Photo by: @EricEvansPhoto
11/04/18 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Oregon Ducks got back to the business of running the ball with a punishing style Saturday vs. UCLA, and did so despite personnel movement on the offensive line.
It took six games to cement Oregon football's new identity under head coach Mario Cristobal, but only two to shake the new foundation.
When the Ducks finished off an overtime win over Washington on Oct. 13 by running between the tackles for a touchdown, they capped a 177-yard rushing night and also made clear the program's new identity under Cristobal. It was about physicality and power football, as the forward-thinking Ducks cut against the national grain as usual in an age of up-tempo, spread offense.
But then Oregon ran for just 58 yards in a loss at Washington State, and 84 at Arizona. The 142 combined rushing yards by the Ducks in those two defeats were fewer than they'd run for in five of six single games to open the season.
An identity that had been forged only weeks earlier was suddenly being questioned. For Cristobal, and in particular is offensive line, the questions became personal.
"The guys, we talked about it and said, 'Enough's enough,' " Cristobal said Saturday night, following a 200-yard rushing renaissance in Oregon's 42-21 win over UCLA. "We were going to re-commit to being the physical team we started the season as."
Others might have questioned that commitment, but the Ducks were steadfast. As was the case in the win over Washington three weeks earlier, committing to the run paid greater and great dividends throughout the UCLA game; Oregon averaged 2.3 yards per carry in the first quarter, 3.6 in the second, 4.3 in the third and 10.5 in the fourth, when Tony Brooks-James provided a 54-yard exclamation point.
"We heard all week that today was about re-establishing an identity that was about physically running the football," junior offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton said. "I was really proud of the way we came out really committed to that."
The running game both benefited from and enhanced the passing offense. Oregon used screen passes early on to soften up UCLA and open lanes between the tackles. That helped the rushing attack, which in turn allowed the Ducks to make big gains with play-action passes.
Justin Herbert threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns on 32 attempts. In the losses to WSU and Arizona, he averaged fewer yards, 228, on more attempts, 46.
"We're built to do a certain thing a certain way," Cristobal said. "And when we don't do it, like we found ourselves in last week, we're in scramble mode."
Saturday against UCLA, there was no scrambling by the Ducks. They were powering straight ahead, piercing the narrative that they'd lost their identity on offense.
Oregon's success running the ball came despite lineup fluctuations all game long for the offensive line.
The Ducks began the game with the lineup they'd featured the previous two weeks — left to right, Throckmorton at tackle, Shane Lemieux at guard, Jake Hanson at center, Dallas Warmack at guard and Brady Aiello at tackle. But Warmack has been playing hurt recently, and his workload was eased Saturday when Steven Jones entered for some possessions at left tackle, bouncing Throckmorton inside to right guard.
Jones, a true freshman, made his fourth appearance of the season, and by far his most significant. The analysts from Pro Football Focus graded him as the best player on either team Saturday, rating his play at 82.4 out of 100.
As the game wore on, Jacob Capra also spelled Warmack at right guard. Then, in the second half, Hanson received a penalty for targeting and was ejected; Throckmorton moved to his third different position of the night, taking over at center.
Throckmorton, who has now gone 27 games and more than 2,000 snaps without allowing a sack, practiced at center during spring drills while Hanson rehabbed an injury. He has continued to get occasional reps there in practice, to prepare for a situation just such as the one that arose Saturday.
"It's something this entire coaching staff always preaches, is that next-man-up mentality," Throckmorton said. "Obviously it's hard to see Jake go out like that, but I'm thankful coaches provide opportunities for situations such as that."
Because Hanson's ejection was in the second half, he'll also miss the first half of Oregon's next game, Saturday at Utah (2:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network). The targeting penalty came during an apparent touchdown run by Jaylon Redd, on which Hanson blocked a Bruin who was in pursuit.
"It was a great play and a great block," Cristobal said. "Probably best to leave it at that."
Coming on the heels of the two losses, the Ducks last Sunday modified their practice schedule to allow for individual meetings between players and the coaching staff.
Among the biggest takeaways from those meetings, Cristobal said Saturday, was a re-commitment to special teams play. That paid immediate dividends against the Bruins, providing the Ducks invaluable early momentum.
The first points of the game were by UO senior Ugochukwu Amadi, on a punt return. With blocks from the likes of Adrian Jackson, Cyrus Habibi-Likio, Matt Mariota and Justin Collins, Amadi ran through the middle of UCLA's coverage team for a 56-yard return and a 7-0 lead for Oregon.
"The way it came it felt like I had enough time I could make one person miss and take off," said Amadi, the only Power 5 player this season with touchdown returns on both an interception and a punt.
Oregon made it 14-0 later in the first quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by CJ Verdell. That was preceded by a fake field goal, on which the holder, UO punter Blake Maimone, threw a 28-yard pass to Jacob Breeland.
Cristobal praised the way Maimone, a former high school quarterback, sold the fake by getting the hold down to bait UCLA's field-goal block team, before peeling out and throwing the pass.
"It was really great to be able to contribute," Maimone said. "Kicking is a big part of the game, but being able to throw a pass and make a big contribution like that is something I'll never forget."
The Ducks later missed a field goal, and allowed a 35-yard kick return. But Oregon's punt team also recovered a muff by UCLA's return man, and the offense converted it into a four-yard touchdown pass from Herbert to Dillon Mitchell for a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.
That Herbert-to-Mitchell connection continued to pay dividends Saturday, and much to the relief of Oregon's coaches, players and fans.
Both players were in concussion protocol earlier in the week, but both took the field and showed no ill effects Saturday. Mitchell caught eight passes for 156 yards and two scores, giving him 92.6 yards per game, which leads the Pac-12. In conference play Mitchell is averaging 122.5 yards per game, 37 more than anyone else in the Pac-12.
And all of that despite not practicing with the team Tuesday or Wednesday due to the concussion protocol.
"This is still college football, and I think college guys need to practice throughout the course of the week to be at their very best," Cristobal said. "… It's a tribute to them to play so well, especially against a team like that; they have good players. Hats off to both Justin and Dillon."
Mitchell said his connection with Herbert is "something special, something we work on." Interestingly, he added that "taking criticism from each other, that's definitely a big thing to continue that special connection."
Herbert followed Mitchell on the interview podium Saturday night, and confirmed that having an open, honest and frank relationship is key to the dynamic between the two.
"That's the only way we get better," Herbert said. "He's a guy that pushes me, and I try to push him as much as I can. But he's made me a ton better."
With the Ducks looking to avoid a repeat of last season, Herbert is being featured less frequently in the running game.
Last season, Herbert had at least nine carries in three of his eight appearances. He also missed a month due a shoulder injury suffered rushing for a touchdown against California.
This season, Herbert has only one game with that many carries, 11 against Stanford. But on Saturday, the Ducks hinted at a way they can still feature the quarterback as a running threat.
Late in the first half, Oregon faced third-and-goal from the UCLA 4-yard line, and called timeout to discuss a play call. When the Ducks took the field for the ensuing snap, it was with mobile backup Braxton Burmeister at quarterback. UCLA called a timeout of its own, and Herbert re-entered the game.
Burmeister ended up playing a snap in the third quarter, in another goal-line situation. It was second down from the 3-yard line, and he kept the ball on an option play that involved a receiver running a jet sweep and also a running back. The play gained one yard, and Herbert returned for the next snap.
For all of the disappointment of the losses to WSU and Arizona, the Ducks never seemed to lose their energy in practices.
Credit that to the culture created by Cristobal and his staff. That brotherhood was apparent on a light moment during postgame interviews Saturday.
Jevon Holland was being interviewed after picking off his fourth pass of the season, which leads the Pac-12. His fellow defensive back Thomas Graham Jr. exited the Oregon locker room, saw through a glass wall that Holland was at the podium, entered the press conference room and asked Holland what it was like to lead the team in interceptions.
"It feels good," Holland said, playing along. "I've got some bragging rights."
The reporters on hand laughed, and Graham prepared to exit the room. But this time, it was Holland who yelled to get Graham's attention.
"I may need a ride home; don't leave," Holland said sheepishly.
When the Ducks finished off an overtime win over Washington on Oct. 13 by running between the tackles for a touchdown, they capped a 177-yard rushing night and also made clear the program's new identity under Cristobal. It was about physicality and power football, as the forward-thinking Ducks cut against the national grain as usual in an age of up-tempo, spread offense.
But then Oregon ran for just 58 yards in a loss at Washington State, and 84 at Arizona. The 142 combined rushing yards by the Ducks in those two defeats were fewer than they'd run for in five of six single games to open the season.
An identity that had been forged only weeks earlier was suddenly being questioned. For Cristobal, and in particular is offensive line, the questions became personal.
"The guys, we talked about it and said, 'Enough's enough,' " Cristobal said Saturday night, following a 200-yard rushing renaissance in Oregon's 42-21 win over UCLA. "We were going to re-commit to being the physical team we started the season as."
Others might have questioned that commitment, but the Ducks were steadfast. As was the case in the win over Washington three weeks earlier, committing to the run paid greater and great dividends throughout the UCLA game; Oregon averaged 2.3 yards per carry in the first quarter, 3.6 in the second, 4.3 in the third and 10.5 in the fourth, when Tony Brooks-James provided a 54-yard exclamation point.
"We heard all week that today was about re-establishing an identity that was about physically running the football," junior offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton said. "I was really proud of the way we came out really committed to that."
The running game both benefited from and enhanced the passing offense. Oregon used screen passes early on to soften up UCLA and open lanes between the tackles. That helped the rushing attack, which in turn allowed the Ducks to make big gains with play-action passes.
Justin Herbert threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns on 32 attempts. In the losses to WSU and Arizona, he averaged fewer yards, 228, on more attempts, 46.
"We're built to do a certain thing a certain way," Cristobal said. "And when we don't do it, like we found ourselves in last week, we're in scramble mode."
Saturday against UCLA, there was no scrambling by the Ducks. They were powering straight ahead, piercing the narrative that they'd lost their identity on offense.
Oregon's success running the ball came despite lineup fluctuations all game long for the offensive line.
The Ducks began the game with the lineup they'd featured the previous two weeks — left to right, Throckmorton at tackle, Shane Lemieux at guard, Jake Hanson at center, Dallas Warmack at guard and Brady Aiello at tackle. But Warmack has been playing hurt recently, and his workload was eased Saturday when Steven Jones entered for some possessions at left tackle, bouncing Throckmorton inside to right guard.
Jones, a true freshman, made his fourth appearance of the season, and by far his most significant. The analysts from Pro Football Focus graded him as the best player on either team Saturday, rating his play at 82.4 out of 100.
As the game wore on, Jacob Capra also spelled Warmack at right guard. Then, in the second half, Hanson received a penalty for targeting and was ejected; Throckmorton moved to his third different position of the night, taking over at center.
Throckmorton, who has now gone 27 games and more than 2,000 snaps without allowing a sack, practiced at center during spring drills while Hanson rehabbed an injury. He has continued to get occasional reps there in practice, to prepare for a situation just such as the one that arose Saturday.
"It's something this entire coaching staff always preaches, is that next-man-up mentality," Throckmorton said. "Obviously it's hard to see Jake go out like that, but I'm thankful coaches provide opportunities for situations such as that."
Because Hanson's ejection was in the second half, he'll also miss the first half of Oregon's next game, Saturday at Utah (2:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network). The targeting penalty came during an apparent touchdown run by Jaylon Redd, on which Hanson blocked a Bruin who was in pursuit.
"It was a great play and a great block," Cristobal said. "Probably best to leave it at that."
Coming on the heels of the two losses, the Ducks last Sunday modified their practice schedule to allow for individual meetings between players and the coaching staff.
Among the biggest takeaways from those meetings, Cristobal said Saturday, was a re-commitment to special teams play. That paid immediate dividends against the Bruins, providing the Ducks invaluable early momentum.
The first points of the game were by UO senior Ugochukwu Amadi, on a punt return. With blocks from the likes of Adrian Jackson, Cyrus Habibi-Likio, Matt Mariota and Justin Collins, Amadi ran through the middle of UCLA's coverage team for a 56-yard return and a 7-0 lead for Oregon.
"The way it came it felt like I had enough time I could make one person miss and take off," said Amadi, the only Power 5 player this season with touchdown returns on both an interception and a punt.
Oregon made it 14-0 later in the first quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by CJ Verdell. That was preceded by a fake field goal, on which the holder, UO punter Blake Maimone, threw a 28-yard pass to Jacob Breeland.
Cristobal praised the way Maimone, a former high school quarterback, sold the fake by getting the hold down to bait UCLA's field-goal block team, before peeling out and throwing the pass.
"It was really great to be able to contribute," Maimone said. "Kicking is a big part of the game, but being able to throw a pass and make a big contribution like that is something I'll never forget."
The Ducks later missed a field goal, and allowed a 35-yard kick return. But Oregon's punt team also recovered a muff by UCLA's return man, and the offense converted it into a four-yard touchdown pass from Herbert to Dillon Mitchell for a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.
That Herbert-to-Mitchell connection continued to pay dividends Saturday, and much to the relief of Oregon's coaches, players and fans.
Both players were in concussion protocol earlier in the week, but both took the field and showed no ill effects Saturday. Mitchell caught eight passes for 156 yards and two scores, giving him 92.6 yards per game, which leads the Pac-12. In conference play Mitchell is averaging 122.5 yards per game, 37 more than anyone else in the Pac-12.
And all of that despite not practicing with the team Tuesday or Wednesday due to the concussion protocol.
"This is still college football, and I think college guys need to practice throughout the course of the week to be at their very best," Cristobal said. "… It's a tribute to them to play so well, especially against a team like that; they have good players. Hats off to both Justin and Dillon."
Mitchell said his connection with Herbert is "something special, something we work on." Interestingly, he added that "taking criticism from each other, that's definitely a big thing to continue that special connection."
Herbert followed Mitchell on the interview podium Saturday night, and confirmed that having an open, honest and frank relationship is key to the dynamic between the two.
"That's the only way we get better," Herbert said. "He's a guy that pushes me, and I try to push him as much as I can. But he's made me a ton better."
With the Ducks looking to avoid a repeat of last season, Herbert is being featured less frequently in the running game.
Last season, Herbert had at least nine carries in three of his eight appearances. He also missed a month due a shoulder injury suffered rushing for a touchdown against California.
This season, Herbert has only one game with that many carries, 11 against Stanford. But on Saturday, the Ducks hinted at a way they can still feature the quarterback as a running threat.
Late in the first half, Oregon faced third-and-goal from the UCLA 4-yard line, and called timeout to discuss a play call. When the Ducks took the field for the ensuing snap, it was with mobile backup Braxton Burmeister at quarterback. UCLA called a timeout of its own, and Herbert re-entered the game.
Burmeister ended up playing a snap in the third quarter, in another goal-line situation. It was second down from the 3-yard line, and he kept the ball on an option play that involved a receiver running a jet sweep and also a running back. The play gained one yard, and Herbert returned for the next snap.
For all of the disappointment of the losses to WSU and Arizona, the Ducks never seemed to lose their energy in practices.
Credit that to the culture created by Cristobal and his staff. That brotherhood was apparent on a light moment during postgame interviews Saturday.
Jevon Holland was being interviewed after picking off his fourth pass of the season, which leads the Pac-12. His fellow defensive back Thomas Graham Jr. exited the Oregon locker room, saw through a glass wall that Holland was at the podium, entered the press conference room and asked Holland what it was like to lead the team in interceptions.
"It feels good," Holland said, playing along. "I've got some bragging rights."
The reporters on hand laughed, and Graham prepared to exit the room. But this time, it was Holland who yelled to get Graham's attention.
"I may need a ride home; don't leave," Holland said sheepishly.
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