, penetration and pursuit make this play a win for the defense.

They have to find the pride and the will to make more plays like this one. 80 snaps a game, as a defender you have to bring it and win confrontations, compete on the next play. It’s an attitude. It’s a conditioning of the mind, a refusal to give ground or be defeated.

7:09 1st quarter, Arizona kickoff, leading 14-0

The Ducks have trailed on the road before; in the 2010 national championship game season they trailed badly early to Tennessee, Arizona State, then at home to Stanford. Each time they had the confidence, poise and leadership to turn the game around. The challenge is to find that again, to teach that and instill it with intensity in practice.

This is a 15-yard return by De’Anthony Thomas, nothing remarkable. What’s noteworthy is that at the point of attack, there are three Oregon blockers on two Wildcat defenders, and if they execute, one of the fastest players in college football has a lane to the goal line. The blocks get missed, badly, and the return is piled up. Position, technique, discipline and execution: it matters on every play.

8:21 1st and 10 Oregon Oregon 20

De’Anthony Thomas rush for 4 yards. Thomas ran 16 times for 83 yards Saturday, and he was also the Ducks leading receiver with 6 catches for 74 yards.

They line up in a double-slot formation with 6 defenders in the box. It’s a quick outside running play to the left with both guards pulling, and at the snap, the play has real potential as UO gets a hat on a hat. The contain man is on the ground, blocked ably by Keanon Lowe, but Thomas trips over him. Still, a 4-yard run on first down is a better start after two unsuccessful possessions.

6:47 1st quarter 2nd and 6 Oregon on Oregon

Marcus Mariota pass complete to Daryle Hawkins for 13 yards

After an 0-3 start that saw two costly drops, Mariota shows the poise and determination to keep executing. He threw well all day but was victimized by some sloppy play by his receivers. Four balls were dropped, a couple right to the numbers.

Here Mariota shuffles away from pressure nimbly and finds the steady senior Hawkins, properly coming back to the ball as his quarterback buys time. Hawkins snares it in traffic, protecting the football with his body. Good communication and execution by both players, and Mariota makes a nice throw on the move.

Jake Fisher is pivotal in making this play succeed. He clears a nice lane for the throw by driving his man halfway to the sideline. Hawkins wheels upfield and makes the first defender miss, adding some yards after catch.

5:50 2nd and 7 Oregon ball Oregon 40

Mariota pass complete to Keanon Lowe, 18 yards, first down

The Ducks haven’t innovated much this year, but the most successful innovation has been the striking improvement in the downfield passing game.

Curiously, Scott Frost has them operating at a very deliberate tempo here, 30 seconds a play. They ran 80 on the day, to Arizona’ s 87. The Wilcats had 65 rushing attempts for 304 yards.

Mariota looks to the quick screen, then shifts downfield to Lowe, wide open on a hitch. The protective pocket is excellent on this play. Against a four-man rush the offensive line has every man neutralized and a double team on the tackle, giving their quarterback plenty of time to find the most open receiver and hit him in a soft spot in the coverage for a badly-needed burst of momentum.

5:31 1st Quarter 2nd and 15 Oregon on Ariz 47

Mariota to DAT for 24 yards

The pocket is starting to collapse in an obvious passing situation and a delayed blitzer in Mariota’s face, but he calmly flips the ball to his outlet receiver in the right flat, and Thomas has room to accelerate up the left sideline.

Mariota’s knee injury has cost the Oregon offense, because it’s robbed them of one of their most difference-making weapons. Opponents no longer have to account for him as a threat running the football, and he’s being coached to pass up even obvious opportunities to run. But the experience of being robbed of his legs will make the future pro a better quarterback: he’s had to be smarter, more aware in the pocket, and process his options. He’s learning to buy time shuffling up and find his third option. All of which makes him a more complete qb, even more dangerous once he has full mobility. Looking forward to his next 60-yard run, and all the ways he will bedevil the Beavers on Friday.

Thomas gathers the ball in first, then zooms up the sideline for a big gain.Cornered, he steps out of bounds and saves his body for another play. Keanon Lowe shows discipline, passing up a block when he doesn’t have an angle.

4:55 1st quarter Oregon on AZ 29, 1st and 16

Mariota 20 pass to Thomas

The Ducks had 3 penalties on this drive, and they overcame the first two. After a holding call later in the series they settled for a field goal. Arizona had two penalties in the entire game.

Trips right, DAT motions out of the backfield and streaks down the seam. It’s a 3-man rush. Fisher squares up on the defensive end and walls him off, and Grasu, Stevens and the weakside blockers smartly execute two double teams on the other two defenders, taking full advantage of their advantage in numbers. This is good, disciplined line play, shows cohesion and training. Mariota has a comfortable pocket and plenty of time to set up.

The throw is high and wide left, but after dropping a ball earlier in the game, Thomas makes one of the plays of the season for the Ducks. He reaches behind him between three defenders and makes the catch with one hand, first down at the Arizona 9.

DAT drew a lot of criticism for his remarks to the media and on social media these last few weeks, but his effort on the field was superb in this game. He’s a unique personality with a quirky outlook, but a warrior in pads, an inspirational player with a knack for moments that can lift a team and change a game. This was one of them, and there have been many.

There’s no woofing after this play. He flips the ball to an official and lines up for the next play, still intent on turning the game around.

Instead, the Ducks get a holding call that negates a touchdown, and settle for a Matt Wogan field goal.

Wogan was another bright spot for the Webfoots. He’s 3-3 on his field goal attempts, 2-2 since taking over as the full-time placekicker. His kickoffs pinned Arizona deep and two went for touchbacks, something the Ducks will need this week against a dangerous return man in Brandin Cooks.

14:05 2nd quarter, Arizona 2nd 8 Oregon 38

Denker pass to Grant, broken up by Ifo Ekpre-Olomu

Olomu never stops battling and competing. He, Taylor Hart, Derrick Malone and Brian Jackson paced the defense again Saturday, and their voices should be the ones this team trusts in the locker room leading up to Friday. Defensive statistical leaders, from goducks.com: