Oregon Football: What to watch for on offense this spring

Oregon quarterbacks Jay Butterfield, No. 9 left, Bo Nix, No. 10, and Ty Thompson, No. 13 right, join the first practice for the Ducks to begin the 2022 season.Eug 0310222 Uo Football 06
Oregon quarterbacks Jay Butterfield, No. 9 left, Bo Nix, No. 10, and Ty Thompson, No. 13 right, join the first practice for the Ducks to begin the 2022 season.Eug 0310222 Uo Football 06
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Oregon’s Byron Cardwell, center, breaks for a touch down against Colorado during the first quarter Saturday Oct. 30, 2021.Eug 103021 Uo Cofb07
Oregon’s Byron Cardwell, center, breaks for a touch down against Colorado during the first quarter Saturday Oct. 30, 2021.Eug 103021 Uo Cofb07

Running Back

The final position on our list is the running back. Traditionally, in this offense, the backs have been on the stouter side. The new crop of Oregon backs fit this build well. Of course, the offense uses the smaller/speedier backs in the receiver/running back hybrid role, but the between-the-tackles, down after down backs have looked more like Byron Cardwell.

That doesn’t mean that Dillingham won’t also move his running backs around the formation. During his time at Memphis, they used a lot of two-back sets. It wasn’t always a traditional set where two backs align in the backfield. They lined up in a multitude of places from the backfield to all of the wide receiver positions and even the wing position seen in triple-option offenses.

I still see McGee doing a lot of those things this season, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cardwell, or even Sean Dollars, aligned in some unexpected places.

Dillingham’s offense also uses a hefty amount of wildcat, so expect to see Oregon’s backs as the signal-caller from time to time.

Schedule

Schedule