If you watched the Oregon vs. Arizona State game last weekend, you couldn’t have missed the eight-foot tall white sheets held up by Oregon staffers on the sidelines. According to an article published in The Oregonian, Arizona State has apparently been going to desperate lengths to steal signs for offensive play signals, and the Ducks weren’t taking any chances.
Oregon needed to pull out all the stops to get the win which finally game in the second overtime when Arrion Springs intercepted a pass that completed, would have tied the game and sent it into a third overtime. The rumors say the information Arizona State was trying to steal were the signals for run and pass plays. Knowing this information obviously gives a huge advantage to their defense. While Oregon came away with a hard-won victory, Washington State’s head coach Mike Leach says the Pac-12 should investigate. Wazzu is Arizona State’s next opponent, and when asked if he would use any strategies similar to those used by Oregon, he told The Seattle Times, “We’ll have to wait and see. You never know. We might.”
Prior to Arizona State’s game against Oregon, players at Utah also accused them of stealing signs. Utah center Siaosi Aiono told the Salt Lake Tribune that Arizona State had figured out a couple of their offensive play signals when the two teams faced off last year. Because of this, the team knew they might face some difficulties. And they did. By the third quarter of their game against Arizona State, the Utah offense expressed frustration at the feeling that ASU defenders knew what was coming. The offense produced only 33 yards and put no points on the board in the third quarter.
Since Utah suspected some of their play calls had been compromised, in the fourth quarter they switched to the huddle. After the switch, they produced 118 yards and 20 unanswered points. Utah coach Kyle Whittingham doesn’t place any blame on Arizona State though, saying it’s their job to come up with signals that can’t be read.
Sign-stealing isn’t illegal in college football, though some would say it is intensely frowned upon. What is illegal is using technical equipment to record signs. At his point in time, it’s unclear whether Arizona State has actually done anything wrong. What is clear is that if they have been doing it, it hasn’t been helping them win any games. The team is 4-4.
Right or wrong, Oregon managed to come away with the victory. How much their sheet tactics helped is unclear. Some of the Oregon coaches admitted the sheets were there as much for misdirection and confusion as for actually shielding the play calls. But if they worked, why not use them? The ultimate statement from the Ducks on sign-stealing was to downplay its impact. Head coach Mark Helfrich said of the practice, “Even if you know and you’re trying to see a signal, communicate a defense or a group and then call the defense, line up and execute the defense, that’s really hard to do.”
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