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)
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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.
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Yet this is not the first time I’ve seen a play like this, and I consulted with FishDuck.com AnalystCoach 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.
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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.
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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, theOur Beloved Ducks forum!
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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…
New 2024 FishDuck Publishing Schedule….
During the off-season the FishDuck.com publishing schedule will consist of articles on Mondays and Tuesdays. Do keep checking as new articles could be published during the week when a writer has something to say.
In mid-August of 2024, we will go back to the seven-days-a-week of articles during the football season as we did in the football season of 2023.
The Our Beloved Ducks Forum(OBD) is where we we discuss the article above and many more topics, as it is so much easier in a message board format over there. At the free OBD forum we will be posting Oregon Sports article links, the daily Press Releases from the Athletic Department and the news coming out every day.
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Our 33 rules at the free OBD Forum can be summarized to this: 1) be polite and respectful, 2) do not tell anyone what to think, feel or write, and 3) no reference of any kind to politics.Easy-peasy!
OBD Forum members….we got your back. No Trolls Allowed!
The University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a $1.55 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year.
But they asked university leadership to return with an amended proposal by Dec. 15, when more details about future budget cuts will be known.
FILE — The Board of Trustees recently approved next year’s budget for the University of Oregon. The vote comes several weeks after the school’s president announced that he wants the university to reduce its annual budget as revenues and out-of-state enrollment decline.
Brian Bull / KLCC
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The vote comes several weeks after University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced that he wants the school to reduce its annual budget by around $65 million.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Scholz said the estimated budget shortfall for next year is just around $23 million. But he said out-of-state enrollment is below historical norms for the second year in a row, and it’s unlikely to bounce back.
“One year can be an aberration. Two years is a pattern,” said Scholz. “And I believe we have to treat it as a new reality.”
Scholz said in May that discussions about the budget would happen over a six-month period. He said no final decisions about cuts would be made over this summer.
On Monday, UO Senate President Dyana Mason told trustees that the Senate had approved a new process to allow for community feedback in the cost-cutting process.
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Mason said the provost will work with the deans on budget proposals, finding “clear rationale” for why programs are considered for elimination.
The provost would then bring those proposals to the Senate Committee for Academic Modifications—which includes staff, faculty and students—for feedback.
Once the plans are nearly finalized, the Senate could then hold a period for public comment.
Mason told trustees that a six-month timeline is better than the three months that frustrated some staff last year, but she recommended taking however much time is necessary.
“The worst situation would be rushing forward to make decisions without appropriate evidence, data, feedback from the people that are most in the know about the impact on our students,” said Mason.
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UO’s Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda said that every week that university delays the decisions could cost them millions of dollars.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom.This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
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The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A New Jersey man was sentenced to federal prison last Friday for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
Mark T. Eager, 34, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.
“This defendant showed a blatant disregard for human life by trafficking fentanyl across the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Bradford. “My office will continue to pursue those who profit from poisoning our communities, and we will use every available resource and partnership to combat fentanyl trafficking and keep Oregonians safe.”
“This investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from across the nation,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Homeland Security Investigations special agents from Portland, Newark, and Houston contributed to the case, along with the Portland Police Bureau and HIDTA HIT officers, who were instrumental in identifying Eager. His 11-year sentence sends a clear message: no matter where you are in the country or the world, if you attempt to sell narcotics online to Americans, we will find you.”
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“Fentanyl trafficking poses a grave threat to communities across the United States, and Homeland Security Investigations is committed to working with our partners to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks responsible,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-DeArmas. “This case demonstrates the power of interagency collaboration under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, leveraging resources from across the country to hold traffickers accountable and protect the American people. We will continue to pursue those who endanger lives through the distribution of dangerous synthetic opioids, and we remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard our communities from the violence and instability caused by transnational criminal organizations.”
“By following this offender’s digital trail, Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners nationwide executed federal search warrants, dismantled an active dark web fentanyl packaging operation and recovered deadly amounts of fentanyl, thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency, and a trove of electronic devices and packaging materials,” said HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas. “This case is a powerful example of how coordinated, data-driven investigations can disrupt dangerous networks and help protect our communities from lethal synthetic opioids.”
According to court documents, from November 2023 through June 2024, Eager and his co-conspirator sold fentanyl on the Dark Net and Telegram. Eager operated as the vendor WRSEH10 and marketed the fentanyl as “China White Synthetic Heroin.”
In June 2024, HSI agents executed search warrants on two residences associated with Eager in Kearny, New Jersey, and seized over 360 grams of powdered fentanyl, counterfeit M30 pills, drug ledgers, cellular phones, two computers, and drug packaging consistent with three deliveries that were sent to Oregon.
On September 4, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Eager with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl.
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On February 4, 2026, Eager pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
HSI Portland and HSI Houston investigated this case with assistance from HSI Newark, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Interdiction Task Force (HIT). Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey assisted the U.S. Attorney’s in Oregon in obtaining the search warrants that were executed in Kearny.
