Oregon
OC Stein’s Oregon Offense: Capitalizing on a Strength | FishDuck
The 2024 Oregon Spring Game did not show much of the offense anticipated this fall, it did give me many clues that got me excited, and made me do some research about two plays along with a strategy by Oregon Offensive Coordinator Will Stein that was intriguing. Imagine my surprise to realize to find one of these plays within my own FishDuck Analysis Library from the past! I took a break from my fun at Bovada football betting to study Stein’s emphasis on utilizing a 2024 strength on offense, so let’s get to it!
Watch Josh Connerly Jr. pull… (Screenshot from Pac-12 Video)
You heard Yogi Roth on the Pac-12 Telecast of the Oregon Spring game marvel at the skills of Josh Conerly Jr. Yet he made no comment about the unusual play that Conerly was involved with. You do not see a tackle pulling very often at all, so when you watch the video below, watch Josh Conerly (Red arrow above) as the play develops. What he does is remarkable…
It is not uncommon to see our tackles pull on a Counter play as shown in a recent analysis article, but in that context Oregon’s offensive tackle is pulling to the other side of the line-of-scrimmage from where he began. In the example above, you see Conerly pull and go inside, as he is looking for an Inside Linebacker to hit between the “A” gaps.
I love this play, as B1G linebackers are going to be a tough bunch, and having our star offensive tackle take them on and clear like a fullback–with a head of steam–bodes well for the success of that play. Against the right defense it seems it could be an easy five yards, especially with Jordan James bulling forward, or Jay Harris with his size.
Yet this is not the first time I’ve seen a play like this, and I consulted with FishDuck.com Analyst Coach Eric Boles, who thought (like I) that it was a version of a Dart play that I did an analysis about over a decade ago at Oregon. FishDuck.com Analyst, Coach Jeremy Mosier, did an analysis of the Dart play that prior OC Joe Moorhead ran at Penn State. Yet Coach Mosier felt this play with Conerly was more of a Power Play, where we pulled a tackle instead of a guard.
This illustration shows the right offensive tackle pulling. (Screenshot from Coach Mac Video)
This makes the most sense to me, as I look at other examples online. Above is a coach explaining how he calls it a Dart play, but it operates darn-near like a traditional Power Play, pulling the tackle and seeking out the linebacker, just as you would with a guard traditionally. The bottom line is that using Josh Conerly Jr. this way is a wonderful method to fully utilize his speed and mobility, as it helps Our Beloved Ducks gain yardage, and improves his own NFL prospects.
Watch Ajani Cornelius lead the way with perimeter blocking… (Screenshot from Pac12 Video)
However, Oregon has more than one outstanding offensive tackle as recognized recently. Both Duck tackles are listed in the top ten of all offensive tackles in the nation. Run blocking and pass protection are the primary reasons why, but their mobility is another element as shown also by Ajani Cornelius in a play at the Oregon Spring game. Before we get to the video, please note where he is located with the red arrow above.
Good gosh, look at him pulling and leading the blocking on the perimeter. To get up to the sideline so quickly? It shouts to how he could be very valuable with other plays, such as a Tunnel Screen, especially with his aggressiveness. This is not the first time that Oregon has pulled an offensive tackle on an outside play under Dan Lanning as Coach Boles pointed out with this Bunch-Toss play in 2022.
Great to see the Bunch-Toss pulled out again to show us all the speed of Cornelius, and how that play fits the Oregon personnel in an ideal fashion. It makes me wonder when we will see the Tunnel Screen again as well, as both of Oregon’s tackles not only have the savvy for the open field blocks, but they clearly relish making the big hits.
Both plays in the Spring Game demonstrated the mobility of Oregon’s tremendous offensive tackles, and it warms my heart to see Will Stein create opportunities for them to help the team and raise their stature through innovative play design by Oregon’s offensive coordinator. Something new that will be fun to watch for this fall because…
“Oh, how we love to learn about Our Beloved Ducks!“
Charles Fischer (Mr. FishDuck)
Eugene, Oregon
Top Photo by Tom Corno
Share your thoughts about this team in the only free, “polite and respectful” Oregon Sports message board, the Our Beloved Ducks forum!
Charles Fischer has been an intense fan of the Ducks, a season ticket holder at Autzen Stadium for 35 years and has written reports on football boards for over 23 years. Known as “FishDuck” on those boards, he is acknowledged for providing intense detail in his scrimmage reports and in his Xs and Os play analyses. He and his wife Lois, have a daughter Christine, reside in Eugene Oregon, where he was a Financial Advisor for 36 years and now focuses full-time on Charitable Planned Giving Workshops for churches and non-profit organizations.
He does not profess to be a coach or analyst, but simply a “hack” that enjoys sharing what he has learned and invites others to correct or add to this body of Oregon Football! See More…
The good times keep on rolling for the Oregon Ducks in the recruiting world. Dan Lanning and the Ducks scored a massive commitment from five-star quarterback Will Mencl out of Chandler, Arizona.
Oregon had been rumored to be leading the race for Mencl’s services for months, but the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per Rivals, cleared the air and committed to the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Mencl chose the Ducks over Auburn and Penn State, both of which battled hard for him down the stretch.
However, Mencl has been connected to Oregon for a long time. While he was offered last fall before breaking out in his junior season, Mencl has been a fan of the program long before he popped up on the Ducks’ recruiting radar. In a post shared by Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, Mencl was announced as a quarterback for the Ducks when he was a kid at the 2019 NFL Draft fan experience in 2019.
Now, Mencl is ready to don the green and yellow for real and make his childhood dreams come true. The Ducks have made a point to get Mencl on campus as often as possible and as recently as last week. The continued connection between both sides is ultimately what made the decision easy for the nation’s top passer. Mencl said he told Lanning and the Oregon staff about his decision on Sunday.
“The biggest thing was the relationship with the staff,” Mencl said after committing. “I feel like that continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring. Being able to sit down with Coach Koa, really being an underlooked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then, the path to the NFL. You can’t deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”
Koa Ka’ai, Oregon’s new quarterback coach, made waves earlier in the offseason after his recruiting test about ice cream flavors went viral, but that doesn’t appear to have scared Mencl off. In fact, the two have a close connection that Oregon hopes will translate to success on the field in the near future.
“My relationship with Coach Koa, I feel like that is super, super strong,” Mencl told Rivals. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Coach Lanning about the culture there and how they’re going to continue to sustain greatness throughout the program.”
Mencl exploded onto the national recruiting scene with a massive junior season for Chandler. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 33 touchdowns against five interceptions in his junior season, leading Chandler to a state title berth. He also rushed for 741 yards and an additional 17 touchdowns.
The Ducks expect to have some competition for Mencl to compete with when he joins the team for the 2027 season, with Dylan Raiola and Akili Smith Jr. already on the roster and competing for a role as the backup. Oregon has gone to the transfer portal as well in recent seasons, finding success with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and now Dante Moore.
Oregon has recruited well at quarterback in the past, establishing an NFL pedigree that attracted Mencl. Maybe he will be the one to buck the trend and give the Ducks a true, homegrown product under center.
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‘Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,’ a Wine Enthusiast contributor said of an Oregon wine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wine Enthusiast released a list of the top 40 sparkling wines around the world in 2026 – highlighting two bottles of bubbly from Oregon.
“While it can seem like you need a fortune to enjoy high quality sparkling wine, you honestly don’t. Excellent affordable bubbles are being produced around the world, often in places you might not expect. Each of the selections on our inaugural Top 40 Sparkling Wines list delivers personality, freshness, and celebration for under $75,” Wine Enthusiast wrote.
Wine Enthusiast divided its list into separate sparkling categories including, Champagne, Italian Bollicine, American sparkling and bottles $25 and under.
Snagging a spot on the American sparkling list: Corollary Wines in McMinnville.
Corollarly’s 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rosé Pinot Noir scored 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.
“This is a Peter Max print of a wine, with vivid aromas and flavors to match the wine’s electric Kool-Aid color. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of macerated strawberries, candied rose petals, apricots, and a bitter note similar to watermelon rind. Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,” wrote Wine Enthusiast contributor Michael Alberty.
The second Oregon winery to earn a spot on the list: Lytle-Barnett in Dundee.
Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.
“Bubbles as persistent as an eight-year-old with a question deliver aromas of dried rose petals, macerated strawberries, and a touch of fresh hay and talc. This 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend is packed with flavors of lemon zest, Honeycrisp apple slices drizzled in caramel, and a dollop of raspberry,” Alberty wrote.
The nods to Corollary and Lytle-Barnett come as the wineries recently helped launch Method Oregon, a nonprofit made up of 50 Oregon wineries aiming to turn Oregon into a global sparkling wine destination.
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