The End Zone Fade: Oregon Can Run It Now!

Duck followers, I’m sick of getting beat by the Stanford Endzone Fade play. Has there been a sport within the final decade (in addition to the Geese’ 21-6 win in 2019) during which Stanford hasn’t scored not less than one landing on the Endzone Fade?

Does final 12 months’s 4th down cross interference penalty, then Stanford’s untimed all the way down to tie the sport and ship it into additional time, nonetheless hang-out you?

Let’s admit it’s been an important play for Stanford, and provides credit score the place it’s due. However why have the Geese by no means adopted the Endzone Fade? Chip Kelly’s Unfold was copied throughout faculty soccer as a result of it was profitable, so why don’t we copy the Endzone Fade?

It’s previous time for Oregon to make use of the Endzone Fade, and we’ve had the personnel to run it for a number of years now. Matter of truth, I’ve been screaming on the TV to run the Endzone Fade, and complaining to my Duck pals that we don’t. We had Juwan Johnson, Bryan Addison, and Devon Williams right here for years and I don’t recall throwing one Endzone Fade. (We all know Devon had hops.)

Tom Corno

Devon Williams reveals easy methods to highpoint the soccer at OSU in 2021.

The Endzone Fade lends itself to extra success with tall extensive receivers paired with tall athletic tight ends. Since 2019 we’ve had gamers who had been good for the Endzone Fade, however listed below are the gamers on our 2022 roster we might use.

• WR – Dont’e Thornton 6’5, 197 lbs.
• Security/WR – Bryan Addison 6’5, 190 lbs.
• WR – Kyle Kasper 6’5, 195 lbs.
• TE – Terrance Ferguson 6’6, 243 lbs.
• TE – Moliki Matavao 6’6, 263 lbs.

All these gamers have the peak, wingspan and physique measurement to field out cornerbacks one-on-one. Why wouldn’t we benefit from the scale matchup now we have, and the let these gamers go up and excessive level the ball? No cornerbacks are going to out bounce our guys; they will attempt to be bodily, however they aren’t transferring Ferguson or Matavao off the ball.

Why am I advocating so laborious for the Endzone Fade? Effectively, it’s not often an interception, it’s a one-on-one matchup, and it will get a excessive share of cross interference calls. Defenses down on the objective line are likely to overload the field in opposition to the run and quit the one-on-one Endzone Fade to the skin.

Tom Corno

Stanford connects on the Endzone Fade in opposition to Oregon in 2021.

A technique Stanford likes to run this play is in 12 personnel, one again, two tight ends. They are going to put two extensive receivers to at least one aspect, one tight finish alone on the opposite and one tight finish saved in to dam.

On this set with TE Terrance Ferguson out extensive one-on-one, he could have an enormous measurement benefit on any defensive again, and that is the place you’d need your QB to look first. In the event you throw Ferguson a again shoulder ball, he has the physique measurement to get to the ball, field out the defender and go excessive level the ball. We’ve seen Stanford do that to our defensive backs for the final decade! On the opposite aspect, if we put Thornton and Addison out extensive it additionally created an enormous measurement mismatch. The skin man runs a nook fade, and the within man runs a straight fade, making this aspect of the sector the QB’s second possibility

Let’s take this a step additional, and say they put an even bigger linebacker on Ferguson to remove his measurement benefit. Positive, the protection simply received smaller by swapping a linebacker for a security within the Field, and I’ll run straight at you.
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It was that Oregon didn’t have the optimum measurement at extensive receiver to run this play. However beneath Mario Cristobal now we have had that measurement since 2019, however haven’t used that to our benefit in any respect with the Endzone Fade. I really feel Oregon has had higher personnel than Stanford to run it. I do know if Williams and Addison had been taking part in for Stanford, they’d have been utilized to run Endzone Fade in opposition to us. You don’t need to all the time use the tallest gamers: Elijah Higgins, who caught the game-tying cross final 12 months in opposition to UO was 6’3, however the success price goes up with taller gamers who can go highpoint the ball over the defender.

Tom Corno

Mykael Wright reveals nice timing on his leap to get off the bottom and break up the top zone fade cross in opposition to Stanford in 2021.

Now a few of you is likely to be pondering the Endzone Fade has a low share success price of round 33% completion in faculty soccer. It offers the protection two further defenders between the endline and sideline, and I’ve seen too many balls thrown two yards out of sure the place the receiver has zero likelihood to make the catch.

To that I’d say you’re proper on all factors — some groups aren’t executing the Endzone Fade very effectively in any respect. However Stanford does as a result of the play isn’t some afterthought or random play name. Stanford needs to assault that one-on-one match up on the smaller defender, and so they observe it in a disciplined method. Meaning Stanford QBs work on getting the ball to the appropriate spot on the proper top, the place the receiver can go highpoint it. (They rep the heck out of this play in observe.)

I’m hoping, with the personnel now we have, that the Endzone Fade is a play Coach Kenny Dillingham feels is simply begging him to place our massive receivers in matchups on smaller defenders, and we begin working this play.

There should not many issues sweeter I might consider than the Geese throwing a late sport profitable Endzone Fade proper within the Tree’s face, watching the Duck receiver come down with the ball whereas the defender falls to the bottom at his ft.

That will put a smile on my face a mile extensive; how about you, Duck followers? Share your ideas about Oregon working the Endzone Fade within the OBD Discussion board.

DazeNconfused
Portland, Oregon
Prime Picture by Oregon Soccer Twitter

Natalie Liebhaber, the FishDuck.com Volunteer Editor for this text, works within the monetary know-how business in SLC, Utah.