It’s Nov. 21, 2009.
The No. 11 Oregon Ducks are facing third and goal to go from the 1-yard line. Alex Zendejas’ 41-yard field goal to open up double-overtime put the Arizona Wildcats ahead, 41-38. The Ducks responded with a 23-yard strike from Jeremiah Masoli to Ed Dickson on first and 10 from the 25-yard line. A sense of inevitability creeps over the ZonaZoo — at least, those that remained from prematurely rushing the field at Arizona Stadium.
Oregon has three wide receivers in the formation; Dickson is split out in the left slot. LaMichael James is positioned just behind Masoli’s left shoulder in the backfield. Arizona has seven defenders in the box; each receiver is single-covered.
Center Jordan Holmes snaps the ball. As Masoli extends his arms, placing the ball in James’ chest, Wildcat linebackers crash the offensive line. The left outside linebacker and left defensive end move outside as the middle linebacker and right outside linebacker travel inward.
Masoli then pulls the ball away from James, freezing the left-side defenders momentarily. That moment was all he needed. The now-former Ducks quarterback scored his third rushing and sixth overall touchdown on the night.
Oregon 44, Arizona 41, Final, two overtimes.
Yet another example of zone-read legerdemain from the Ducks knocked one contender out of the Pac-10 Conference title race. Oregon would do the same thing 12 days later to the Oregon State Beavers, reaching the Rose Bowl for the first time in 15 years.
Head coach Chip Kelly installed the zone-read spread option offense in 2007 with some growing pains and many successes. Paired with a fast tempo, the zone-read has made Oregon’s running backs and quarterbacks consistent and notorious threats.
Beyond individual performances, the most impressive element of the zone-read to the untrained observer is the ease at which the Ducks pull off misdirection.
“We depend on deception in our offense,” running backs coach Gary Campbell said. “We run a lot of zone stuff and we run some options.”
Oregon practices zone-read fakes regularly during fall camp and occasionally devotes extra time during the season. Each quarterback works with each running back to develop a sense of timing and feel. The goal: a believable and technically sound ball fake, every time.
“The coaches have pounded that idea into our heads so much that it’s like, now, it becomes second nature to us,” running back Remene Alston said. “We still need to get better at our fakes, but it seems to work against defenses. They pound it in our heads every day: ‘Good fakes! Good fakes! Good fakes!’”
Repetition is valuable to the quarterbacks because, as starter Darron Thomas said, “each running back is a little bit different.”
“You’ve got to get the feel of each running back,” said Thomas, who has tucked the ball and gained 102 yards on 19 carries this season. “Kenjon (Barner) and LaMichael are about the same, though. They’re about the same height.”
Quarterbacks treat each zone-read play the same, regardless of the ultimate decision that is based on the read of the opposing defensive tackle. Their arms are fully extended — bent elbows give the fake away — and their eyes are always focused on the clean exchange. Following through is critical — the longer the ball remains in the “pocket” created by the running back’s arms and chest, the longer the defense reacts to the handoff, allowing a quarterback to spring the trap.
“Make it look the same as if you were running a run play,” quarterback Nate Costa said. “A lot of guys rush it because they don’t trust it. You’ve got to trust the fake.”
Running backs are encouraged to “be actors” according to Campbell. (The ultimate decision to execute a fake, after all, rests with the quarterback.) They will come from the quarterback’s immediate right and left sides, behind him from both directions or in front from both directions. The opposite arm (right arm from the left side, and vice versa) is raised up to create the pocket that the quarterback places the ball into.
“They have to hold it tight enough that if the quarterback lets it go, they can hold on to it, and if he wants to pull it out they can release it,” Campbell said. “It’s body language. They’ve got to be moving at the speed they’d be moving if they had the ball.”
Running the play at full speed is the most important facet, according to offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich.
“You’re running as hard as you are with the ball as without the ball,” he said. “(Masoli) ran as hard as he did without the ball as if he had the ball. If you were doing that when the tailback has the ball — if the tailback’s doing that when you have the ball — that’s deceiving.”
Masoli was featured in a segment for ESPN’s College GameDay show on Oct. 30, 2009, that exhibited his ability to execute ball fakes like a magician performs simple card tricks. The program returns to Eugene this week as the No. 9 Stanford Cardinal attempts to resist the sleight of hand of the No. 4 Ducks, who are fourth in the country with 316.8 rushing yards per game.
Thomas will get no such treatment. Kelly did, however, offer praise when asked about Thomas’ performance within the zone-read option game after Oregon’s home victory against Portland State.
“I think he’s been outstanding,” Kelly said.
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